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East Lansing council authorizes mayor to retain outside litigation counsel in state-court case
Summary
After meeting in closed session, the East Lansing City Council voted to authorize Mayor Altman to retain Tim Ferran and the firm Cummings, McClory, Davis, Acho, PLC as defense counsel in the state-court case Limesmith and Mason Woods v. John Newman (case no. 26-3081-8W).
The East Lansing City Council voted on June 30 to authorize Mayor Altman to retain outside litigation counsel in a pending state-court case.
During a return to open session, Council Member Greg Spierer moved “to authorize Mayor Altman to proceed in a manner recommended by the city attorney in closed session via attorney-client legal memo dated 06/29/2026 to retain the services of Tim Ferran and Cummings, McClory, Davis, Acho, PLC as a litigation defense counsel” in the state-court lawsuit Limesmith and Mason Woods v. John Newman, case no. 26-3081-8W. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
The motion followed a brief closed session called earlier in the meeting so council members could consult with the city's attorneys and discuss privileged attorney-client correspondence and collective-bargaining negotiations. The council cited exemptions under the Michigan Open Meetings Act (MCL 15.243) when moving into closed session and later returned to open session to take the vote.
The authorized action directs the mayor to proceed as recommended in the city attorney’s memoranda and to retain the named attorney and law firm for matters arising from the referenced lawsuit. The motion record in the meeting transcript does not specify contract terms, fees, or a timeline for retention.
No other public details about legal strategy or settlement posture were included in the open-session record. The council did not vote on any related ordinance or budget appropriation in the transcript provided; any contract or payment to outside counsel would require future documentation and, if applicable, additional council action.
