Section 600.8721 - Formal hearing.
REVISED JUDICATURE ACT OF 1961 (EXCERPT)
Act 236 of 1961
600.8721 Formal hearing.
Sec. 8721.
(1) A formal hearing shall be conducted only by a judge of the district court or a municipal court.
(2) In a formal hearing, the defendant may be represented by an attorney, but is not entitled to counsel appointed at public expense.
(3) Notice of a formal hearing shall be given to the prosecuting attorney or the attorney who represents the plaintiff political subdivision. That attorney shall appear in court for a formal hearing and is responsible for the issuance of a subpoena to each witness for the plaintiff. The defendant may also subpoena witnesses. Witness fees need not be paid in advance to a witness. Witness fees for a witness on behalf of the plaintiff are payable by the district control unit of the district court for the place where the hearing occurs, or by the city or village if the hearing involves an ordinance violation in a district where the district court is not functioning.
(4) There shall not be a jury trial in a formal hearing.
(5) If the judge determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is responsible for a municipal civil infraction, the judge shall enter an order against the defendant as provided in section 8727. Otherwise, a judgment shall be entered for the defendant, but the defendant is not entitled to costs of the action.
History: Add. 1994, Act 12, Eff. May 1, 1994