A former Fowlerville Police officer’s appeal of a lawsuit connected to a fatal motorcycle accident will not be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The nation’s highest court on Monday formally rejected a motion to hear arguments in an appeal by former Fowlerville Police Officer Frederick Miller. He is being sued by Mary Stamm on behalf of the estate of her son who died in May of 2011 after his motorcycle crashed into Miller’s vehicle during a high speed chase. It began on westbound I-96 when police say 20-year-old Carl Albert Stamm IV failed to pull over for speeding. Video recordings from patrol cars indicated he was traveling at approximately 126 mph when he crashed into the back of Miller’s patrol car.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati in December of 2016 determined that the lower court correctly ruled there were disputes of material fact regarding whether Miller intended to block Stamm and whether Stamm’s conduct posed an immediate threat to others. It said because the evidence is such that a jury could return a verdict in Mrs. Stamm’s favor, the lawsuit against him could continue, denying his contention that he was immune from liability because he was acting in his role as a police officer. The ruling clears the way for a September trial date scheduled in Ann Arbor federal court. (JK)