Gretchen L. Olsen

Gretchen L. Olsen has been a partner at Plunkett Cooney since 1995 in the firm’s Petoskey office. She concentrates her practice in the areas of municipal liability and medical and legal malpractice, but also represents a wide range of clients in both state and federal courts in other litigation as well. In the municipal arena she represents clients directly and through insurance carriers in a broad range of claims including employment, civil rights, police liability, highway defect and zoning.

Representative Client Work

• Trial counsel for the Michigan Municipal Liability and Property Pool
• City Attorney for City of Petoskey
• Defended to jury verdict a closed head injury claim against a municipality involving their operation of a ski hill; no-cause received with a demand in excess of $1,000,000
• Defended a wrongful death claim in excess of $2,000,000 in federal court; no cause received after three-week trial
• Defended numerous excessive force/false arrest claims in federal court all of which resulted in no-cause verdicts
• Defended real estate company in a mold case involving four different claimants
• Defended several nursing homes in claims greater than $1,000,000

Professional Affiliations

• Emmet-Charlevoix County Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan (Litigation Section)
• American Bar Association (Litigation Section)
• Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (Past Board of Directors)
• Michigan State Bar Character and Fitness Committee (Former Member)

Community Involvement

• Northern Michigan Regional Health System, Board of Directors (Past Vice-chair and former member of the executive committee)
• Hospice of Little Traverse Bay, Board of Directors (Past President)
• First National Bank, Former Director
• Petoskey – Bay View Country Club, Board of Directors
• Zonta Club of Petoskey

Publications and Lectures

• Authored various publications in conjunction with numerous lectures and presentations on all aspects of municipal law including, but not limited to, the Freedom of Information Act; Open Meetings Act; Governmental Immunity including highway defect claims, public building claims, police chase issues; private and public nuisance issues including takings, trespass/nuisance issues; as well as various constitutional and civil rights issues. Has also lectured on various aspects of medical malpractice.