Medical professionals and a patient in Michigan have filed the latest lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — an action that comes as about 100 angry protesters, some of them armed, demonstrated outside the state Capitol Thursday.
The new lawsuit in federal court alleges Whitmer’s “drastic, unprecedented [and] unilateral executive actions” to stop nonessential businesses were based on “grossly inaccurate” models that no longer apply and therefore should be lifted, the Washington Times reported.
“Medical providers are on the brink of financial ruin, facing extreme revenue shortages caused by the Governor’s order forcing the postponement or cancellation of so-called ‘non-essential’ procedures,” the suit declared.
The Washington Times said the legal action was filed by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation and a private law firm, Miller Johnson.
The lawsuit also claimed the order has left hospitals and patients facing a dangerous backlog on procedures that will create a public health catastrophe of its own, the news outlet reported.
“This whole ‘elective-procedure’ thing is now a time bomb,” Dr. Randal Baker, a surgeon and plaintiff in the case, told the Washington Times.
“There is no good reason to have a ban on elective surgery anymore. This is now a significant health problem for the people of Michigan and our patients, and I’ve had one patient attempt suicide — a very serious attempt.”
As of Wednesday, more than 83,000 deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus in the United States. Michigan has reported 48,391 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. Of that total, the state has attributed 4,714 deaths to the virus.
The Michigan legislature has also filed a suit against the governor, who dismissed it as a “power grab,” the Washington Times reported.
Meanwhile, the latest protest at the state Capitol was led by Michigan United for Liberty, a conservative activist group that has also sued Whitmer and organized or participated rallies since early April.
Some carried guns even though lawmakers from both parties criticized certain demonstrators for intimidating and threatening tactics two weeks ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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