Wickham v. Adecco CS, Inc.
Digest No. 18.23
Cite as: Wickham v Adecco CS, Inc, unpublished opinion of the Michigan Administrative Hearing System, issued September 28, 2016 (Docket No. 16-021211).
Appeal pending: No
Claimant: Margaret M. Wickham
Employer: Adecco CS Inc.
Date of decision: September 28, 2016
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HOLDING: Under Michigan law, when pleading a cause of action involving fraud, the circumstances alleged to must be stated with particularity. In addition, in a fraud case, due process of law is violated when a claimant is not apprised of when, why, or how her actions constitute intentional misrepresentation of material fact.
FACTS: Claimant received a November 21, 2014 adjudication that concludes that Claimant’s “actions” indicate that she intentionally misled and/or concealed information to obtain benefits to which she was not otherwise entitled.
DECISION: The November 21, 2014 adjudication is facially defective as a matter of law, so it is void, set aside, vacated, and dismissed. Therefore the Agency’s denial of reconsideration concerns an invalid underlying adjudication, so it must also be set aside, vacated, and dismissed as a matter of law.
RATIONALE: The November 21, 2014 adjudication includes no factual assertions in support of the vague generalized legal conclusion that Claimant’s “actions” indicate that she intentionally misled and/or concealed information to obtain benefits to which she was not otherwise entitled. The Agency’s omission of particularized factual assertions in support of its legal conclusions violates Michigan law concerning the pleading of causes of action including fraud. Kassab v Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association, 441 Mich 433 (1992) requires that, when pleading a cause of action involving fraud, the circumstances alleged to must be stated with particularity. Section 421.32(a) requires the Agency to examine claims and render determinations on the facts; the Unemployment Insurance Agency lacks jurisdiction to render adjudications containing summary legal conclusions unsupported by factual assertions. In addition, the November 21, 2014 adjudication violates the demands of due process of law by failing to apprise Claimant of when, why, and how her “actions” constitute intentional misrepresentation of material fact.
Digest author: Winne Chen, Michigan Law, Class of 2017
Digest updated: November 26, 2017