U of M Graduate Files Lawsuit After Losing Coolest Vanity Plate Ever

A University of Michigan graduate has filed a lawsuit after his beloved vanity plate was assigned to another driver in our state.

Vanity Plate Handed Down From His Dad

Joseph Hardig III discovered that his personalized plate that read "GoBLUE" had been poached when he went to renew it at a Michigan Secretary of State branch. And Hardig had not let the plate expire; he attempted to renew it about a month before time had run out on the plate.

Hardig told the Detroit News via Sports Illustrated that he had inherited the plate from his father, who was also a big fan of the Wolverines.

"My dad’s passed away. I got it from him," he said. "It’s meaningful to me. We’re just huge fans and love the university."

Hardig, a suburban Detroit lawyer, has asked a judge to block the Michigan Secretary of State's office from reassigning the highly-coveted vanity plate.

The AP reports that Michigan has not yet been served with the lawsuit. A judge declined to grant a temporary restraining order Thursday (11/30) and says there's no threat of "irreparable injury" to Mr. Hardig.

Plate Assigned to Another U of M Grad

Jonathan Fine is the plate's new owner. Although he is a University of Michigan graduate, ironically he's not overly excited about the plate. He says he just happened to find it while he was looking through available plate numbers on the SOS website.

"I thought it was a mistake at first. ... I’m not actually that excited about the plate,” Fine told the newspaper. "I just had to take it. It’s more just because it was available."

Fine went on to say that he may be willing to part with the plate if he can find a suitable replacement.