Fassihi v. Sommers, Schwartz, Silver, Schwartz and Tyler, P.C.
Michigan Court of Appeals
309 N.W.2d 645 (1981)
Dr. Fassihi (plaintiff) and Dr. Lopez each owned 50 percent of Livonia Physicians X-ray, P.C. Sommers, Schwartz, Silver, Schwartz and Tyler, P.C. (defendant) served as Livonia's counsel while also personally representing Lopez in unrelated matters. After working with Fassihi for about 18 months, Lopez consulted the firm about ousting him, and a firm attorney then notified Fassihi by letter that he had been terminated -- costing him his hospital staff privileges. Fassihi sued the firm for breach of attorney-client relationship, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and malpractice, and separately moved to compel discovery that the firm withheld on attorney-client-privilege grounds.
Whether an attorney for a closely-held corporation owes a fiduciary duty to the corporation's individual shareholders even absent a direct attorney-client relationship with them.