Public Media from Michigan State University

Sex Offenders Settle Suit Over Michigan Housing Restrictions

Jeff

Three men on Michigan's sex offender registry have settled a federal lawsuit over housing requirements that restrict where they can live.

The Grand Rapids Press reports they'd been told they couldn't live in homes that were within 1,000 feet of a school zone. Attorney Sarah Riley Howard challenged the restriction as vague.

The settlement with the state comes after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a decision in a similar case that found Michigan had excessive restrictions.

Howard says one man was told by Grand Rapids police that he and his wife could buy a house only to be told later it fell within a school zone. The settlement calls for the state to pay Howard $40,000 for legal costs.

The city settled its case for $5,000 in January.

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