Bowens v. ARY, INC.

Order                                                     Michigan Supreme Court
                                                                Lansing, Michigan

  June 11, 2010                                                        Marilyn Kelly,
                                                                           Chief Justice

  140296                                                         Michael F. Cavanagh
                                                                 Elizabeth A. Weaver
                                                                  Maura D. Corrigan
                                                                 Robert P. Young, Jr.
  GREGORY J. BOWENS, PAULA M.                                    Stephen J. Markman
  BRIDGES, and GARY A. BROWN,                                    Diane M. Hathaway,
             Plaintiffs-Appellees,                                              Justices
  and
  ROBERT B. DUNLAP and PHILLIP A.
  TALBERT,
            Plaintiffs,
  v                                         SC: 140296
                                            COA: 282711
                                            Wayne CC: 02-233251-CZ
  ARY, INC., d/b/a AFTERMATH
  ENTERTAINMENT, PHILLIP J.
  ATWELL, CHRONIC 2001 TOURING,
  INC., GERONIMO FILM PRODUCTIONS,
  INC., and ANDRE YOUNG,
              Defendants-Appellants,
  and
  AMAZON.COM, INC., AOL TIME WARNER,
  INC., BARNES & NOBLE, INC., BARNES &
  NOBLE.COM, INC., BEST BUY COMPANY,
  INC., BLOCKBUSTER, INC., BORDERS GROUP,
  INC., CDNOW, INC., JOHN DOE #1,
  JOHN DOE #2, EAGLE ROCK
  ENTERTAINMENT, EAGLE VISION, INC.,
  HARMONY HOUSE RECORDS & TAPES,
  HASTINGS ENTERTAINMENT, INC.,
  HMV MEDIA GROUP, HONIGMAN MILLER
  SCHWARTZ & COHN, L.L.P., HOUSE OF
  BLUES CONCERTS/HEWITT/SILVA, L.L.C.,
  INGRAM ENTERTAINMENT HOLDINGS,
  INTERSCOPE RECORDS, INC., ERVIN
  JOHNSON, MAGIC JOHNSON PRODUCTIONS,
  L.L.C., METROPOLITAN ENTERTAINMENT
  GROUP, INC., MGA, INC., MOVIE
  GALLERY.COM, INC., MTS, INC/TOWER
  RECORDS, THE MUSICLAND GROUP, INC.,
  PANAVISION, INC., RADIO EVENTS GROUP,
  INC., RED DISTRIBUTION, INC., PHIL
  ROBINSON, WILLIAM SILVA, TRANS WORLD
                                                                                                               2


ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, KIRDIS
TUCKER, WHEREHOUSE ENTERTAINMENT,
INC., and WH SMITH, P.L.C.,
            Defendants.
_________________________________________/

       On order of the Court, the application for leave to appeal the September 24, 2009
judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered, and it is GRANTED. The parties shall
include among the issues to be briefed: (1) whether, as a matter of law, the videotaped
conversation in question was a “private conversation” or “private discourse” for purposes
of the eavesdropping statutes, MCL 750.539a, et seq.; and (2) whether, and under what
circumstances, a public-official- or police-plaintiff possesses a reasonable expectation of
privacy under MCL 750.539c in conversations with private citizens in pursuit of official
business in enforcing state or local laws and ordinances.




                         I, Corbin R. Davis, Clerk of the Michigan Supreme Court, certify that the
                   foregoing is a true and complete copy of the order entered at the direction of the Court.
                         June 11, 2010                       _________________________________________
       p0608                                                                 Clerk