Police Can't Be Sued

Police Can't Be Sued in Drunken Driving Case

Police in Center Line can't be sued for allowing a woman who claimed she was too drunk to drive to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, according to a ruling from the Michigan Court of Appeals.

In a 3-0 decision Friday, the court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of Sami Koulta, of Madison Heights, who was killed in a 2002 crash involving Chrissy Lynn Lucero, of Shelby Township.

According to court records, police were called to a home on Sept. 13, 2002, to help remove an unwanted visitor. The officers encountered Lucero and ordered her to leave, which she did. Lucero said she told police she was too drunk to drive, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Minutes later, she ran a red light and smashed into Koulta's vehicle.

Lucero had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent, considered drunk by state law, the newspaper said.

Source: http://www.lsj.com/