Court cuts award in Lake Huron cottage dispute

WORTH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A federal appeals court has slashed the amount owed to a Michigan couple after their plans to renovate the Lake Huron shoreline cottage were blocked. The Times Herald of Port Huron reported the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals recently vacated $325,000 of the award in the case. Sanilac County's Worth Township previously was ordered to pay George and Margaret Paeth about $600,000 plus more than $200,000 in the couple's legal fees. In 2007, a Sanilac County judge reversed a zoning board decision involving a variance issue, clearing the way for the couple to resume work on their home. The Paeths say within days, the township posted a stop-work order on their property, without the notice required by state law. They sued in federal court. Published: Tue, Jun 19, 2012