O’Leary v. Wayne County Department of Public Services

Michigan Court of Appeals opinion: New interpretation of Government Tort Liability Act shields Wayne County for motorcyclist death even though fallen tree made road unsafe and unfit for travel

Case impact

A motorcyclist was killed by a downed tree on the road – that Wayne County knew about for an entire week. But this new and distorted interpretation of the Government Tort Liability Act (GTLA) shields Wayne County from liability for a death, even though the fallen tree made road unsafe and unfit for travel.

For more information, read our blog post on O’Leary v. Wayne County Department of Public Services: Motorcyclist killed by downed tree on road – that Wayne County knew about for an entire week.

Here’s the official Michigan Court of Appeals opinion on O’Leary v. Wayne County.