Alias Amanuel Alia v. Michigan Supreme Court

Plaintiffs brought this civil rights action alleging that the Michigan Supreme Court exceeded its authority in promulgating a mediation rule. The district court granted defendants motion for dismissal pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b) on the basis that defendants are entitled to eleventh amendment immunity and qualified judicial immunity. The district court also imposed a $500 sanction against plaintiffs attorney pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff Alia appeals the dismissal and the imposition of sanctions. Upon review, we affirm the dismissal, but for reasons somewhat different than those relied upon by the trial court. The order imposing sanctions is reversed, since both Judge Wellford and Judge Boggs have dissented from my view that the sanctions were appropriate.