ROCKWOOD AUTO PARTS, INC.; ROCKWOOD TOWING, INC.; JACQUES POLI aka Jack Poli, v. MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN; TROY GOODNOUGH; MICHAEL PREADMORE; JEFFREY KEMP - Articles

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ROCKWOOD AUTO PARTS, INC.; ROCKWOOD TOWING, INC.; JACQUES POLI aka Jack Poli, v. MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN; TROY GOODNOUGH; MICHAEL PREADMORE; JEFFREY KEMP

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Sep 10, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Raechel M. Badalamenti, KIRK, HUTH, LANGE & BADALAMENTI, PLC, Clinton Township, Michigan, for Appellants.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Heather E. Sumner, ROSATI SCHULTZ JOPPICH & AMTSBUECHLER, PC, Lansing, Michigan, for Appellees.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Raechel M. Badalamenti, KIRK, HUTH, LANGE & BADALAMENTI, PLC, Clinton Township, Michigan, for Appellants.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Heather E. Sumner, ROSATI SCHULTZ JOPPICH & AMTSBUECHLER, PC, Lansing, Michigan, for Appellees.

Judge(s): MOORE, GRIFFIN, and RITZ, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Flint

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. For several years, Rockwood Auto Parts, Inc., and Rockwood Towing, Inc., worked closely with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and former Sheriff Dale Malone. Rockwood Auto performed regular maintenance on the sheriff’s fleet of patrol cars. And Rockwood Towing held a plum position on the sheriff’s call list when a civilian or a deputy got into a wreck. Then a new sheriff came to town. Shortly after Troy Goodnough became sheriff, Monroe County bid out the fleet-maintenance work and awarded the contract to a different shop. Goodnough also revised the towing list, reducing Rockwood’s share of the county’s tow calls. All of this has been bad for business at Rockwood Auto and Rockwood Towing. So, the companies and their owner, Jacques (“Jack”) Poli, sued Goodnough, Monroe County, and Sergeant Michael Preadmore, alleging violations of their constitutional rights. The district court granted summary judgment to Defendants. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM.

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