Notable cases
When the government says no court can hear you, when a judge throws your case out, when you are about to be deported without a hearing, that is when clients come to Ayad Law. Here is what happened next.
Results for our clients
- 2015Civil RightsWon on appeal
The government said no court could hear him. The appeals court said otherwise.
Mokdad v. Lynch · 804 F.3d 807 (6th Cir. 2015)- The problem
- Saeb Mokdad, a U.S. citizen from Michigan, was placed on the federal No Fly List. He could not board a plane, and the government would not say why. When he sued, the trial court threw out his case, agreeing with the government that it had no power to hear it.
- What we did
- Nabih Ayad appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the federal appeals court for Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
- The result
- The Sixth Circuit reversed in a published decision. It held that federal trial courts do have the power to hear a citizen's challenge to being placed on the No Fly List.
- Why it matters
- The decision is binding law in all four states. People placed on the list there can now take the government to court.
Source: Court opinion (Justia) · Salon
- 2015Civil RightsWon on appeal · Settled
A bank closed Arab Americans' accounts. We revived their case, and the bank settled.
El-Hallani v. Huntington National Bank · Sixth Circuit (2015); settled 2016- The problem
- In 2013, Huntington National Bank abruptly closed the accounts of Arab American customers in Michigan. More than twenty customers sued for discrimination, and in 2014 a federal judge dismissed their case.
- What we did
- Nabih Ayad appealed to the Sixth Circuit.
- The result
- The appeals court reversed, finding the customers had made a believable case of discrimination. In 2016, Huntington agreed to settle the class action.
- Why it matters
- Banks cannot treat customers differently because of where they come from or how they pray. The case gave thousands of Arab American bank customers a voice.
Source: The Arab American News, 2016 · The Arab American News, 2015
- 2017ImmigrationCourt orders won
Days after the travel ban, we won protection for green-card holders.
Arab American Civil Rights League v. Trump · No. 2:17-cv-10310 (E.D. Mich.)- The problem
- In January 2017, an executive order barred travel from several Muslim-majority countries. Even lawful permanent residents, people with green cards who had lived here for years, were being stopped.
- What we did
- The firm filed suit in federal court in Detroit on behalf of the Arab American Civil Rights League and individual families, working alongside the ACLU of Michigan.
- The result
- In February 2017 the court entered an order protecting green-card holders from the ban. In 2019 the court denied the government's motion to dismiss, finding the families had plausibly alleged the ban was driven by hostility toward Muslims. The case ended in 2021 when the ban was revoked.
- Why it matters
- Michigan families with green cards could travel and return home.
Source: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse · JURIST, 2019
- 2003ImmigrationWon
Nineteen people faced deportation with no hearing. The court stopped it.
ADC v. Ashcroft · 272 F. Supp. 2d 650 (E.D. Mich. 2003)- The problem
- Nineteen Lebanese nationals living in the United States were placed in "expedited removal," a fast-track deportation process that skips the hearing before an immigration judge.
- What we did
- Nabih Ayad was part of the legal team that went to federal court to challenge the process.
- The result
- Judge Avern Cohn granted the petition, ruled that the government had applied the fast-track process unlawfully and violated their due process rights, and permanently barred the government from using it against them.
- Why it matters
- Everyone facing deportation is entitled to due process. The ruling guaranteed these families their day in court.
Source: Court opinion (Justia)
- Post-9/11Criminal DefenseCharge dismissed
Accused of plotting to bomb federal buildings. The charge was thrown out before trial.
Terrorism charge dismissed · Dismissed at the preliminary examination- The problem
- After September 11, a client was charged with attempting to bomb two federal buildings in Detroit, among the most serious accusations a person can face.
- What we did
- The firm challenged the evidence at the preliminary examination, the hearing where the prosecution must show it has enough evidence to go to trial.
- The result
- The charge was dismissed at that hearing. The Arab American News reported it as the only reported terrorism case to be dismissed at a preliminary examination.
Source: The Arab American News, 2012
- 1999ImmigrationGreen card granted
A husband facing deportation. He got his green card.
The firm's first case · 1999- The problem
- In 1999, an Arab American man married to an American woman was facing deportation.
- The result
- He received his green card. The couple later named a child after Nabih Ayad in thanks.
Source: The Arab American News, 2012
Standing up for our community
Lawsuits we have filed to hold powerful institutions accountable.
- 2026Civil RightsFiled
Michigan families whose homes in Lebanon were destroyed.
Lebanese American property owners v. Rubio · Filed August 2026- Who we represent
- Lebanese Americans from Michigan and the Arab American Civil Rights League.
- The claim
- The class action names the Secretary of State and U.S. defense companies over the destruction of plaintiffs' homes and property in Lebanon.
Source: The Arab American News · The Detroit News
- 2009Religious DiscriminationFiled
A judge told a Muslim woman to take off her hijab. We took it to federal court.
Ordered to remove her hijab in court · Filed August 2009- Who we represent
- Raneen Albaghdady, a Dearborn Heights resident who appeared in Wayne County Circuit Court for a name-change hearing.
- The claim
- The judge said "no hats allowed in the courtroom" and ordered her to remove her hijab. Nabih Ayad, joined by CAIR-Michigan, sued for violation of her First Amendment right to practice her religion. The judge later said he would have allowed the headscarf had he understood its religious significance.
Source: NBC News / Associated Press
- 2014Civil RightsFiled
Two girls were attacked in their own front yard. Police called it "neighbor trouble."
Khaled family v. City of Dearborn Heights · Filed December 2014- Who we represent
- An Arab American family whose daughters, ages 8 and 14, were assaulted by a neighbor while cleaning their front yard.
- The claim
- The family alleged police labeled the attack "neighbor trouble," closed the case within minutes, and then harassed the family, denying them the equal protection of the law.
Source: The Arab American News
Every matter listed is drawn from the public record. Descriptions are summaries, not legal advice. Each case turns on its own facts and law, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Matters listed as filed may be pending.
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