TRAVERSE CITY (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a 71-year-old elected official in the Traverse City area who blamed a lack of raises on age discrimination.
Peggy Haines, the register of deeds in Grand Traverse County, claimed county commissioners targeted her after she opposed a plan to merge her job with the county clerk.
Haines said she was excluded from a raise in December 2020 when commissioners gave raises to the county administrator, the elected clerk and themselves.
But Judge Jason Elmore said a lack of evidence doomed Haines' discrimination claim. He also said a state civil rights law doesn't cover her position, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.
“The board does not hire or fire the register or her staff. ... The board simply determines how to pay the register of deeds," the judge said.
Haines, who has been in office since 2000, is paid $69,184 after recently getting a raise along with other county employees, the newspaper said.
A register of deeds records all documents related to local real estate, including deeds, mortgages, land contracts and liens. Some elected clerks also serve as registers, which is allowed under Michigan law.
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