Michigan Court: Icy Lot Couldn’t Be Avoided at UP Lodge

A woman who was just days away from leaving a job at an Upper Peninsula lodge can sue her former employer over her broken leg in an icy parking lot.

An Alger County judge dismissed the case after the Cherrywood Lodge in Munising argued that the ice was obvious, especially in the U.P. But Angela Sabatos has persuaded the state appeals court to reopen the case.

The court says there was no way for Sabatos to avoid the icy lot in March 2009. One witness said it was like a big skating rink.

Sabatos ended her shift late at night but stayed in the lounge to visit with co-workers, a few days before ending her job. She didn’t drink alcohol while she socialized but ate a sandwich.