Attorneys File Class Action Lawsuit in Grosse Pointe Farms May Flooding

A law firm specializing in class action lawsuits has filed a suit against this week in Wayne Circuit Court . 

About 200 families are currently represented in the lawsuit, attorney Peter Macuga said. The lawsuit will have to be certified as appropriate for class-action legal status before proceedings truly get into the issues of the case. 

Macuga said the timing is coincidental with the most recent flooding from last weekend, explaining that when filing such action there are specific time frames that must be followed. Filing the lawsuit this week meets the specified legal time frames, he said. 

His firm will start the process again related to by offering to file claims with the city's insurance carrier on behalf of the residents—one of the first steps in the process. 

Grosse Pointe Farms Public Services Director Terry Brennan told Patch earlier this week he intended to mail out the notice of claim filing to the more than 300 residents who reported flooding to the city last weekend.

Macuga said based on the narrative reports his firm has been hearing from residents, there seems to have been more water involved this time as compared to May. 

The more recent flooding is said to have been caused by power outages by DTE to the Farms pump station, according to a letter hand-delivered to residents early Saturday as they were cleaning their homes and hauling damaged belongings to the curb.

At least one resident who spoke at said he felt it a waste to seek out legal representation because ultimately residents bear the city's burden of the cost to fight a lawsuit.

Another referred to not being a litigious person but feeling as if it might be a viable option if the city doesn't admit responsibility and take action.

All of on the basis that there was no reasonable expectation that the city should have known there was a problem. 

Macuga said his firm expected the city's denial on all of the claims filed in the May flooding, as cities never take the blame. His firm, Macuga, Liddle and Dubin PC, specializes in class action lawsuits and is known for its work on behalf of residents in conflict with their respective community. 

Concerns voiced earlier this week at the council meeting reveal residents' frustrations and new problems, including risking their own homeowners insurance policy if they file a second claim within a matter of months. 

A special meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15, at the , during which city officials hope to provide answers and come up with a plan to address the problem.

Some residents have also expressed irritation that nothing has happened to address the problem since May. Brennan told Patch that more than 1,000 feet of sewer pipes have been inspected since May. The inspection has not revealed any defects that would cause mass backups and flooding. 

Grosse Pointe Farms city manager Shane Reeside has not yet received notice of the lawsuit.

According to Wayne Circuit Court records, the lawsuit was filed Monday Sept. 12. A copy was not available to the public as of Wednesday afternoon but should be in a few days as the original document moves through the records system of the Wayne County Clerk's office.