Lehto's Law
Steve Lehto, an attorney with over 30 years of experience in Michigan Lemon Law and author of more than a dozen books, hosts this podcast. He discusses legal topics, often focusing on consumer protection and his own cases. The show also covers his writing and other legal issues.
Episodes
Officer Handcuffs Woman for Not Sharing Ring Cam Footage
The police are investigating the incident.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Early Drafts of Proposed Laws Now Often Contain AI Slop
And someone has to clean it up before it gets passed into law.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Comedians’ Lawsuit Ends Jetway Seizures in Atlanta
The settlement involved some money and the police said they would reform how the officers handled these stops in the future.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Judge Kicked Off Bench for Two Years
Alleged to have violated several different rules judges are required to follow.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Toyota Engine Diagnosis Begins With Hammer Strike
The recall procedure involves a special hammer which is used to check the condition of the main bearing without having to perform a complete teardown of the engine.
Dog on Death Row Gets Reprieve
Animal control called Chance 'Dangerous' but the law says No if he was provoked - which a court must now decide.
DUI Results Across Florida are in Doubt Because of Improper O-Ring Maintenance
One case appears to show the way for others across the state to defend their cases.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
University Makes First Semester Pass/Fail for ‘Mental Health’ Reasons
The University of Michigan is going to do this - a few other schools are doing it as well.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Flock Apologizes: Says They Will Take Steps to End Abuses
This was apparently in response to reports of police misusing Flock to stalk women.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Police Officer Sues Homeowner After Falling Down Steps
The officer was legally on the property, and the house did not have handrails as required by local law.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Cops Seize $10M In Supercars For ‘Antisocial’ Driving
This happened in London - but it is happening everywhere.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Jurors Find Evidence Everyone Else Missed
The defendant was convicted but it seems there might be grounds for an appeal.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Car Insurers Are Paying Fewer Claims Than Before
The percentage of paid claims appears to be dropping industry-wide, over time.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
It Has Begun: AI Models Going ‘Rogue’
Meta announced that its AI model 'hacked' another company without being asked to do so by its controllers.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Woman Injured at Baseball Game Files Huge Lawsuit
The problem here is that the 'Baseball Rule' says spectators assume the risk of injury by attending baseball games.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Dealer Accused of Using Customer’s Car as a ‘Parts’ Car
She had brought her car in to have a blown out tire repaired.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
State Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case Brought by Chimps in Zoo
One justice thought the court should hear the case, but the odds of that ever happening appear to be small.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Prof. Catches Most of Class Cheating (They Used AI)
32 out of 35 students apparently used AI when they weren't supposed to - and it was pretty clear they did it.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Now Playing! Movie Ads In Your Car
This time, it's BMW.
Visit The Autopian at https://www.theautopian.com/
Michigan Supreme Court Reverses ITSELF
And it only took them 27 years to do it (but they were right to do it).
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Postal Worker Charged for Stealing Winning Lottery Ticket
This happened in Florida.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Big Win for Small Business With Help from The IJ
Caskets of Honor just wants to sell caskets in Oklahoma.
https://ij.org/
NIGHTMARE: State Cancels Bar Exam Over Tech Issues
I get chills just thinking about it - even after all these years (since I had to take it).
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Man Gets FIFTY YEAR Prison Sentence For 5th DWI
The sentence was decided by a jury in Texas.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Jury Awards $717K for Tree Falling on House In Portland
This is a follow up on a story I covered previously:
https://youtu.be/RXYQnMmUXNA
Woman Arrested Over Car Sale Gets $250K Settlement
The police probably shouldn't get involved in car sales gone wrong.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Tow Truck Driver Accused of Snagging Car with People Inside
This happened in North Carolina.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Civil Infraction Doesn’t Open Door To Warrantless Car Search in MI
A new Michigan Supreme Court case says that suspicion of a mere civil infraction does not give the police the right to a warrantless search of the car.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
HOA Says Woman Can’t Live in Home She Inherited Due to Her Age
The home is in an HOA and a 55+ community.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
PA Officers Can No Longer Search ‘Open Fields’ Without a Warrant
Another win by the Institute for Justice.
https://ij.org/
California Now Says Cheating WAS at Center of Driver Test Mess
And the CA DMV has even reported a few of the suspect test to prosecutors for potential prosecution.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Prosecutor Accused of Using Court Docket as ‘Her Dating App’
The AG said she was surprised the prosecutor didn't resign.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case of Pilot Over Plane Forfeiture
My previous video: https://youtu.be/OYiEPHgs1pY
Support the IJ: https://ij.org/
Judge in Trouble For Appearing in Case as an Attorney for Friend
Once you become a judge you have to stop appearing in court as an attorney.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Towing Company Sued Over Excessive ‘Lien Release’ Fees
The plaintiff is seeking to certify the lawsuit as a class action.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Police Can’t Confuse Suspects on Their Miranda Rights
Here is the full opinion: https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a01c1/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/opinions/final/sct/167391_100_01.pdf
Class Action Seeks $1.3B Tariff Refund From Ford
The tariffs are going to be refunded to Ford, and the consumers want the money coming back to them.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Court Form Requires You to State if You Used AI
A lawyer from Pennsylvania sent me a form that is now required to accompany pleadings, to disclose if any of the pleading was generated with AI.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Former Troopers Refuse to Honor Subpoenas After Scandal
This one is a mess on so many levels.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
50,000 Tires Dumped on Property Man Just Bought
It happened in Portland, Oregon.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Cities Arming Garbage Trucks with AI Cameras to Scan Houses
Cape Coral (FL) is the latest but other cities are apparently planning on doing this as well.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Los Angeles PD Lets Flock Camera Contract Lapse
They could always renew it in the future - and in the meantime, the cameras stay in place.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Visitors to Courthouse Rounded Up For Jury Duty
This happened in Louisiana; it's happened elsewhere. Even once in Canada that we know of.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
New State Law Makes Passengers Give ID to the Police WHEN?
The new law (OH HB 492) does NOT give the police carte blanche to demand the passenger's ID without reason.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
John Deere Agrees on Right to Repair Settlement with the Feds
The settlement means that independent mechanics and owners should be able to repair the vehicles without having to use factory-authorized dealers.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
More People Are Financing Cars for Crazy Lengths of Time
A surprisingly large number of people are financing cars for 72 months or longer - and even on used cars.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Does the Recent SCOTUS Geofence Case Threaten Flock?
They have a lot more in common than you might think - especially in how they were handled in the lower courts.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Goat Fence Draws Lawsuit From HOA In California
The HOA says the fence is too tall; the couple says it's necessary to protect the goats from coyotes.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Ford Rehires Engineers They Had Replaced With AI
And they lost billions as a result.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Did The CA DMV Screw Up Its Driver’s License Test?
11,000 CA drivers were told they had to retake the test within 30 days - but the DMV offered no explanation as to why.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Man Fired For ‘Stealing’ $2 Cookie He Paid For
After proving he was innocent, they gave him back pay and offered him his job back; he had already found a better job somewhere else.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
New Law Forces Disclosure of Mandatory Tips and Service Fees
At restaurants in Florida, beginning this month (July 2026).
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
SCOTUS Agrees to Hear from Rancher Over Eminent Domain Taking
He won but the appeals court said he wouldn't get compensated for his legal fees.
Visit the IJ: https://ij.org/
Supreme Court Narrows Police Use of Geofence Warrants
The court ruled that law enforcement can't claim people agreed to the searches by agreeing to the Terms of Service.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Carmakers Say They’ll Leave CA Over New Car Privacy Law
The new CA law requires automakers to provide an easy way for consumers to get the tracking on their car shut off under certain circumstances; the carmakers say they need at least a year more to do so.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Ticketed for ‘Rolling Coal’ at a Car Show
Can you be ticketed for 'Rolling Coal' and if so, what would the ticket look like?
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Owner of Towing Company Accused Of DOZENS of Fraudulent Tows
This happened in Arkansas.
Some of my towing stories from VinWiki: https://youtu.be/NDvMbk9AtgA
Federal Court Says Therapist Can Help People Over the Phone
Another win by the good people at the Institute for Justice.
https://ij.org/
‘Noise Cameras’ Issues Millions of Dollars Worth of Tickets in NYC
Everyone agrees there is too much noise; is this the best way to combat the problem?
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
SCOTUS Upholds Tax Auction for Way Less Than the Home Was Worth
Here is the Supreme Court opinion: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-95_dc8e.pdf
Man Gets Three Years in Prison for Helping College Students Cheat
This happened in England, but it happens pretty much everywhere (the cheating, that is).
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Dealer Accused of Forging Titles to Salvage Cars without Telling Buyers
Authorities say the cars should have had salvage titles but somehow were sold without them.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Not Just License Plates: They’re Going to Track So Much More
A company has been issued a patent to track many of the devices inside your car as it drives by an ALPR - and this new tracker could be deployed "off-road" according to the patent.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Man Charged $2K After Someone Stole The Transponder from His Rental Car
The transponder appears to have been stolen by the previous renter of the car.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
$24 Million Verdict Against Detective Over Bad Arrest
The plaintiff cannot work in his field again because the arrest affected his FINRA license.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
New Law Will Provide Attorneys for Civil Asset Forfeiture Victims
Colorado is the second state to pass such a law, providing Civil Asset Forfeiture victims with attorneys if they cannot afford them.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Judge Throws All 4 Attorneys Off Case for Misusing AI
This happened in Mississippi where two attorneys on each side of the case were removed by the court for AI misuse.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Innocent Man Beaten by Police WON’T Get His Day in Court
A sad ending to a drawn out case.
Support the IJ. https://ij.org
California’s Proposed Tire Law Draws Criticism
It's unclear if the proposed regulation will accomplish its goals as clearly as the state hopes.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
State Sup Ct Gets Filings w/Made-up Cites and Quotes
This happened in Oregon, and one party resubmitted with AI problems in the second filing.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Someone Stole a Beacon From a Lighthouse
The Coast Guard is asking for help in recovering a beacon that was apparently stolen from a lighthouse in WI in May.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
‘Technical Issues’ Cause Headache for State Lottery
A new Indiana scratch off lottery ticket appears to be a winner - until it is checked officially, causing many people to complain.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Lawsuit Claims $1.5M Damages from Mashed Potatoes Slip and Fall
A woman slipped and fell on mashed potatoes and has filed a lawsuit seeking $1.5 million in damages.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Supreme Court Rules Against Phone Co’s on Jury Trials
Supreme Court Rules Against Phone Co’s on Jury Trials by Lehto's Law
What You Need to Know Before YOU Testify
These are some simple guidelines to know before you testify at a deposition in the US. One thing I forgot to mention is that 'I don't know' is an appropriate response if true.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Dealer Accused Of Selling Cars Without Paying Lender (Fargo?!)
The parties appear to have reached a settlement - at least they are working toward one.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
She Can’t Collect Jackpot After Excluding Herself From Casino
The woman had asked to be excluded from the casino - which means she probably cannot collect the winnings (and can be cited for trespassing).
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Village Backs Down After Threatening to Destroy Garden
Illinois has a state law protecting gardens.
The Institute's website: https://ij.org/
City Damages House Next Door During Demolition
And this is not the first time.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Jay Leno’s Law Gains Support
The proposed law failed to pass previously but is now gaining more support.
https://www.lehtoslaw.com
Recommended
Stand In The Circle
Conspiracy Files with Paige Carter
English Vocabulary Help
Bad Friends
The Swerve Podcast: Obscure Topics | Conspiracy Theories
The Bread and Banter Podcast
The Church of What's Happening Now: The New Testament
Deadline: White House
این نقطه
TED Talks Daily
Solved Murders - True Crime Stories
紐約鳥｜New York Aperture
