Michigan Personal Injury Attorneys

Statute of Limitations

3 years

3 years from the date of injury (M.C.L. § 600.5805)

Fault Rule

51%

Modified comparative fault, 51% bar for non-economic damages (M.C.L. § 600.2959) — no non-economic recovery if your fault is more than 50%

Damages Cap

No cap

No general cap on compensatory damages in standard PI. Medical malpractice non-economic cap inflation-adjusted under M.C.L. § 600.1483 (currently around $300K standard / $580K catastrophic).

Government-Claim Notice

120 days

Governmental Tort Liability Act (M.C.L. § 691.1401 et seq.): written notice of claim within 120 days for highway-defect claims (§ 691.1404); 6 months for some governmental subdivisions.

Joint and Several Liability

Bolished

Largely abolished under M.C.L. § 600.6304 — each defendant pays only its share of fault, with limited exceptions.

Typical attorney fee

33%

33%–40% contingency — no fee unless you win

Michigan applies modified comparative fault with a 51% bar under M.C.L. § 600.2959 — recovery is barred if your fault is greater than the combined fault of all defendants for economic damages, and bars non-economic damages entirely if you are more than 50% at fault. The standard PI SOL is three years under M.C.L. § 600.5805. Michigan’s no-fault auto system was substantially reformed in 2019 (PA 21) — drivers now choose PIP coverage levels, and tort recovery for pain and suffering requires meeting the serious-impairment-of-body-function threshold under M.C.L. § 500.3135. Michigan’s governmental tort liability framework (M.C.L. § 691.1401 et seq.) is one of the most defense-friendly in the country with strong immunity defenses.