Michigan Legal Statutes
Reference Guide

In Michigan, the owner of a vehicle can be held liable for injuries caused by someone operating the vehicle with the owner's express or implied consent or knowledge, subject to statutory exceptions.

If you were hit by a vehicle driven by someone who borrowed it, you may have a claim against both the driver and the vehicle owner, depending on ownership, consent, and statutory exceptions.

We investigate vehicle ownership and consent in every car accident case to identify all potentially liable parties.

The owner or registrant of a motor vehicle required to be registered in Michigan generally must maintain security for PIP benefits, property protection insurance, and residual liability insurance while the vehicle is driven or moved on a highway, subject to the statutory exceptions for qualified opt-outs and exclusions.

If required No-Fault security was not in effect, the coverage analysis changes quickly. Uninsured-operation rules can affect PIP, property protection, residual liability, and third-party noneconomic recovery in different ways.

We navigate no-fault coverage disputes with insurance companies who try to deny benefits to injured clients.

PIP benefits are payable without regard to fault for accidental bodily injury arising out of the ownership, operation, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle as a motor vehicle, subject to the No-Fault Act's coverage levels, exclusions, and limits.

This section establishes the basic no-fault coverage trigger, but it does not answer every payment question. Medical coverage tiers, priority rules, exclusions, and benefit-category rules under other sections still determine what is actually payable.

We fight insurance companies who illegally deny or delay PIP benefits our clients are entitled to.

Michigan PIP is structured around three benefit categories: allowable expense (medical and related care), work loss (wage replacement subject to caps), and replacement services (help with household tasks you cannot perform because of the accident). What is covered, for how long, and in what amount depends on your policy tier and the chapter’s other sections.

When adjusters dispute whether a bill, wage claim, or attendant-care hour is 'reasonable and necessary' or within your elected PIP limit, this section is part of the framework for what PIP is supposed to pay.

We map your treatment, wage documentation, and replacement-service needs to the statutory categories and fight denials that ignore the full scope of benefits you purchased.

When more than one auto policy could apply, Michigan law sets priority rules for who must pay PIP benefits first. The current rule starts with the injured person's own policy, spouse's policy, or resident-relative policy, then addresses special situations such as vehicles used to transport passengers, employer-owned vehicles, uninsured occupants, and motorcycle crashes.

Wrong-priority disputes are common: two insurers each point at the other while your bills sit unpaid. Identifying the correct payor early avoids lost time and wrongful denials, especially in commercial vehicle, employer-owned vehicle, motorcycle, and household-policy disputes.

We analyze every applicable policy, registration, and employment relationship on intake so the correct insurer receives notice and pays under the statutory priority rules.

For a person injured while not occupying a motor vehicle, such as a pedestrian or bicyclist, MCL 500.3115 points the claim to the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan unless coverage is available through the injured person's own, spouse's, or resident-relative policy under MCL 500.3114(1).

Delivery, rideshare, truck, and pedestrian crashes can get confusing when the injured person was outside a vehicle. The vehicle that hit you may be central to liability, but PIP priority after the 2019 reform may still turn on household coverage and the Assigned Claims Plan.

We separate the PIP priority analysis from the liability case, check household policies first, and move quickly on Assigned Claims issues when no higher-priority policy applies.

A person injured in a Michigan motor vehicle accident may claim PIP benefits through the Assigned Claims Plan when no applicable PIP coverage exists, no applicable PIP coverage can be identified, a dispute between insurers prevents identification of the responsible insurer, or the only identifiable coverage is financially unable to provide required benefits.

Uninsured claimants, excluded drivers, and gaps in household coverage often turn on whether an assigned claim is available — and how much coverage exists — while separate rules may still limit third-party noneconomic recovery if you were uninsured in certain situations.

We evaluate whether an Assigned Claims application is appropriate, meet MAIPF procedural requirements, and align assigned-PIP strategy with any third-party case under MCL 500.3135 and related sections.

Michigan's no-fault system limits when you can sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. To bring a tort claim, your injury must meet the 'serious impairment of a body function' threshold — meaning the impairment affects your ability to lead your normal life. The same section also sets rules for excess economic loss and, in subsection (2), limits who may recover noneconomic damages — including when the injured person was operating an uninsured vehicle.

Insurance companies routinely argue that injuries don't meet the serious impairment threshold to avoid paying pain and suffering. Uninsured-operation rules under subsection (2)(c) can bar noneconomic recovery even when the other driver was at fault — a separate trap from whether Assigned Claims PIP may be available under MCL 500.3172.

We document every impact the injury has had on our client's daily life — work, hobbies, relationships — to clearly establish serious impairment. We have successfully argued this threshold in cases involving soft tissue injuries that other firms refused to take.

MCL 500.3145 generally requires written notice of injury to the proper No-Fault insurer within 1 year after the accident unless the insurer has already paid PIP benefits. Lawsuit timing, tolling, and the one-year-back rule can affect what expenses are recoverable.

The one-year rule is strictly enforced, but it is not just a generic application deadline. Notice, prior payments, suit timing, and one-year-back limits all matter.

We immediately put no-fault insurers on notice, track lawsuit timing, and manage PIP submissions on behalf of our clients to prevent deadline errors.

After Michigan's 2019 No-Fault reform, policies issued or renewed after July 1, 2020 require a selection for PIP allowable-expense coverage: $50,000 if the statutory Medicaid conditions are met, $250,000, $500,000, or no limit. Medicare opt-outs and qualified-health-coverage exclusions are handled in separate sections, so Medicaid eligibility should not be described as a full PIP medical opt-out.

Many drivers now have reduced PIP medical limits and do not realize it until after an accident. Your attorney must identify the selected coverage level and any separate exclusion or opt-out early to develop the right strategy.

We obtain all relevant policy information within days of intake to map available coverage and prevent gaps in medical payment.

Michigan's No-Fault fee schedule governs provider charges and reimbursement for PIP treatment. Providers may charge a reasonable amount, but the charge cannot exceed customary non-insurance charges and reimbursement is subject to Medicare-based percentages, enhanced reimbursement categories, attendant-care rules, and other limitations in the statute.

For treatment after July 1, 2023, the general Medicare-based baseline is 190% of the applicable Medicare amount when Medicare has a payable amount. DIFS also publishes annual CPI adjustments for non-Medicare fee-schedule amounts and updated enhanced-reimbursement facility lists. Andary limits retroactive application of parts of the reform for pre-June 11, 2019 injuries.

We keep the focus practical: making sure clients receive necessary care, identifying providers who understand No-Fault billing, and resolving disputes when insurers use reimbursement rules to delay or deny treatment.