Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1606 (2026)

Civil action; commencement; “damages” defined; compensation for lost wages; notice as condition to bringing civil action; applicability of subsection (5).

✓ current as of July 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MI-LEGlegislature.mi.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES CIVIL RIGHTS ACT

Act 220 of 1976

37.1606 Civil action; commencement; “damages” defined; compensation for lost wages; notice as condition to bringing civil action; applicability of subsection (5).

Sec. 606.

(1) A person alleging a violation of this act may bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive relief or damages, or both.

(2) An action commenced pursuant to subsection (1) may be brought in the circuit court for the county where the alleged violation occurred, or for the county where the person against whom the civil complaint is filed resides or has his or her principal place of business.

(3) As used in subsection (1), "damages" means damages for injury or loss caused by each violation of this act, including reasonable attorneys' fees.

(4) The amount of compensation awarded for lost wages under this act for an injury under article 2 shall be reduced by the amount of compensation received for lost wages under the worker's disability compensation act of 1969, 1969 PA 317, MCL 418.101 to 418.941, for that injury and by the present value of the future compensation for lost wages to be received under the worker's disability compensation act of 1969, 1969 PA 317, MCL 418.101 to 418.941, for that injury.

(5) A person with a disability may not bring a civil action under subsection (1) for a failure to accommodate under article 2 unless he or she has notified the person of the need for accommodation as required under section 210(18). This subsection does not apply if the person failed to comply with the requirements of section 210(19).

History: Add. 1980, Act 478, Imd. Eff. Jan. 20, 1981 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 121, Imd. Eff. June 25, 1990 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 20, Imd. Eff. Mar. 12, 1998

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 35 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1982–2026 · leading case: McAuley v. Gen. Motors Corp., 578 N.W.2d 282 (Mich. 1998).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

McAuley v. Gen. Motors Corp., 578 N.W.2d 282 (Mich. 1998). · cites it 10× “§ 37.1606(3); M.S.A. §3.550(606)(3) to a prevailing plaintiff under the Handicappers' Civil Rights Act.”

Rafferty v. Markovitz, 602 N.W.2d 367 (Mich. 1999). · cites it 2× “[MCL 37.1606(3); MSA 3.550(606)(3).] After entry of judgment, the plaintiff in McAuley moved for mediation sanctions under MCR 2.”

Yuhase v. MacOmb Cnty., 439 N.W.2d 267 (Mich. Ct. App. 1989). · cites it 6× “In Bowen v Nelson Credit Centers, Inc, 137 Mich App 76 ; 357 NW2d 811 (1984), lv den 422 Mich 877 (1985), this Court held that attorney fees are allowed under MCL 37.1606; MSA 3.550(606) of the Handicappers' *13 Civil Rights Act.”

Rancour v. Detroit Edison Co., 388 N.W.2d 336 (Mich. Ct. App. 1986). · cites it 2× “It is true that the handicappers’ act authorizes the issuance of injunctive relief, MCL 37.1606(1); MSA 3.550(606X1), as well as the recovery of attorney fees.”

Dorsey v. City of Detroit, 157 F. Supp. 2d 729 (E.D. Mich. 2001). · cites it 3× “” Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1606 (1). Such provisions further provide that the term “ ‘damages’ means damages for injury or loss caused by each violation of this act, including reasonable attorneys’ fees.”

Marsh v. Dep't of Civil Serv., 370 N.W.2d 613 (Mich. Ct. App. 1985). · cites it 2× “548(605), (2) bring a civil action in circuit court for appropriate injunctive relief and/or damages, MCL 37.1606; MSA 3.550(606); MCL 37.2801; MSA 3.”

Sanchez v. Lagoudakis, 581 N.W.2d 257 (Mich. 1998). · cites it 4× “§ 37.1606(3); M.S.A. § 3.550(606)(3), or as an item of costs under MCR 2.”

Bachman v. Swan Harbour Assocs., 653 N.W.2d 415 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002). “See MCL 37.1606. C2) PLAINTIFF'S ACCOMMODATIONS REQUESTS To establish a prima facie case that he was denied a reasonable accommodation, plaintiff must prove that (1) he is disabled as defined under the pwdcra, (2) defendants knew of his disability or should reasonably be…”

Haliw v. City of Sterling Heights, 669 N.W.2d 563 (Mich. Ct. App. 2003). · cites it 2× “[4] MCL 37.1606(3) of the handicappers' civil rights act, M.”

Wardlow v. Great Lakes Express Co., 339 N.W.2d 670 (Mich. Ct. App. 1983). · cites it 2× “Because the handicapper's act, MCL 37.1606; MSA 3.550(606), is virtually identical, we rule that it also provides for exemplary damages.”

Hines v. Grand Trunk W. R.R. Co., 391 N.W.2d 750 (Mich. Ct. App. 1985). · cites it 2× “After the jury verdict in this case, plaintiff moved for attorney fees under MCL 37.1606(3); MSA 3.550(606)(3), which was added to the Michigan Handicappers’ Civil Rights Act by 1980 PA 478 , effective January 20, 1981: (3) As used in subsection (1), "damages” means damages for…”

Barbour v. Dep't of Soc. Servs., 431 N.W.2d 482 (Mich. Ct. App. 1988). · cites it 2× “12 Defendants do not dispute that when the Legislature enacted MCL 37.1606; MSA 3.550(606) and MCL 37.2801; MSA 3.”

Show all 35 citing cases →

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1606(1) — 7 cases

Rancour v. Detroit Edison Co., 388 N.W.2d 336 (Mich. Ct. App. 1986). “It is true that the handicappers’ act authorizes the issuance of injunctive relief, MCL 37.1606(1); MSA 3.550(606X1), as well as the recovery of attorney fees.”

Jenkins v. Carney-Nadeau Pub. Sch., 505 N.W.2d 893 (Mich. Ct. App. 1993).

Burchett v. Rx Optical, 591 N.W.2d 652 (Mich. Ct. App. 1999).

Milnikel v. Mercy-Mem'l Med. Ctr., Inc, 454 N.W.2d 132 (Mich. Ct. App. 1989).

Ross v. Beaumont Hosp., 678 F. Supp. 680 (E.D. Mich. 1988).

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1606(2) — 3 cases

Susan Christie v. Wayne State Univ. (Mich. 2023).

Bettina Winkler v. Marist Fathers of Detroit Inc (Mich. 2017).

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1606(3) — 9 cases

McAuley v. Gen. Motors Corp., 578 N.W.2d 282 (Mich. 1998). “§ 37.1606(3); M.S.A. §3.550(606)(3) to a prevailing plaintiff under the Handicappers' Civil Rights Act.”

Rafferty v. Markovitz, 602 N.W.2d 367 (Mich. 1999). “[MCL 37.1606(3); MSA 3.550(606)(3).] After entry of judgment, the plaintiff in McAuley moved for mediation sanctions under MCR 2.”

Haliw v. City of Sterling Heights, 669 N.W.2d 563 (Mich. Ct. App. 2003). “[4] MCL 37.1606(3) of the handicappers' civil rights act, M.”

Hines v. Grand Trunk W. R.R. Co., 391 N.W.2d 750 (Mich. Ct. App. 1985). “After the jury verdict in this case, plaintiff moved for attorney fees under MCL 37.1606(3); MSA 3.550(606)(3), which was added to the Michigan Handicappers’ Civil Rights Act by 1980 PA 478 , effective January 20, 1981: (3) As used in subsection (1), "damages” means damages for…”

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.1606(5) — 2 cases

Sanchez v. Lagoudakis, 581 N.W.2d 257 (Mich. 1998). “§ 37.1606(3); M.S.A. § 3.550(606)(3), or as an item of costs under MCR 2.”

Plumb v. Abbott Labs., 60 F. Supp. 2d 642 (E.D. Mich. 1999).

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.