Fane v. Detroit Library Commission

These consolidated cases question the scope of the public building exception to governmental immunity 1 in light of this Court’s ruling in Horace v City of Pontiac, 456 Mich 744; 575 NW2d 762 (1998). The parties in Fane dispute whether the elevated terrace where plaintiff fell is part of Detroit’s main public library building. In Cox, this Court must determine whether a portable ramp placed at a doorstep is part of the Fairlane Estate building in Dearborn.

We conclude that the public building exception can apply to parts of a building that extend beyond the walls. We hold the public building…