Michigan Court of Appeals upholds judges’ ruling on BlueOval battery plant | WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo

LANSING, MI (WTVB) – The BlueOval battery plant in Marshall continues to take shape after the Michigan State Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit against Ford’s factory, which is scheduled to begin producing batteries for electric vehicles in 2026.

After a hearing last Thursday, the justices supported Calhoun County Judge William Marietti’s ruling that the opposition group Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite did not take proper legal steps when it challenged the rezoning.

The citizens group filed suit last year after its request to force a citizen vote on rezoning 700 acres of land between 13 and 15 Mile Roads for the construction of an electric vehicle battery factory was found to be insufficient.

They appealed after Marietti dismissed the case.

Some expect the litigation to go all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Supporters say the battery factory is expected to create 1,700 jobs. The Committee to Save Marshall, Not the Megasite, sued the city, arguing that Marshall failed to address community concerns about the megasite. The suit said the group opposed bulldozing of the former farmland.

Jim Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance, said in a statement, “Our elected officials and local leaders in Marshall always think about what is best for our community. That’s why they took action and followed the letter of the law to build a campus that will create thousands of jobs. This project is already having an impact on our community: dozens of construction workers are visiting our local businesses, eating at our restaurants and staying at our hotels.”