Michigan

Cases

• Defeated class certification in a bellwether case alleging false advertising of innovative self-cleaning ovens. The plaintiffs sought certification of a six-state class in the lead case and filed related actions for consumers in many other states. The court's certification ruling paved the way for a non-class settlement and dismissal of all actions less than a month before the first trial.
• Won a defense verdict in a three-week trial for a Michigan hospital following an in-hospital cardiac arrest and alleged brain injury. The plaintiff sought more than $14 million in damages in plaintiff-friendly downtown Detroit. The jury found for WTO's client after deliberating for less than 20 minutes.
• Won summary judgment for a major manufacturing and engineering corporation against a multimillion-dollar indemnification claim. The litigation involved winning a motion to dismiss a parallel Michigan action and winning summary judgment that was affirmed by the First Department of the New York Appellate Division.
• Won dismissal of no-airbag claim on federal preemption grounds in the Michigan Court of Appeals.