Sec. 5739. (1) Except as provided by court rules, a party to summary proceedings may join claims and counterclaims for money judgment for damages attributable to wrongful entry, detainer, or possession, for breach of the lease or contract under which the premises were held, or for waste or malicious destruction to the premises. The court may order separate summary disposition of the claim for possession, without prejudice to any other claims or counterclaims. A claim or counterclaim for money judgment shall not exceed the amount in controversy that otherwise limits the jurisdiction of the court. (2) If the court awards damages for physical injury to the premises under subsection (1) by making an award for or based on the cost of repairs, the court shall award damages for labor expended by a landlord or property manager in repairing the premises in the same manner as it would if the repairs were performed by a third party. A landlord's or property manager's labor under this subsection shall be compensated at a rate the court determines to be reasonable based on usual and customary charges for the repairs. (3) If the court determines that the landlord breached the lease or contract under which the premises were held by failing to repair the premises and awards damages under subsection (1) by making an award for or based on the cost of repairs, the court shall award damages for labor expended by the tenant in repairing the premises in the same manner as it would if the repairs were performed by a third party. A tenant's labor under this subsection shall be compensated at a rate the court determines to be reasonable based on usual and customary charges for the repairs.
Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5739
Joinder of claims and counterclaims for money judgment; separate disposition of claim for possession; damages for labor expended by either landlord or tenant
Applied in 7 court decisions — leading case J.A.M. Corp. v. AARO Disposal, Inc. (1999)
Most recently applied in Clohset v. No Name Corp. (October 2013)
Add. 1972, Act 120, Eff
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: Michigan Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Michigan statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.