MOROUN SEEKS TO BLOCK GORDIE HOWE BRIDGE CONDEMNATIONS

Companies controlled by Mannie Maroun, who owns the Ambassador Bridge, have filed a lawsuit seeking to block MDOT condemnations to acquire property for the Gordie Howe Bridge.

Mannie Maroun has spent years attempting to obstruct construction of a new bridge that competes with his privately-owned Ambassador Bridge. His entities, not-surprisingly, own property in the proposed footprint of the Gordie Howe Bridge. According to an article in Crain's Detroit Business, several Maroun-related companies filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims seeking to prevent the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) from filing eminent domain lawsuits to acquire properties that they own. The lawsuit alleges that the Michigan Constitution requires the Michigan legislature to authorize construction of any international bridge and that a state agency like MDOT cannot spend money without an appropriation, even if the money is provided by a third party and not from public sources (the Canadian government is funding MDOT’s efforts.)

The Gordie Howe Bridge acquisition will be a wild roller-coaster given that companies with access to equal resources as the government are motivated to halt the process and that the Ambassador Bridge monopoly remains in place for as long as the new bridge is delayed.

If you have any questions about condemnation issues, please feel free to contact me.