Detroit Free Press, Inc. v. Michigan Department of Treasury
On behalf of the Detroit Free Press, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Treasury for withholding public records related to state payments on a major real estate development in downtown Detroit.
The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, representing the Detroit Free Press, has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Treasury for refusing to release public records concerning state payments tied to a major real estate project in downtown Detroit.
The development in question — the One Campus Martius expansion, managed by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock — is benefiting from transformational brownfield incentives. This program allows the state to pay developers with a portion of the taxes generated by the completed project — revenue that otherwise would support schools, roads and other public services.
J.C. Reindl, Detroit Free Press reporter, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request on March 17, 2025, seeking state-generated financial documents detailing how much tax revenue is being reimbursed and whether the site is meeting job and investment targets. The Michigan Department of Treasury denied the request, citing a state law protecting taxpayer information. The Mackinac Center argues that these are not private filings but government-generated financial reports — and that the Michigan Constitution requires disclosure of any records involving public funds.
“The public has a constitutional right to know how its money is being spent,” said Derk Wilcox, senior attorney at the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. “These are government calculations used to divert taxpayer dollars to private developers — and the public deserves transparency.”
The lawsuit was filed in the Michigan Court of Claims on
