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Month: June 2021

Judge restores Piston Group's minority certification as litigation continues

Judge restores Piston Group's minority certification as litigation continues

A Wayne County Circuit Court judge temporarily restored the minority business status of Piston Group.

Judge David Groner on Monday issued a restraining order for the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council to give the lucrative certification back to the auto supplier as litigation continues.

Piston Group, owned by former Detroit Pistons forward Vinnie Johnson, sued the council in May to restore the certification after months of battling. The Council pulled Piston Group’s certification in February and questions whether Johnson runs the day-to-day operations of his large supplier, which operates four subsidiaries — Piston Automotive, Irvin Automotive, the Detroit Thermal Systems joint venture with Valeo and office furniture unit Airea.

To be certified, a company must be 51 percent majority-owned by a person of color, actively managed in the day-to-day operations by a person of color and operate independently, according to the organization.

The heads of Piston Group’s four divisions are white, which the Council says violates its rules. read more