Inc., 368 Mich. 140, 153, 117 N.W.2d 150, 156 (1962); Smith v. Fergan, 181 Mich.App. 594, 596-597, 450 N.W.2d 3, 4 (1989)). “[T]he whole point of the defense is to grant latitude to an occasion where a sanctioned interest is sincerely and earnestly pursued.... As such, proof of a motive other than pursuit of the common interest should result in denial of the defense.” Harmon, supra, at 44. “If the interest is not pursued sincerely, the occasion is misappropriated, and the law will not permit the doctrine to disguise a personal use, even if that use is not inspired by base motives.” Id. at 45. Michigan courts have declined to apply the shared interest privilege where the interest at stake was a private one. See Sias v. General Motors Corporation, 372 Mich. 542, 127 N.W.2d 357 (1964) (<HOLDING>); Harrison v. Arrow Metal Products Corp., 20
holding that in employees age discrimination suit against former employer supervisors statement to employee was not hearsay even though the statement was offered for its truth because the statement was an admission by a party opponent holding that an atwill employee can be discharged for any reason or no reason unless employee is discharged for reasons that contravene a clear mandate of public policy holding that the employer had not demonstrated the employee was discharged for gross misconduct because the conduct was an isolated incident and the employer did not try to show that its staffing ability had suffered serious  or indeed any consequences as a result of the employees conduct holding that an employee could not be bound to an arbitration agreement that had been mailed to him by his employer acceptance of which was indicated by employees continued tenure with the company where there was no evidence in the record that the employee had received read or understood the document holding that a corporate employer had no interest sufficient to justify its statement that an employee was discharged for misappropriation of company property made to remaining employees for the purpose of restoring morale among them