LANSING, MI (AP)-- State officials say they've defused a controversy and issued a personalized license plate to a Kingsford man who wanted to use a variation of the word "infidel."
Iraq war veteran Michael Matwyuk of Kingsford says the plate was rejected because officials feared it would offend people. But the Secretary of State's office says it was simply an oversight and issued the plate a month ago.
In a court filing Monday, the state wants a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
When the lawsuit was filed, the state noted that Michigan law bars plates that might be offensive. Matwyuk says soldiers were repeatedly called "infidels" or non-believers by enemies in Iraq.
