Michigan Grandfather Not Liable in Slaying Death of Grandson
An Oakland County judge has ruled a Detroit-area woman is liable for financial damages in the 2012 shooting death of her teenage grandson, but her husband can’t be sued.
The Detroit News reports the judge ruled Wednesday that 76-year-old Sandra Layne of West Bloomfield Township could be forced to pay because she was convicted last year of second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman. She is serving a 20-40 year prison sentence.
Layne’s attorney says the Michigan Court of Appeals will hear her case next month. She claimed self-defense in the shooting.
Hoffman’s estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking at least $1 million against Layne and her 88-year-old husband.
The judge says there is no evidence that the grandfather could have stopped the killing and he isn’t responsible.
- Will California’s New Smoke Claims Law Create a Recovery Bottleneck?
- Hackers Tricked Asos Employee to Steal Work Account Login
- HSBC Executive Strikes Back in Court Fight Over Poaching Claims
- First Atlantic Hurricane of 2026 to Threaten US Gulf Coast
- Credit Acceptance Reaches $710M Predatory Auto Lending Settlement With Most States
- The Great Hemp Reset: How the Federal Ban on Intoxicating Hemp Products Will Reshape Risk and Coverage
- The Nation’s Insurance Laboratory: What Liability Trends in California Mean for the Rest of the Country
- Severe Convective Storms: Risk, Field Reality and the Path to Resilience