Michigan Court Reverses $100K Verdict for Oil in Home

The Michigan Supreme Court has thrown out a $100,000 verdict for a woman whose home had to be demolished after the basement was mistakenly filled with heating oil.

In a 4-0 decision Thursday, the court says Beckie Price of DeWitt can’t be awarded money for mental anguish for the destruction of property. The court says there’s no precedent for it.

In 2007, a deliveryman mistakenly pumped about 400 gallons of heating oil into a pipe that was no longer attached to a tank in Price’s basement in Clinton County.

Price got about $260,000 from insurance companies, but she filed suit seeking money for non-economic damages. The state appeals court had upheld the $100,000 verdict, saying a home holds emotions and memories.