Sommers Schwartz, PC

10/26/2026

If a serious condition was missed at your baby's newborn screening, it is not because you overlooked something. The screening system is designed to catch these conditions. If something about your baby worries you now, call your baby's doctor and describe what you noticed and when it started.

Within a day or two of birth, nearly every baby in the United States has a few drops of blood taken from the heel. Most parents hear little about it

10/24/2026

Sommers Schwartz Senior Shareholder Matthew Turner represents George Boyd, who was held in the Genesee County Jail for nearly three months after deputies claimed he had a federal hold preventing his release, despite no such hold existing. Mid-Michigan NOW spoke to Matt about a recent ruling in the case where a federal judge recently allowed Boyd's lawsuit against Genesee County and four jail deputies to proceed, rejecting the deputies' claims of qualified immunity. Both criminal charges against Boyd were dismissed in 2023.

“He clearly, definitively threw out their claim for qualified immunity and strongly held that my client had an absolute constitutional right to be free and to be let out of jail when he complied with the bond conditions,” Turner said.

Read more: https://midmichigannow.com/news/local/federal-judge-lets-lawsuit-against-genesee-county-proceed-over-alleged-federal-hold-case

10/23/2026

Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller and co-counsel Megan Bonanni joined East Lansing Info’s East Lansing Insider podcast to discuss their client, one of the Jane Does accusing former MSU resident physician Arpit Saxena of s*xual assault during medical care, and MSU’s 17-month delay in reporting the allegations to the state.

Sommers Schwartz has represented hundreds of survivors in cases against doctors, and Lisa is leading our firm’s effort to change Michigan’s statute of limitations for survivors. We are actively speaking confidentially with anyone who may have been affected.

Listen to the full episode: https://eastlansinginfo.news/east-lansing-insider-podcast-understanding-allegations-of-s*xual-violence-against-msu-doctor/

10/21/2026

$3.5 Million Settlement for Delayed Diagnosis of Intestinal Ischemia

A Michigan woman sought emergency medical care multiple times for excruciating abdominal pain, but delays in diagnosing and treating a blood clot that restricted blood flow to her intestines led to devastating consequences.

By the time her condition was identified, nearly her entire small intestine had sustained irreversible damage. She required multiple surgeries and an intestinal transplant and now faces lifelong medical complications.

Sommers Schwartz attorneys Andy Dragovic and Dina Zalewski secured a $3.5 million medical malpractice settlement for their client. This marks the second multi-million-dollar settlement they have achieved in as many years involving a missed diagnosis of bowel ischemia, with more than $7 million recovered for their clients.

These results reflect our attorneys' commitment to holding healthcare providers accountable and to pursuing compensation for patients who have suffered life-altering injuries.

https://www.sommerspc.com/verdicts/3-5-million-settlement-for-delayed-diagnosis-of-intestinal-ischemia/

10/19/2026

An Oakland County jury returned a verdict of approximately $14.2 million for a Novi mother of three who was left disabled after a hospital failed to recognize that she was having a stroke.

She arrived at the emergency room unable to speak or stand. She was treated for a urinary tract infection, and her stroke went unrecognized for hours. By the time it was diagnosed, the window for the clot-dissolving drug t-PA had closed, and she was left with permanent physical and cognitive impairments.

Congratulations to Ken Watkins and Sara Mićković, who tried this case in a county where verdicts against healthcare providers are hard to come by. Read the full story: https://www.sommerspc.com/blog/2026/10/kenneth-watkins-and-sara-mickovic-secure-14-2-million-jury-verdict-in-oakland-county-stroke-misdiagnosis-lawsuit/

10/13/2026

Sommers Schwartz Senior Shareholder Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller and attorney Megan Bonanni filed a notice of intent to sue on behalf of a woman who was s*xually assaulted by Dr. Arpit Saxena, a former MSU doctor, during a medical appointment. The Detroit Free Press reported on the filing, which argues that MSU could have prevented the alleged assault through proper hiring, supervision, monitoring and oversight of Saxena. Saxena faces criminal s*xual conduct charges after being arrested while attempting to flee to the country.

“I've seen it time and time again," Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller said. "I've had a number of cases with doctors abusing women, and in the vast, vast majority, our minds as human beings try to protect us, try to justify it as being normal, what was indicated and what was needed. ... You don't think this could possibly happen to you.”

Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/crime/2026/10/10/3rd-woman-details-s*x-assault-allegations-msu-policy-shifts/92022273007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z119725p115450l205050c115450e1114xxv119725d--41--b--41--&gca-ft=197&gca-ds=sophi

10/12/2026

Sommers Schwartz Serves recently came together to prepare bagged lunches for Another Day Resource Center, a nonprofit that provides food, clothing, and other essentials to individuals in need.

We are proud to continue supporting this important organization and grateful to our team members for helping make this effort possible. Read more: https://www.sommerspc.com/blog/2026/10/sommers-schwartz-serves-helping-another-day-resource-center-lend-a-hand-to-those-in-need/

10/09/2026

In 2022, a client was wrongfully held in the Genesee County jail for three months. The officers told him he had a federal hold, when no such hold existed. Last week, a federal judge ruled that four Genesee County Jail deputies are not entitled to qualified immunity and allowed a claim against Genesee County to proceed, citing evidence that jail staff received no specific training on federal holds.

Sommers Schwartz Senior Shareholder Matthew Turner, who represents the client, was featured in MLive’s coverage of the ruling:

“Our client posted his bond and should have gone home in two days. Instead, a federal hold that never existed kept him in the Genesee County Jail for three more months on two charges that were both dismissed. The court has now said the deputies involved can’t claim immunity, and the county will have to answer for how it trained them. We look forward to a jury hearing this case,” Matt said.

Read more: https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2026/10/judge-rules-genesee-county-jail-staff-may-be-liable-in-wrongful-detention-case.html

10/08/2026

Sommers Schwartz attorneys Jesse Young and Kevin Stoops secured a $3.8 million settlement on behalf of FCA US employees in a collective action involving alleged unpaid overtime wages.

The lawsuit alleged that FCA failed to properly calculate employees’ regular rate of pay and overtime rates under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Learn more about the case and Sommers Schwartz’s work protecting employee rights: https://www.sommerspc.com/verdicts/3-8-million-settlement-for-unpaid-overtime-wages-in-violation-of-the-fair-labor-standards-act/

10/02/2026

A new federal lawsuit against Interlochen Center for the Arts alleges that a 14-year-old student experienced s*xual assault and harassment by fellow students and a teacher during the 2024-25 school year, and that school administrators retaliated against her after she reported the alleged conduct.

Sommers Schwartz Senior Shareholder Matthew G. Curtis, who represents numerous former Interlochen students who have accused faculty members of abuse, was quoted in Michigan Advance about the new lawsuit and what its allegations mean in light of the school’s history:

“Interlochen has spent the past several months telling the public it has reformed the systems that allowed decades of abuse to occur on its campus. A new lawsuit, filed within weeks of that public messaging campaign, describes the same pattern the school claims to have fixed,” Matt said.

Read more: https://michiganadvance.com/2026/09/24/new-lawsuit-alleges-s*xual-misconduct-retaliation-against-14-year-old-at-interlochen-arts-school/