Ledford & Associates

10/09/2026

After Christa Pike survived Tennessee's failed attempt to execute her, the unsettled question of whether the state will try again could push Tennessee into uncharted legal territory, experts say.

Pike, 50, suffered burns and blisters to her arms and her prognosis remains uncertain after ex*****oners tried to give her two lethal doses of pentobarbital, her legal team said Wednesday. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer.

After Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike survived an ex*****on attempt it's unclear whether the state will try again.

10/06/2026

During Monday’s meeting, leaders discussed potential age limits, helmet requirements, and even the possibility of removing a row of parking spaces on Main Street to create a bike lane.

But city leaders did not make a decision on the ordinance Monday night. Mayor Mike DeVore said the discussion will remain on the city’s agenda so community members have more opportunities to weigh in.

The City Council, Lowell Area Recreation Authority, and Park Board met Monday night to discuss city’s newly drafted e-bike ordinance.

09/30/2026

An employee of a Hong Kong engineering firm received a message that appeared to come from the company’s chief financial officer requesting several financial transfers. The employee was suspicious but was reassured in a video conference with the CFO and colleagues.

Every participant, except the employee, was an AI-generated deepfake, and the company lost $25 million.

Opinion: As AI tools improve and spread, deepfake fraud becomes more foreseeable, Segal McCambridge attorneys say.

09/29/2026

Apple Inc. found itself on the losing end of the largest patent infringement verdict in US history last week, a landmark event that at least one IP observer said reflects mounting public frustration with Big Tech that could usher in similar mammoth awards.

The case presents itself as one of David and Goliath: Taction Technology Inc., a small company founded by a self-described audiophile and “technogeek” that lists a San Diego UPS store as its corporate address, challenged a tech giant that boasted more than $416 billion in revenue in 2025. Taction alleged that vibration-based technology incorporated in models of iPhones and Apple Watches infringed its patents.

Apple Inc. found itself on the losing end of the largest patent infringement verdict in US history last week, a landmark event that at least one IP observer said reflects mounting public frustration with Big Tech that could usher in similar mammoth awards.

09/28/2026

The new protection was added to Michigan's existing Truth in Renting Act. Under that act, if a rental agreement breaks this rule, a tenant can notify their landlord in writing. The landlord generally has 20 days to fix the issue. If they don't, the tenant can take the matter to court.

A new Michigan law now requires landlords to provide at least one way for tenants to pay rent without additional fees.

09/25/2026

The Justice Department has a long history of investigating and prosecuting hackers who break into a private company’s network.

But what happens when the hackers aren’t human?

That’s the question at the center of a public policy debate roiling Silicon Valley and Washington following disclosures by leading tech companies that their artificial intelligence models went rogue and hacked into other organizations. The attacks have generated calls even from within the industry for greater oversight and regulation, spurred congressional inquiries and raised questions about whether a years-old legal framework designed to punish criminal hackers is sufficient in an era of autonomous actors capable of engineering their own havoc.

The Justice Department has a long history of investigating and prosecuting hackers who break into a private company’s network.

09/24/2026

When the justices return to meet in conference next week and take the bench on Oct. 5, the first day of the 2026-27 term, a major focus will be on what new cases the court will add to its docket for oral argument and decision.

At the center of deciding what cases to decide is a 100-year-old custom known as the rule of four.

Simply put, this rule means that the court will hear a case when four justices vote in favor, even if a majority of justices did not want to do so. This sounds straightforward, but it comes with an interesting history and quite a few wrinkles.

(Jesse Collins, Wikimedia Commons)When the justices return to meet in conference next week and take the bench on Oct. 5, the first day of the 2026-27 term, a major focus will be on what new cases the court will add to its docket for oral argument and decision.At the center of deciding what cases to....

09/22/2026

As executives at leading artificial intelligence companies increasingly assert that their own technology could one day pose an existential threat to humanity, a natural question follows: If the risk is real, can anyone sue to stop it before disaster strikes? https://www.law360.com/articles/2526958

09/17/2026

OpenAI has disclosed six new incidents of “unexpected or concerning” behavior by its artificial intelligence models. As industry worries swell over the technology’s rapid progress, the company also unveiled a new framework for tracking and reporting these instances of what it termed “misalignment.”

The announcement late Wednesday follows mounting public calls for a slowdown in the pace of the technology’s development, with U.S. tech bosses voicing grave safety concerns including the risk of human extinction.

The announcement late Wednesday follows mounting public calls for a slowdown in the pace of the technology’s development, with U.S. tech bosses voicing grave safety concerns.

09/16/2026

Michigan State Police confirmed that a decision last week by the Michigan Supreme Court forced the agency to remove 20,000 offenders from the state’s s*x offender registry.

That’s nearly half of the entire registry, which previously included 43,000 offenders.

“What the courts have said, you can’t retroactively change the consequences of a crime,” Miriam Aukerman of the American Civil Liberties Union explained in an interview with News 8 via Zoom. “In 2011, the Legislature really changed the way the registry worked. It expanded registration tremendously, lengthened the terms (on the registry). Before that, the registration terms were shorter. The vast majority of people today are on the registry for life and what’s required of offenders is incredibly punitive.”

Aukerman said the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling made clear the state cannot extend an offender’s punishment after sentencing.

When a Hudsonville dad learned from a neighbor that a convicted s*x offender living nearby did not list his address on the public registry, he immediately contacted police.