In the space of just a few weeks, the Washtenaw County Trial Court has been asked repeatedly by attorneys to sanction The Ann Arbor Independent for the publication of two investigative articles. In the latest instance, Josh Apel of Miller Johnson, a Detroit law firm hired by Washtenaw County to defend against the newspaper’s June 2024 FOIA suit, on Dec. 17, 2024 filed a Motion to Correct Clerical Error.
Apel was hired to represent Washtenaw County in its legal bid to withhold the background check of a Sheriff’s Deputy who was, about a year after being hired, subsequently charged with a dozen felonies, including multiple CSC First Degree charges for rape.
