Merritt "Tim" Green

A memorial reception celebrating the life of Merritt W. (Tim) Green II, who died May 7 at his home in Traverse City, MI., will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 6165 Levis Commons Blvd, Perrysburg, Sunday, July 24 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Please leave a condolence message and view Tim’s video tribute at CoyleFuneralHome.com. Merritt W. "Tim" Green, II, a prominent trial lawyer in Toledo and Michigan for over 50 years and captain of the 1952 Michigan Wolverines football team, died May 7, 2016 in Traverse City, MI, having moved to the area 25 years ago. Born Dec. 30, 1930 in Toledo to Martha Dern and Merritt Green, Tim graduated from DeVilbiss High School in 1948 and attended Staunton Military Academy in Virginia before beginning his college career in Ann Arbor. He played defensive end for the Wolverines, going to the Rose Bowl in 1951. He was named captain his senior year -- an honor he always valued because fellow teammates made him their choice. Just four years out of U of M law school in 1960, Green put himself in the middle of a controversial dock workers' strike by advising his clients to ignore a Common Pleas Court injunction to stop picketing. He was charged with contempt of court in a case that went up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which two years later found unanimously in his favor. His father, Merritt W. Green, argued the case before the Warren Court. "In re Green" established the National Labor Relations Board's exclusive authority over peaceful labor disputes within its jurisdiction and secondly, strengthened the protections for attorneys in advising clients. The successful outcome built Green's reputation within the labor community, and he would soon join with labor lawyer Gerald Lackey to form the Green & Lackey law firm in the 1960s. The firm at one point represented a majority of the city's labor unions including the United Auto Workers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, International Longshoremen's Union, Retail Clerks' Association, U.S. Steel Workers, Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, and for a time, the Teamsters' Union. As the firm evolved, Green represented members in personal injury lawsuits while Lackey was chief contract negotiator. By 1980, the firm had expanded to become Green, Lackey, Nusbaum, Phillips, and Harris. Tim had a deep and instinctive bent for social justice along with an abiding interest in politics, leading to his participation with hundreds of other lawyers in voting rights and registration campaigns in Alabama and Mississippi in the mid 1960s, at the height of the national civil rights movement. Locally, he was a member of the Board of Community Relations, created to improve hiring practices for minorities. His political interests began when he campaigned for the late Toledo congressman, Thomas L. Ashley in 1954. He also worked in his father's law firm, DiSalle, Green, and Haddad and the campaigns of former Ohio governor, Michael V. DiSalle. He briefly entertained practicing with Robert Z. Kaplan until -- as they like to tell it -- their mothers vetoed the idea. Tim specialized in maritime law and represented families of several seamen after the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. Early in his career he served as a county judge in Waterville, OH. Tim was known to have a keen disregard for propriety, putting him in the vanguard of the "casual Fridays" movement -- and Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. He abandoned his normal uniform of jeans and sweaters only in trial. On any given afternoon, he might be found center stage at the former Town Club restaurant on Adams Street, known as a favorite watering hole for judges, lawyers, and journalists. He was a founding member of Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, along with his father, Gerald Lackey, Tom Willging, and Louise Jacobson. When ABLE sued the City of Toledo for discriminatory hiring and promotion practices of its police and fire departments, he argued and won those cases in federal district court. He also tried ABLE's suit aimed at improving substandard conditions in the Lucas County Jail. His labor involvement and civil rights work led to an association with then Detroit lawyer Dean Robb and finally his move to the Robb law firm in Traverse City in 1990. Tim was an avid pilot who became hooked through a free flight offer and went on to earn his instrument rating, logging over 2,000 hours in his Cessna Turbo 210 and B-55 Beech Baron across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. Zihuatanejo, GRO., Mexico became the home of his heart, and he traveled there for over 40 years. He is survived by his loving wife, Patti; sons, Merritt W. (Terry) Green, III, and David Green; daughter, Sue (Joe) Beckler, and grandchildren, Kelly (Herb) Milem, Jason Green, Annie (Ryan) Loser, Timothy Green, Matthew Green, and George Arnold. He also leaves behind special Zihuatanejo friends Orlando Espino and wife, Rosalinda. He was predeceased by a brother, Denis Green and daughter, Robin Arnold. Memorial services are planned in summer in Toledo and Traverse City. Coyle Funeral Home is assisting the family. The family suggests that any tributes be in the form of contributions to Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, 525 Jefferson Ave #300, Toledo, OH 43604. Please view Tim's memorial video tribute and leave a condolence message at CoyleFuneralHome.com

Merritt "Tim" Green

December 30, 1930 - May 7, 2016