Robinson v. City of Detroit

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NATURE OF THE CASE

This case raises the difficult question whether a voluntary passenger in a vehicle fleeing from the police may sue the police for injuries sustained in an accident during the chase. Whether such a suit may proceed depends upon whether the police owe a legal *16duty to the passenger in a fleeing vehicle. In related “police chase” cases, our courts have held that there is no duty owed to a fleeing suspect on the public policy ground that a wrongdoer ought not to be compensated for his own wrongdoing. Conversely, with regard to “innocent bystanders” (such as pedestrians or other…