Loretta M. Ames

Partner

Licensed Since: 1979
Joined Firm: 1981
Partner Since: 1986

Buhl Building
535 Griswold St., Suite 2400
Detroit, MI 48226

TEL: (313) 983-4842
FAX: (313) 983-4350

lames@plunkettcooney.com

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Areas of Practice

Honors & Awards

Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating-AV. AV is a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies
Michigan Super Lawyer in Personal Injury Defense: General, Michigan Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, 2007 - 2011

Education

Detroit College of Law, J.D., 1979
Michigan State University, Honors College, B.A., 1975

Bar & Court Admissions

Michigan, 1979
U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1979
United States Supreme Court, 1985

Loretta M. Ames is a partner in the firm’s Detroit office who focuses her practice in the areas of complex litigation, asbestos litigation, toxic tort litigation, product liability, premises liability and motor vehicle negligence.

Ms. Ames has handled a large volume of asbestos cases in the past 15 years, representing various suppliers and manufacturers of asbestos-containing products, as well as general contractors. She has also defended a number of toxic exposure cases, primarily involving solvents and cleaning materials, which allegedly caused neurological and CNS disorders.

Additionally, Ms. Ames specializes in complex litigation. She has handled cases with significant financial exposure, as well as mass torts. She has defended manufacturers and distributors of automobiles, trucks, construction equipment, power tools, machinery, presses and consumer products.

Representative Client Work

Successfully defended manufacturers of excavators, forklifts, railroad locomotives, automobiles and presses in design defect and breach of warranty cases
Represented the successor to a manufacturer of asbestos-containing thermal insulation products in 21 counties around state following a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court that the state had personal jurisdiction over the defendant
Successfully defended a national retailer in all manner of litigation, including claims related to premises liability, product liability, flammable fabrics, negligent hiring and ethnic discrimination
Successfully defended a municipal transportation system against a claim of discrimination under the Michigan Persons With Disabilities Act.

Professional Memberships

Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
State Bar of Michigan (Negligence Law Section)
Michigan Defense Trial Counsel
American Board of Trial Advocates (Director, Michigan Chapter)
Association of Defense Trial Counsel (President, 2006-2007)
American Bar Association (Negligence Law and Litigation sections)
Defense Research Institute

Community Involvement

Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
Executive Women’s Golf Association

Publications and Lectures

"Sick Building Seminar – Mold and Other Issues," MSU Management Center, Oct. 18, 2001
"Eliminating Liability for Bar and Restaurant Owners," Detroit, Michigan, July, 11, 2000
"Winning the War Against Junk Science: An Analysis of Post-Daubert Decisions in One Group of Chemical Exposure Cases," Risk and Insurance Management Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, April 28, 1998
"Tales of Tort Reform," Troy, Michigan, March 15, 1996