A worker was injured when a portable room partition fell on her in 2009 at Cranbrook Academy of Art. The partition had been installed as part of a 2002 building project. The court ruled that even though the partitions were movable and not permanently bolted down, they still count as permanent improvements to the building under Michigan law. This triggered a six-year deadline for filing lawsuits, and since the injury happened seven years after construction finished, the case was dismissed.
Movable equipment and partitions installed during construction can be treated as permanent building improvements, even if they're not physically attached. This affects your liability window.