Reardon v. Department of Mental Health

Plaintiff brought suit against the state for a sexual assault she suffered while staying in a dormitory operated by the Michigan Department of Mental Health. Defendant moved for summary judgment, which the Court of Claims denied. Following a trial, the court awarded plaintiff a verdict of $500,000. Defendant appeals on the grounds of governmental immunity and excessiveness of the verdict. We affirm. We find the dangerous or defective building exception to governmental immunity controlling and do not find the verdict excessive.

Plaintiff was a nursing student at the Sault College of Applied…