View this article online: https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/midwest/2011/08/29/190302.htm
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.