Quote Quoting castor
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My question involves civil rights in the State of MI - in a small claims case the court allowed the defendant counsel to appear by phone without prior notice and the defendants counsel was an attorney (not allowed in small claims).
While having an attorney represent the defendant would violate the Michigan small claims rules it is not a violation of any of your rights under the federal constitution. I don't see anything that prevents a party in a small claims proceeding appearing by phone in the Michigan small claims rules, but even if it is, it would not be a violation of your rights under the federal constitution either. So I'm not seeing a good § 1983 action for this. I suggest you seek out help from a legal aid program or law school clinic for assistance with this issue.