Calhoun County, MI

Portrait-Kirkham Judge Brian K. Kirkham has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court as the Business Court Judge, effective January 1, 2015.

If applicable, the party filing a civil case complaint should provide written notice with the initial pleadings that the case qualifies for the Business Court. The case will then be assigned directly to Judge Kirkham.

A case must be assigned to the Business Court if the amount in controversy is greater than $25,000, AND all or part of the action includes a business or commercial dispute. A business or commercial dispute is any of the following:

An action in which all of the parties are business enterprises.
An action in which 1 or more of the parties are business enterprises and the other parties are present or former: Owners, managers, shareholders, members, directors, officers, agents, employees, suppliers, competitors. The claim must arise out of one of the above relationships.
An action in which 1 of the parties is a nonprofit organization and the claims arise out of that party's organizational structure, governance, or finances.
An action involving the sale, merger, purchase, combination, dissolution, liquidation, organizational structure, governance, or finances of a business enterprise.

Please refer specifically to MCL 600.8031(2) for a complete definition of the types of actions that business or commercial dispute includes and MCL 600.8031(3) for exclusions. For Business Court resources, use the link below:

Supreme Court Administrative Office Business Court Resource page

Please assure that civil case filings meeting the definition of a Business Court case are identified as required by MCR 2.112 so that the case is properly assigned.

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