A Michigan judge has ruled that Piston Group, a company owned by former Detroit Pistons star Vinnie Johnson, was wrongfully stripped of its minority-owned business certification by the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC). The decision came after a three-week bench trial, where Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette J. Berry concluded that the company’s disqualification was unjust and driven by ulterior motives.
The court’s decision mandates that Piston Group be recertified as a minority-owned business, reaffirming Johnson’s managerial control despite the presence of white executives in C-suite positions. Judge Berry criticized the MMSDC’s actions, revealing that the decertification followed Johnson’s refusal to comply with a six-figure donation request from the certifying body. According to the judge, the certification standards were manipulated to disqualify Piston Group by imposing new, unfounded rules that required minority owners to delegate authority only to other minorities.
