Q: Help! My Department has been served with a lawsuit. What should I do?

A: Contact the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel immediately. By law, the University must respond to lawsuits within a specified time period after you are served. Therefore it is imperative that you notify VPGC as soon as you are served so we can review the matter and respond in a timely manner.

Q: Help! I've been personally named as a defendant in a lawsuit. I was only doing my job. Will the University defend me?

A: The University of Michigan Standard Practice Guide section 601.9 states that it is the University's policy to defend and indemnify employees who become parties to legal proceedings by virtue of their good faith efforts to perform their responsibilities of employment. An employee personally named as a defendant in a lawsuit should contact the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel immediately and consult SPG section 601.9 for more information.

Q: Help! I've been served with a subpoena. What should I do?

A: Contact the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel immediately. A subpoena is an order of the court. It may command you to appear at a specified date, time and location to testify; or, a subpoena may command you to produce certain documents. In either case you should contact the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel immediately. It is important to let a VPGC attorney review the subpoena to determine the University's rights and responsibilities for compliance. Do not ignore a subpoena, even if it addresses something you are unfamiliar with or asks for documents you don't have. Failure to respond to a subpoena could result in you or the University being held in contempt of court.