Michigan Court Backs Verdict in Home Lost Due to Oil Case

By ED WHITE | August 29, 2011

Four hundred gallons of heating oil in the basement? The Michigan appeals court says that’s distressing.

The court has upheld a $100,000 verdict for a Clinton County woman whose home had to be demolished after oil was mistakenly pumped into a pipe that no longer was connected to a tank.

High Pointe Oil claimed Beckie Price wasn’t entitled to sue for emotional distress. Her insurance company had paid $175,000 for the loss of the home in DeWitt.

But the appeals court said Friday that Price was entitled to seek money for non-economic damages. The court noted that Price was depressed after losing her home and moving in with her parents.

The court says a home provides memories as well as shelter.

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