Unlocking the Law

A Lawyer Answers the Questions Livonia Actually Wants to Ask

Most people never ask a lawyer a question until they absolutely have to. Our team posted in the All Things Livonia Facebook group and asked:  "What legal questions are actually on your mind?" In this special Q&A episode, we covered: → Why the Sears building is still standing → Why workers' comp can cut you off mid-treatment → Medicare vs. Medicaid and what actually pays for assisted living → When municipalities can claim an undue burden → Why public opposition to a development isn't a legal reason to deny it → And so much more! Thank you so much to the All Things Livonia Facebook group for contributing to this episode of Unlocking The Law! *Chapters* 0:00 - Introduction & Episode Overview 1:21 - Livonia Community Q&A Begins 2:57 - Elder Law: Medicare vs. Medicaid for Assisted Living 5:39 - ADA Compliance and Municipal Obligations 9:19 - Workers' Comp: Why Employers Can Stop Paying Benefits 13:57 - The Sears Building: Condemnation and Eminent Domain 24:38 - Who Owns the Fence Between Properties? 27:26 - How Speed Limits Are Set in Michigan 30:28 - Why Cities Settle So Many Lawsuits 44:43 - Zoning Violations and Selective Enforcement 49:42 - Can Cities Stop Corporations from Buying Housing? 52:45 - Vacant Properties and Builder Responsibilities 55:41 - City Audits and Public Financial Records 57:55 - Wrap-Up and Upcoming Episodes ~~~ This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC https://www.thefgfirm.law/

Faith, Failure, and Building a Company From Scratch | Dillon England

Dillon England started a podcast on a whim because his wife suggested it. He had two mismatching microphones and a camera that cut out every 30 minutes. But afterwards, he knew he wanted to be in podcasting for the rest of his life. Dillon had worked in 100% commissions insurance sales and started a video editing company.  Both didn't turn out the way he wanted, but it all lead him to discovering what he was destined to build... In our episode, we covered: → Why Dillon thinks using "I'm a Christian" as a sales pitch is a red flag → How faith shapes the way he runs his business day to day → What agency contracts actually need to protect you → When AI is good enough for legal questions → Why the failure you lived through might be the reason you succeed now Dillon built something real by failing at a lot of things first. But the thing that kept him going was a belief that the work itself was the point and that it wasn't about him. Dillon, thank you for being the guy behind so much of what makes this podcast work, and for finally sitting in the guest chair. You are open, honest, and authentic - loved every minute of our conversation! *Chapters* 0:00 - Welcome to Unlocking the Law 1:12 - Meet Dillon England: Podcast Producer, Entrepreneur, Christian 3:38 - Dillon's Business Journey 4:12 - $300 the Month He Got Married 5:20 - When COVID Hit, Everything Falls Apart 5:47 - The One Episode That Changed Everything 9:07 - How 313 Media Company Was Born 15:04 - Faith Journey: Adopted Into a Christian Home 18:26 - Dealing With Doubt and What Helped 21:23 - Why Creation Makes More Sense Than Nothing 25:34 - The Difference Between an Entrepreneur and a Christian Entrepreneur 34:06 - Has Faith Ever Conflicted With Business? 40:41 - Everyone's Mad All the Time: Social Media and Real Conversation 42:53 - Legal Issues in the Podcasting World 54:33 - What Startups Should Do When They Can't Afford a Lawyer 58:11 - AI as a Legal Resource: How Far Can You Take It? 1:01:15 - Wrap-Up and Where to Find Dillon ~~~ This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC https://www.thefgfirm.law/

What Happens To A City When the Police Department Falls Apart | Tyler Vines

Tyler Vines has been on the Livonia Police Department for nearly 14 years. He's been in patrol the whole time. Two months ago, he became president of the Livonia Police Officers Association. He walked into that role and straight into a crisis. Twenty-nine officers left the department in 2025. They hired five. The station they work out of is a patchwork of two buildings from the 1960s bolted together with a section added 40 years later. HVAC systems that require a call to DPW to adjust. Boilers breaking down with no parts available. A urinal pipe that leaked into the wall for weeks before anyone found it. The city is spending up to $400,000 a year just to keep the place standing.  And in August, residents will vote on a millage renewal that funds officer wages, benefits, training, and equipment for the entire public safety department, police and fire alike. We covered: - What the millage actually funds and why the police station construction is a separate issue - How understaffing creates a feedback loop that drives more officers out - Why renovation isn't feasible and what a new building would actually require - What the union's priorities are heading into contract negotiations Livonia has a reputation for being one of the best departments in the state. The people there are good at their job. They show up. The question is whether the city is going to give them the tools to keep doing it. Tyler, thank you for coming in to record. This is exactly the kind of conversation Livonia residents need to hear before August. *Chapters* 0:00 - Welcome to Unlocking the Law 1:22 - Tyler Vines Introduction and Career Background 2:07 - The Grappling Hook Device: Livonia's New Pursuit Tech 4:19 - Police Chases, Liability, and Why Departments Are Pulling Back 6:09 - The Union's Priorities: Millage, Contract, and the New Station 7:08 - What the Millage Actually Funds (And Why Fire Is in the Conversation) 10:58 - Inside the Failing Building: What Officers Are Actually Working In 14:05 - Why Renovation Isn't Feasible 16:21 - Operating Under Construction: What It Actually Looks Like 18:44 - The Staffing Crisis: 77 Officers for a Department Budgeted for 107 22:20 - What Understaffing Actually Does to the Officers Who Stay 24:23 - Why Livonia Still Has a Reputation as One of the Best Departments Watch the Livonia PD Grappler Deployment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMFXpTfy3zc ~~~ This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC https://www.thefgfirm.law/

The Fight for Livonia's Future | Brandon McCullough

Brandon McCullough has built his political reputation on saying exactly what he thinks. Sometimes, he told me, that's gotten him in trouble. When the millage proposal was shot down in August, Brandon was in the middle of it, putting his strong opinions out online. When the dust settled, he had to sit with the reality that the city he grew up in still needed a new police station and a community that no longer fully trusted the people trying to build it. Through that process, Brandon learned the hard way that humility in a leadership role goes further than being right. In our episode we cover: → What it cost to build the Northville Township essential services complex → Why the process of the Livonia police station debate mattered as much as its outcome → What's at stake if the operating millage doesn't pass → The state housing affordability bills and why local leaders are pushing back hard → How to actually move development east and what's stalling Livonia's corridors Brandon, thank you for your honesty and for your genuine care for this city. *Chapters* 0:00 - Introduction: Brandon McCullough and the Unlocking the Law Podcast 1:46 - Brandon's Career Background: Public, Private, and Nonprofit 2:08 - Northville Township's New Essential Services Complex 6:19 - How the Project Was Funded: Brownfield Money and Debt Service 7:04 - Livonia Police Station: What's Actually on the Table 9:24 - The Failed Millage and the New Council's Approach 12:31 - The Operating Millage: Why It Has to Pass 21:02 - Brandon's History Advocating for the Police Department 27:07 - Politics, Compromise, and the 24-Hour Rule 28:01 - Rotary Park Pavilion: A Win Nobody Wants to Admit 31:18 - State Housing Affordability Bills: Keep It Local 36:08 - The Real Housing Problem in Livonia: Senior Residents and Uncapped Taxes 41:13 - Infrastructure Capacity and Why Zoning Bills Miss the Point 47:58 - The Meijer Development: A Case Study in Getting It Right 53:42 - Pushing Development East on Plymouth Road 56:28 - Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Brandon ~~~ This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC https://www.thefgfirm.law/

The Suburb That Secretly Controls Michigan Politics | Jay Murray

Jay Murray is a contributing writer at the Michigan Enjoyer who holds White House press credentials and has spent the last two years covering Livonia from the inside. He's lived there almost his entire life.  He loves the city... but he's also watched it stall. What he's found in Livonia surprised him... A suburb that still looks like 1982. A political machine dating back decades that still shapes Wayne County. Residents organizing in yellow shirts to protest chicken restaurants, car washes, and gas stations while an abandoned Sears building rots with dead animals inside. A city council caught between angry crowds and the law. In this episode of Unlocking The Law, we cover: → Why NIMBYism in Livonia has crossed into the absurd → The Sheetz gas station fight that nearly triggered a major lawsuit against the city → What's really going on inside the abandoned Sears building at 7 Mile and Middle Belt → And so much more! Something specific that stuck with me from my talk with Jay is how easily nostalgia becomes resistance. People aren't always fighting against something new; sometimes they're just holding on to what's familiar, even when what's familiar is a decaying building with no plan. Jay, thanks for coming on and bringing so much energy and honesty! *Chapters* 0:00 - Intro 0:42 - Meet Jay Murray 4:00 - Why Livonia Quietly Shapes Michigan Politics 6:41 - The Grand Rapids Police Chief & the HBO Series 10:10 - What Is NIMBYism? And Why Is It Exploding? 13:18 - The Sheetz Gas Station Controversy 18:28 - Playing Both Sides: The Attorney's Perspective on Development 19:09 - Why Livonia Still Looks Like 1982 22:01 - Chicken Restaurants, Car Washes & Private Property Rights 28:04 - Zoning Law 101: What Cities Can and Can't Block 36:33 - The Abandoned Sears Building (and What's Living Inside It) 46:29 - Blight Enforcement: What Can the City Actually Do? 48:01 - A Homeless Man's Story and Suburban Safety 52:13 - What Would Make Jay Murray Put On a Yellow Shirt? 56:22 - Michigan Enjoyer Live Event & Closing ~~~ This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC https://www.thefgfirm.law/