MICHIGAN GAS UTILITIES V EARL R MIDLAM AND HAZEL M MIDLAM TRUST

Michigan Supreme Court
Lansing, Michigan
Megan K. Cavanagh,
Chief Justice
Brian K. Zahra
Richard H. Bernstein
Elizabeth M. Welch
Kyra H. Bolden
Kimberly A. Thomas
Noah P. Hood,
Justices
Order
May 20, 2026
168634-9
SC: 168634, 168635
COA: 366202, 366766
Calhoun CC: 2022-000973-CC
MICHIGAN GAS UTILITIES CORPORATION,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v
E. RICHARD MIDLAM, JR., and LISA R.
MIDLAM, Co-Trustees of the EARL R.
MIDLAM AND HAZEL M. MIDLAM TRUST,
Defendants-Appellees,
and
CONSUMERS POWER COMPANY,
CONSUMERS ENERGY COMPANY,
CONSUMERS ENERGY, MICHIGAN BELL
TELEPHONE COMPANY, EXXON COAL
RESOURCES, GARY TROLZ, MATRIX
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT, LUCAS
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT,
STRICKLER RESOURCES LP, DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL
DEVELOPMENT, CALHOUN COUNTY ROAD
COMMISSION, PETER S. LUCYSHYN, Trustee
of the MYMACHOD TRUST, AT&T, and
DOUBLE EAGLE FARMS II, CO.,
Defendants.
SC: 168636, 168637
COA: 366204, 366767
Calhoun CC: 2022-000983-CC
MICHIGAN GAS UTILITIES CORPORATION,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v
E. RICHARD MIDLAM, JR., and LISA R.
MIDLAM, Co-Trustees of the EARL R.
MIDLAM AND HAZEL M. MIDLAM TRUST,
Defendants-Appellees,

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and
MICHIGAN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY,
GARY TROLZ, GLYNN TROLZ AND
ASSOCIATES, INC., MATRIX EXPLORATION
& DEVELOPMENT, LUCAS EXPLORATION &
DEVELOPMENT, WEST BAY EXPLORATION
COMPANY, STRICKLER RESOURCES LP,
TIMMUS ENERGY PARTNERS, INC.,
POLARIS ENERGY, INC., NOVERR
ENTERPRISES, LLC, TONI S. TONDA, JES
ENTERPRISES, LLC, JES INVESTMENTS,
LLC, JEFFREY S. SOBECK, SNH HOLDINGS,
PETER NOVERR, CASEY COWELL, INNOVA
EXPLORATION, INC., CHERRY RIVER
INVESTMENTS, LLC, JORDAN
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LLC, ROCK OIL
COMPANY, LLC, TREDWELL ENERGY
CORPORATION, TIMOTHY L. BAKER, JIM
BOWSER, GARY GOTTSCHALK, HARRY L.
GRAHAM, MATT JOHNSTON, MURRAY
MATSON, ERIC MAYFIELD, SHEILA
MAYFIELD, MORRIS A. MICELI, DAVID
RATAJ, KEITH SCHAUB, BENNETT L.
SMITH, III, BENNETT LAWSON SMITH, III,
TRUST, MARY VANCE TUCKER STILLWELL
TRUST, LUCY LEA TUCKER TRUST, ROBERT
E. TUCKER, JR., MATTHEW A. JOHNSTON
and KELLY L. JOHNSTON, Co-Trustees of the
JOHNSTON TRUST, CALHOUN COUNTY
WATER RESOURCES COMMISSION,
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND
RURAL DEVELOPMENT, PETER S.
LUCYSHYN, Trustee of the MYMACHOD
TRUST, AT&T, L. NICHOLAS & NANCY
RUWE CHARITABLE TRUST, JOHN
SCHMITZ, Personal Representative of the
ESTATE OF N. RUWE, CALHOUN COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, CONSUMERS
ENERGY COMPANY, CONSUMERS ENERGY,
CONSUMERS POWER COMPANY, and
DOUBLE EAGLE FARMS II, CO.,
Defendants.
___________________________________________
SC: 168638
COA: 367103
Calhoun CC: 2022-000973-CC

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3
MICHIGAN GAS UTILITIES CORPORATION,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v
E. RICHARD MIDLAM, JR., and LISA R.
MIDLAM, Co-Trustees of the EARL R.
MIDLAM AND HAZEL M. MIDLAM TRUST,
CONSUMERS POWER COMPANY,
CONSUMERS ENERGY COMPANY,
CONSUMERS ENERGY, MICHIGAN BELL
TELEPHONE COMPANY, EXXON COAL
RESOURCES, GARY TROLZ, MATRIX
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT, LUCAS
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT,
STRICKLER RESOURCES LP, DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL
DEVELOPMENT, CALHOUN COUNTY ROAD
COMMISSION, PETER S. LUCYSHYN, Trustee
of the MYMACHOD TRUST, and AT&T,
Defendants,
and
DOUBLE EAGLE FARMS II, CO.,
Defendant-Appellee.
___________________________________________
SC: 168639
COA: 367104
Calhoun CC: 2022-000983-CC
MICHIGAN GAS UTILITIES CORPORATION,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v
E. RICHARD MIDLAM, JR., and LISA R.
MIDLAM, Co-Trustees of the EARL R.
MIDLAM AND HAZEL M. MIDLAM TRUST,
MICHIGAN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY,
GARY TROLZ, GLYNN TROLZ AND
ASSOCIATES, INC., MATRIX EXPLORATION
& DEVELOPMENT, LUCAS EXPLORATION &
DEVELOPMENT, WEST BAY EXPLORATION
COMPANY, STRICKLER RESOURCES LP,
TIMMUS ENERGY PARTNERS, INC.,
POLARIS ENERGY, INC., NOVERR
ENTERPRISES, LLC, TONI S. TONDA,

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JES ENTERPRISES, LLC, JES INVESTMENTS,
LLC, JEFFREY S. SOBECK, SNH HOLDINGS,
PETER NOVERR, CASEY COWELL, INNOVA
EXPLORATION, INC., CHERRY RIVER
INVESTMENTS, LLC, JORDAN
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LLC, ROCK OIL
COMPANY, LLC, TREDWELL ENERGY
CORPORATION, TIMOTHY L. BAKER, JIM
BOWSER, GARY GOTTSCHALK, HARRY L.
GRAHAM, MATT JOHNSTON, MURRAY
MATSON, ERIC MAYFIELD, SHEILA
MAYFIELD, MORRIS A. MICELI, DAVID
RATAJ, KEITH SCHAUB, BENNETT L.
SMITH, III, BENNETT LAWSON SMITH, III,
TRUST, MARY VANCE TUCKER STILLWELL
TRUST, LUCY LEA TUCKER TRUST, ROBERT
E. TUCKER, JR., MATTHEW A. JOHNSTON
and KELLY L. JOHNSTON, Co-Trustees of the
JOHNSTON TRUST, CALHOUN COUNTY
WATER RESOURCES COMMISSION,
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND
RURAL DEVELOPMENT, PETER S.
LUCYSHYN, Trustee of the MYMACHOD
TRUST, AT&T, L. NICHOLAS & NANCY
RUWE CHARITABLE TRUST, JOHN
SCHMITZ, Personal Representative of the
ESTATE OF N. RUWE, CALHOUN COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, CONSUMERS
ENERGY COMPANY, CONSUMERS ENERGY,
and CONSUMERS POWER COMPANY,
Defendants,
and
DOUBLE EAGLE FARMS II, CO.,
Defendant-Appellee.
___________________________________________
By order of November 21, 2025, while retaining jurisdiction, we remanded this case
to the Court of Appeals to consider whether the issues raised in the defendants-appellees’
applications for leave to appeal filed in the Court of Appeals were rendered moot given the
project’s completion before the parties applied for leave to appeal. On order of the Court,
the Court of Appeals opinion on remand having been issued January 16, 2026, the
application for leave to appeal is again considered. We direct the Clerk to schedule oral
argument on the application. MCR 7.305(I)(1). The parties shall file supplemental briefs
in accordance with MCR 7.312(E), addressing whether: (1) the issues raised in the
defendants-appellees’ applications for leave to appeal filed in the Court of Appeals were

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I, Elizabeth Kingston-Miller, Clerk of the Michigan Supreme Court, certify that the
foregoing is a true and complete copy of the order entered at the direction of the Court.
May 20, 2026
5
Clerk
rendered moot given the failure to timely appeal the circuit court’s initial necessity
determination or given the project’s completion before the parties applied for leave to
appeal; (2) given the condemnation procedures set forth in the Uniform Condemnation
Procedures Act (UCPA), MCL 213.51 et seq., the Court of Appeals acquired jurisdiction
to consider on appeal duplicate rulings by the circuit court after the time to appeal the
circuit court’s initial determination upholding the necessity of the public project had
expired; (3) the circuit court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction where the plaintiff-appellant
failed to submit a good faith offer to an owner it did not know existed given the procedure
for submitting good faith offers set forth in MCL 213.55 of the UCPA; and (4) the Court
of Appeals correctly held that the plaintiff-appellant was required to use the prefiling
discovery mechanisms set forth in MCL 213.55(2) of the UCPA to identify owners for the
purpose of submitting a good faith offer under MCL 213.55(1) of the UCPA. The total
time allowed for oral argument shall be 40 minutes: 20 minutes for the appellant, and 20
minutes for the appellees, to be divided at their discretion. MCR 7.314(B)(2).
The State Bar of Michigan Government Law and Administrative & Regulatory Law
Sections are invited to file briefs amicus curiae. Other persons or groups interested in the
determination of the issues presented in this case who are not exempt from the motion
requirement under MCR 7.312(H) may move the Court for permission to file briefs amicus
curiae.
HOOD, J., not participating because he was on the Court of Appeals panel at an
earlier stage of the proceedings.

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