Michigan Fitness Centers Flex Legal Muscle Against Governor

Over 120 independent fitness centers throughout Michigan are suing Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The suit also names Michigan’s top health administrator as a defendant. The fitness centers have had it. They claim the Governor’s now unilateral shutdown order is violating their state constitutional rights and is not allowed under state law. The lawsuit is now pending in the US District Court in Grand Rapids. The attorney representing the fitness centers says the Governor's virus shutdown must be narrowly tailored and it clearly is not. The primary plaintiffs in the case are the League of Independent Fitness Facilities and Trailers. Lots of other independent fitness centers are joining the federal lawsuit.

As the Governor last week eased some of the business closing restrictions in the UP and the northern lower peninsula, fitness centers and gyms in that area of the state are supposed to remain closed. The plaintiff’s legal team says the Governor is initiating Executive Orders under the Emergency Powers Act in an illegal fashion and imposing unreasonable measures that amount to house arrest. The lawsuit points out, “The (executive orders) are objectively unreasonable.  There can be nothing more unreasonable than keeping 10 million people under house arrest because 0.38% of the population has contracted a disease that has killed less than 0.03% of the population.”

The suit also claims the Governor’s related Orders are simply vague. Referencing the state’s webpage to answer “frequently asked questions”. Listing 927 questions and answers claim the Plaintiffs, shows no ordinary person can quickly and easily decipher the rules the Governor is imposing.