Fan injured at lawn mower race loses case at Supreme Court
WHITTEMORE, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has waved a checkered flag and ruled in favor of a lawn mower racing club in a dispute over injuries suffered by a spectator in the northern Lower Peninsula.
Michele Compau fractured a wrist when she tripped over a railroad tie while trying to avoid a mower that was coming through a flexible fence at Whittemore Inn Race Club in 2010. She subsequently had five surgeries.
In a lawsuit in Iosco County, Compau argued that the track’s design had created an unreasonable risk of harm for spectators. The Supreme Court, however, said the railroad tie may have been risky but still was “open and obvious” — a key legal standard in Michigan.
The Supreme Court last week reversed a decision by the state appeals court and reinstated a ruling by an Iosco County judge. Justice Richard Bernstein was the lone dissenter.
Compau and her husband, Todd, “have failed to present evidence to support that the lawn mower races were so distracting as to preclude application of the open and obvious danger doctrine,” the court said in a one-page order.
The appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, had ruled in favor of the couple on a different theory of ordinary negligence.
Suspension ordered for Michigan judge in misconduct case
JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to publicly censure a Jackson County judge for misconduct and suspend him without pay for 30 days.
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission earlier recommended the measures for District Judge R. Darryl Mazur, who didn’t deny the ethical violations. The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports the court last week ordered the suspension to start in mid-December.
Mazur has said he “will move forward, take my lumps for making the poor decisions I made, make amends and get beyond it.”
In a handwritten letter on court stationary, Mazur asked a woman he had placed on probation for domestic violence if she was interested in a romantic relationship. He also tried to interfere in another judge’s case in order to help his former neighbor.
Oakland University, Wayne State mark law school partnership
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Oakland University and Wayne State University are celebrating a new law school partnership.
Traditionally, earning a bachelor’s degree followed by a law degree would total seven years. With the agreement, students will transfer 30 credits from courses at Wayne State University Law School back to Oakland University to meet bachelor's degree requirements.
Tuition and fees will be paid to Oakland University for classes taken there and to Wayne State for classes taken at the law school.
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