(WWJ) — In three opinions released Friday morning, the Michigan Supreme Court says it will not take up a trio of cases questioning Gov. Michigan Gretchen Whitmer’s shutdown measures at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Two lawsuits had been filed by businesses seeking compensation for the impact of those state-ordered shutdowns and a third was filed by college students seeking partial refunds after their state universities moved to online classes.
Students from three different schools — Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University and Lake Superior State University — sued in 2020, arguing part of their tuition should be refunded because the value of their online education was less than the in-person education they paid for.
They also argued they should get reimbursed for unused portions of their room and board.
Their cases were dismissed by the Court of Claims and Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal. Two Michigan Supreme Court justices — David Viviano and Richard Bernstein — dissented on the decision not to hear appeals in the education cases, as well two other cases involving businesses.
In one case, a gym in Alma closed after Whitmer declared a state of emergency in March 2020. When the gym tried to reopen in May, it was shut down by local police. The Court of Claims ruled the case could go forward, but the Court of Appeals overturned that decision because there was no evidence that the gym suffered “a total loss or the complete elimination or obliteration of value.”
In the other case, a Mount Clemens bowling alley was among three businesses to sue in 2021 seeking compensation for both the impact of the shutdowns and restrictions on capacity that followed the reopening of businesses statewide.
That case was dismissed by the Court of Claims and the Court of Appeals upheld the decision.
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