Monroe Circuit Court Judge, E. Michael Hoff, ruled in favor of landlord plaintiffs in a case against the City of Bloomington on February 10, 2014. This decision comes after the Bloomington City Council passed an ordinance in November 2012 requiring rental properties to have hard-wired smoke detectors.
Local landlords voiced their concerns to the City of Bloomington prior to the ordinance being passed stating that the City was exceeding its powers in enacting and enforcing such an ordinance. Additionally, local landlords provided estimates of $500 to $1,000 per unit for the hard-wired smoke detectors. Attorney Mike McBride filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs in July 2013 citing a conflict between the ordinance that the City passed and an Indiana state statute that specifically permits battery-operated smoke detectors. The Herald Times newspaper has been following this story closely and released the following article reported by journalist Lindsay Erdody and the Herald Times’ own opinion supporting Judge Hoff’s ruling:
HT Smoke Detector Opinion Mike McBride Business Litigation Attorney