Opinion ID: 2189706
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Woodland

Text: Woodland is the owner and operator of Woodland Mall, located in Kentwood, a suburb of Grand Rapids in Paris Township, Michigan. The mall is enclosed and consists of three major department stores, approximately eighty smaller stores, shops, and restaurants surrounded by a parking area. The mall contains common areas designed to facilitate travel within the mall as well as to promote rest, relaxation, and socialization. The common areas consist of numerous seating facilities, works of art, and fountains. Woodland Mall maintains a strict policy against permitting activity in the shopping center that is not directly related to the enhancement of commercial retail sales. This policy forbids solicitation, petition, the securing of signatures, speechmaking, the distribution of handbills, and like activity. The Michigan Citizens Lobby is a nonprofit organization that promotes various consumer interests. On this particular occasion, the Citizens Lobby was attempting to initiate legislation that would forbid automatic utility rate increases and require prior Public Service Commission approval of rate adjustments. On April 1, 1982, the director of the Citizens Lobby notified Woodland that the Citizens Lobby was interested in collecting signatures at the mall on April 3, 1982. The mall informed him of its policy against such activity, but on April 3 the director and other members of the Citizens Lobby appeared at the mall. They were met at the entrance by a security guard who told them that solicitation was not permitted on mall premises. Nevertheless, the Citizens Lobby entered the mall and set up three card tables and signs in the central courtyard. The mall manager then informed them that they were on private property and asked them to leave. They refused, and approximately five Citizens Lobby members remained and gathered signatures from about noon until 6:00 P.M. At that time the Citizens Lobby announced its intention to return on April 9 and 10 for the same purpose. On April 6, 1982, Woodland filed a verified complaint in the Kent Circuit Court, seeking a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction, and a permanent injunction, to prevent the Michigan Citizens Lobby from soliciting shoppers, gathering signatures, or otherwise entering and remaining on the Woodland Mall premises in violation of mall policy. The trial judge issued an ex parte restraining order on that day. Following a hearing, the court issued a preliminary injunction on April 15, 1982, which was made permanent on April 27, 1982. In relevant part, the order and final judgment read: The defendant, Michigan Citizens [ sic ] Lobby, [is] permanently enjoined from at any time soliciting shoppers, gathering signatures, distributing handbills or other literature, securing signatures on petitions, making speeches, and engaging in any other expressive activity on any of the property owned by the plaintiff, Woodland, a Michigan co-partnership, including the common areas, courtyards, and corridors of Woodland Mall, a retail shopping center located in the Township of Paris, County of Kent, and State of Michigan. The Michigan Citizens Lobby appealed, and, in a two-to-one decision, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's order. 128 Mich App 649; 341 NW2d 174 (1983).