Welcome to today's edition of the Daily 5
The headline from our colleague Kurt Nagl at Crain's Detroit Business was simple enough: "Vinnie Johnson's Piston Group wins scathing verdict in longtime minority certification fight."
Another litigation story, right? Not this time.
The ruling yielded a motherload of new revelations in this highly controversial case of Piston Group, a multibillion-dollar auto supplier owned and founded by the former Detroit Pistons basketball star, being stripped of its coveted minority business certification.
The ruling, issued Aug. 27, dropped this bomb on Michelle Robinson, CEO of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council:
"By decertifying the Piston Group, Robinson, through the MMSDC, sought to destroy Johnson and his company," the judgment said. "Testimony at trial revealed that Robinson and others colluded to steal Johnson's company."
According to case testimony, Robinson decertified Piston in an attempt to diminish its value as part of a plan to take it over in a plan hatched with a group trying to acquire Piston Group.
In the end, it's a huge win for Johnson in his effort to regain full minority business certification. But the ruling raises new questions about what happens next.
Stay tuned.
Plenty of other major news broke today at Automotive News, including an exclusive interview with CDK Global CEO Brian MacDonald and a deeper look into the all-important redesigned 2025 Chevy Equinox crossover by reporter Lindsay VanHulle.
Overseas, the troubled Polestar EV brand replaced its CEO and a major chunk of Japan's auto production is down this week as Typhoon Shanshan hits.
Looking ahead, we'll have the second installment of reporter Julie Walker's deep dive into McGovern Automotive's Mercedes acquisition on the Jersey Shore.
That's it for today. Have a great rest of your day.
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