MCCORD HENRY, Personal Representative of the Estate of Linda Henry v. MARTIN BLANK; TROY PACKARD; JAMES KOSIBOSKI; MATTHEW WEAVER; BENZIE COUNTY, MICHIGAN - Articles

All Content

MCCORD HENRY, Personal Representative of the Estate of Linda Henry v. MARTIN BLANK; TROY PACKARD; JAMES KOSIBOSKI; MATTHEW WEAVER; BENZIE COUNTY, MICHIGAN

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 12, 2026

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ON BRIEF: Jacob R. Goodman, Bailor Bell, Douglas E. Fierberg, THE FIERBERG NATIONAL LAW GROUP, PLLC, Traverse City, Michigan, for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Douglas J. Curlew, CUMMINGS, MCCLOREY, DAVIS & ACHO, P.L.C., Livonia, Michigan, for Appellees.

Judge(s): GILMAN, GRIFFIN, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan at Grand Rapids

RONALD LEE GILMAN, Circuit Judge. In February 2022, Linda Henry (Henry) was tragically murdered by her next-door neighbor, Jeffrey Stratton. Her son, McCord Henry, acting on behalf of his mother’s estate (the Estate), sued Benzie County and certain deputies of its Sheriff’s Office (collectively, Defendants), alleging that Henry’s murder was caused by Defendants’ selective denial of protective services when dealing with threats against women as compared to men. The Estate’s complaint asserts claims based on Defendants’ alleged violation of Henry’s equal-protection rights under the United States Constitution and under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. The district court dismissed the Estate’s federal claims for lack of standing and for failure to state a claim, and it declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the Estate’s state-law claims. In the instant appeal, the Estate challenges only the dismissal of its federal claims. For the reasons set forth below, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.

Attachments: