Moore v. City of Detroit
Court of Appeals of Michigan
406 N.W.2d 488 (1987)
Detroit's (defendant) ordinance let private citizens enter, occupy, and repair vacant homes declared blighted public nuisances, as an alternative to government demolition or third-party repair without any occupancy rights; the ordinance required the property owner be notified at every step and given chances to reclaim ownership or terminate the nuisance-abatement contract. Moore (plaintiff) challenged the ordinance as an unconstitutional exercise of eminent domain confiscating private property without just compensation; the trial court ruled for Detroit, and after an initial appeal and remand from the U.S. Supreme Court to address the due-process issue, the case returned to the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Whether a city ordinance permitting third parties to enter, occupy, and repair blighted buildings, which would otherwise be demolished or repaired by the government, is a lawful exercise of the city's police power.