Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.2965 (2026)

Recovery of damages by firefighter or police officer; preclusion abolished.

✓ current as of July 2026

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REVISED JUDICATURE ACT OF 1961

Act 236 of 1961

600.2965 Recovery of damages by firefighter or police officer; preclusion abolished.

Sec. 2965.

The common law doctrine that precludes a firefighter or police officer from recovering damages for injuries arising from the normal, inherent, and foreseeable risks of his or her profession is abolished.

History: Add. 1998, Act 389, Imd. Eff. Nov. 30, 1998

Compiler's Notes:

Enacting section 1 of Act 389 of 1998 provides:

“Enacting section 1. Sections 2965, 2966, and 2967 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.2965, 600.2966, and 600.2967, as added by this amendatory act, do not apply to a cause of action arising before the effective date of this amendatory act.”

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 8 cases, 1999–2016 · leading case: Boulton v. Fenton Twp., 726 N.W.2d 733 (Mich. Ct. App. 2007).

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Boulton v. Fenton Twp., 726 N.W.2d 733 (Mich. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 3× “The Legislature codified the rule by enacting 1998 PA 389 , MCL 600.2965 to 600.2967, effective November 30, 1998.”

Harris-Fields v. Syze, 600 N.W.2d 611 (Mich. 1999). · cites it 2× “2965 says that the fireman's rule is "abolished": The common law doctrine that precludes a firefighter or police officer from recovering damages for injuries arising from the normal, inherent, and foreseeable risks of his or her profession is abolished.”

Tull v. Wtf, Inc, 706 N.W.2d 439 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005). “See MCL 600.2965 to 600.2967. MCL 600.2967 provides, in pertinent part: (1) Except as provided in section 2966, a firefighter or police officer who seeks to recover damages for injury or death arising from the normal, inherent, and foreseeable risks of his or her profession…”

Lego v. Liss, 874 N.W.2d 684 (Mich. 2016). “, Kreski v Modern Wholesale Electric Supply Co, 429 Mich 347, 351, 372 ; 415 NW2d 178 (1987), we are not bound by those interpretations because the common-law rule has been abolished, MCL 600.2965, and the phrase has not clearly acquired a “peculiar and appropriate meaning in…”

Mckim v. Forward Lodging, Inc, 702 N.W.2d 181 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 2× “Plaintiff arrived during normal business hours and remained in a parking lot open to the general public. See 2 Restatement Torts, 2d, § 345(2), p 227 (limiting the application of the common-law "fireman's rule" when the public officer is injured on a portion of the land open to…”

Thomas Tibble v. Am. Physicians Capital Inc (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 3× “26 Because the claim against AP Capital is a contract claim, we conclude that MCL 600.2965 does not apply to the bad faith claim asserted against AP Capital.”

Emily Kincaid v. Robert Croskey (Mich. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 2× “MCL 600.2965 abrogates the common-law rule.”

Kristy Bastine v. City of Southfield (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The Legislature codified the common-law firefighter’s rule by enacting 1998 PA 389 , MCL 600.2965 to 600.2967, effective November 30, 1998, which abrogated the common-law rule.”

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