Michigan Municipal League Legal Defense Fund

Top 25 Cases by Importance and Issue

1. Li v Feldt
If the governmental body engages in conduct that substantially endangers health/life
and constitutes a nuisance, is the governmental body subject to liability?

2. County of Wayne v Hathcock
Does the Michigan Constitution permit the use of eminent domain for economic
development purposes?

3. Bolt v City of Lansing
When is a charge by a governmental body a fee and not a tax subject to the Headlee
Amendment to the Michigan Constitution?

4. Paragon Properties v City of Novi
What steps must be taken before a zoning decision is ripe for review?

5. Robinson v City of Detroit
What conduct during a police pursuit subjects the governmental agency to liability
under the motor vehicle exception to governmental immunity?

6. WPW Acquisition Company v City of Troy
What is an addition under the Real Property Tax Act?

7. City of Taylor v Detroit Edison
What constitutes reasonable control by a local unit of government of its rights of way
under the Michigan Constitution?

8. City of Jackson v Jackson Fire Fighters Association
Is minimum staffing a mandatory subject of bargaining?

9. Adams Outdoor Advertising v City of Holland
Does a city have the right to regulate billboards within its jurisdiction?

10. Outdoor Systems Inc v City of Clawson
Does a city have the right to prohibit billboards within its jurisdiction?

11. Mayor of City of Lansing v Public Service Commission
Is municipal consent required for a pipeline project within its right of way under
MCL 247.183?

12. Azzar v City of Grand Rapids
Is a local property maintenance code preempted by the Single State Construction Code Act?

13. Greater Bible Way Temple v City of Jackson
Does a rezoning request implicate the federal Religious Land Use and
Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)?

14. Henkey v City of Grand Rapids
What conditions expose a governmental body to liability under the public building
exception to governmental immunity?

15. Township of Casco v Secretary of State (City of Richmond)
Fillmore Township v Secretary of State (City of Holland)
May multiple townships file a single petition and vote as a unit in a proceeding to detach land from a city?

16. City of Mount Pleasant v State Tax Commission
Is city-owned property that is held for economic development purposes tax exempt
under the Real Property Tax Act?

17. Adams v City of East Lansing
When does the regulation of billboards by a city result in an unconstitutional taking
requiring compensation to the owner of the billboards?

18. Ewing v City of Detroit
What conduct during a police pursuit subjects the governmental agency to liability
under the motor vehicle exception to governmental immunity?

19. City of Dearborn v Comcast
What authority does a local unit of government have with respect to public,
educational, and government (PEG) channels under the state and federal cable acts?

20. Glancy v City of Roseville
Under what conditions is a local unit of government liable for sidewalk defects?

21. Herald Newspapers v City of Bay City
Does the delegation of authority by a council to a manager in a fire chief selection
process implicate the Michigan Open Meetings Act and the Michigan Freedom of
Information Act?

22. Living Water Church of God v Meridian Township
Is the denial of a special use permit by a governmental body a violation of the
RLUIPA?

23. White v Beasley
Does the public duty doctrine exist in the state of Michigan?

24. City of Lansing v Wolverine Pipeline
What constitutes consent by a local unit of government to the use of its rights of way
under the Michigan Constitution?

25. Papadelis v City of Troy
Under what circumstances does the Right to Farm Act preempt a local unit of
government’s zoning power?