Sex offenders settle suit over housing restrictions

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) - Three men on Michigan's sex offender registry have settled a federal lawsuit over housing requirements that restrict where they can live.

The Grand Rapids Press reports they'd been told they couldn't live in homes that were within 1,000 feet of a school zone. Attorney Sarah Riley Howard challenged the restriction as vague.

The settlement with the state comes after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a decision in a similar case that found Michigan had excessive restrictions.

Howard says one man was told by Grand Rapids police that he and his wife could buy a house only to be told later it fell within a school zone. The settlement calls for the state to pay Howard $40,000 for legal costs. The city settled its case for $5,000 in January.

Published: Thu, Nov 16, 2017