Man hurt in hunt for Christmas wreath sues in-laws

[October 10, 2011]  WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- This Thanksgiving could be a little uncomfortable for one Michigan family after a Detroit-area man hurt in a hunt for a Christmas wreath sued his in-laws.

A Michigan appeals court has overruled a trial court judge and said the lawsuit filed by Christopher Karim should go to a jury.

Karim had left work early to help with Christmas decorations at the West Bloomfield home of his in-laws, Salman and Regina Konja.

He was in the attic looking for a wreath when he stepped on drywall instead of plywood and fell to the garage floor. The appeals court's decision says Karim's mother-in-law had just said, "No, don't step there."

The decision doesn't describe Karim's injuries.

The court says a jury must decide if the hazard was "open and obvious."

[Associated Press]

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