Michigan Supreme Court applies "letter of the law" to 2-inch rule regarding sidewalks

The Michigan Supreme Court entered a unanimous order on September 9, 2010, affirming the lower court's decision in Handley v. City of Ann Arbor.  The Court held that by the terms of the statutory language, the so-called "two-inch" rule governing sidewalk liability applied only to "county highways [and contiguous sidewalks]."  The two-inch rule attempts to provide guidelines to control when a municipality will be responsible for failing to repair a defect.