MICHIGAN – A township in Michigan is scrambling to gather cash after being ordered to pay millions in damages to local wineries for stifling their business.
Last month a judge ordered that Peninsula Township pay almost $50 million to the 11 local wineries of Old Mission Peninsula.
The order came after wineries won a five-year legal battle against the township over zoning regulations that they claimed affected their business.
Now, Peninsula Township officials are discussing drastic steps to find the money – including selling a historic lighthouse or suspending park and cemetery maintenance.
A lawyer for the wineries called the budget recommendations a ‘PR stunt’ designed to villainize the 11 plaintiffs who won the five-year legal battle against the township tle on July 7.
The saga began in October 2020, when a federal lawsuit brought about by the wineries argued that strict zoning rules stifled business and violated their constitutional rights.
According to the lawsuit, the zoning ordinances adopted by Peninsula Township regulated the vineyards’ activities.
The zoning ordinances prohibited the hosting of ‘weddings, receptions, and other social functions for hire’ at these venues.