Cecil COSTON, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. DETROIT EDISON COMPANY, Defendant-Appellee

Plaintiff filed a Title VII action in July 1982 alleging racially discriminatory employment practices. Late in 1983, the trial judge notified the parties in this case that there would be a hearing on defendant Detroit Edison’s motion for summary judgment, which was supported by a number of affidavits and a full brief. Defendant’s counsel appeared for the motion as scheduled; plaintiff’s counsel did not, thereby setting an unfortunate and disturbing precedent in this case. After the time set for the hearing, counsel for plaintiff, Ethan Vinson, telephoned the court and explained that he had…