BESSEMER, MI (AP)-- Authorities can't tap a Bessemer woman's disability payments to pay off the crime of her minor son.
The Michigan appeals court says Diana Alexandroni's benefits are protected under federal law. In 2007, a Gogebic County judge made her responsible for $28,000 in restitution related to an arson committed by her son.
Alexandroni suffered a heart attack two years later that left her unemployed. She still owed $23,000 at the time.
A judge says her disability payments are fair game because they're income, but the appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, says that's the wrong call.
In a dissent, Judge Amy Ronayne Krause says the decision could allow others in Michigan to ignore traffic tickets or misdemeanors if they live on disability payments.