Bio

The managing partner of the firm's Flint, Michigan office, Audrey J. Forbush serves as a member of Plunkett Cooney's Board of Directors and as Co-Leader of the Governmental Law Practice Group. She also has the distinction of serving as the firm's Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. 

Ms. Forbush focuses her trial practice primarily in the area of municipal liability with particular expertise in police liability issues, such as search and seizure, use of force, pursuits, wrongful conviction/false imprisonment claims, strip search class actions, Department of Justice investigations and correctional law; civil rights; whistleblower; labor and employment (discipline, wrongful discharge and contract related issues), sewer back ups, zoning and personal injury. She also advises public and private universities with respect to Title IX claims of alleged sexual assaults on campus and school districts regarding Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigations.

In addition to her municipal and employment law practices, Ms. Forbush has extensive experience in the area of professional liability, particularly with respect to the defense of physicians and hospitals in medical liability cases.

Ms. Forbush is a member of the Michigan Bar Association, the Genesee County Bar Association and serves on the Board of the Governmental Law Section of the Michigan State Bar. Since 2005, she has served as legal adviser to the Michigan Municipal League’s Law Enforcement Action Forum, an organization consisting of select law enforcement executives throughout the state of Michigan that addresses trending issues in law enforcement and drafts model policies. Ms. Forbush also routinely provides legal updates to the Law Enforcement Officers Regional Training Commission.

Representative Client Work

  • Obtained summary judgment in federal court for officers involved in fatal shooting based on qualified immunity 
  • Successfully defended police officers at trial in a false arrest/excessive force matter where the plaintiff sought over $4 million in compensatory and punitive damages
  • Successfully defended a municipality at trial in a police pursuit case wherein two pedestrians were struck and killed by the fleeing felons
  • Successfully represented municipal officials in federal court with regard to civil rights claims brought as a result of an alleged wrongful termination. Summary judgment was granted on all charges.
  • Represented hospital on a medical malpractice wrongful death claim arising out of care and treatment of a diabetic patient. No cause jury verdict.
  • Represented police officers in state and federal court who were accused of multiple civil rights violations and state law claims related to an arrest of a minor. Motions for summary judgment and summary disposition were granted in both venues.
  • Represented municipality and police officials who were sued for violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act and sexual harassment. After extensive discovery, a motion for summary disposition was granted.

Professional Memberships

  • Genesee County Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan (Governmental Law Section, Chair, 2023 - 2024; Board of Directors, Vice President, 2022 - 2023; Treasurer, 2021 - 2022)
  • Law Enforcement Action Forum (LEAF)
  • Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Litigation Counsel of America (Fellow)
  • DRI (Professional / Code of Ethics Committee; Governmental Liability Committee)

Publications and Lectures

  • "From Hook Up to Lock Up - Law Enforcement Liability Issues," Presenter, 24th Annual Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys/State Bar of Michigan Governmental Law Section Summer Educational Conference, June 21, 2024
  • "Legal Update" Seminar, Presenter, Downriver Law Enforcement Agencies, February 2024
  •  "1st Amendment Auditors," Presenter, MAMA conference, September 2023
  • “Harassment U” - We Major in Violating Employment Law Best Practices, Panelist, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Seminar, Detroit Marriott Troy, Nov. 17, 2023
  • "Legal Update - Search & Seizure 2023" Seminar, Presenter, LEAF and Michigan Municipal League Presentation, Romulus Senior Center, May 18, 2023
  • “SCARE-tober: Urban Legends or Realities of the Workplace?,” Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Seminar, Detroit Marriott Troy, Oct. 27, 2022
  • "Fourth Amendment Legal Update" Seminar, Presenter, LEAF Presentation, September 2022
  • "This Will Cost You!" Seminar, Presenter, MACP Winter Conference, February 2022
  • "Legal Update" Seminar, Presenter, MACP, June 2021
  • "Guns in the Workplace" Seminar, Presenter, Michigan Public Risk Management Association, November 2019
  • "Do it Right the First Time - Handle Harassment Discrimination Complaints" Seminar, Presenter, LEAF, September 2019
  • "Legal Update" Seminar, Presenter, Genesee County Sheriff's Department, September 2019
  • "NextGen Medical Liability - Strategies, Tactics & Technology in the Millennial Age," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Medical Litigation Practice Group Seminar, Detroit Athletic Club, May 31, 2019
  • "Walking the Line - Understanding 4th Amendment Limits & Protections for Searches by Law Enforcement," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Webinar, May 23, 2019
  • "Correctional Law Update" Seminar, Presenter, LEORTC, October 2018
  • "Ripped From the Headlines," Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Webinar, Oct. 11, 2018
  • "Law Enforcement Civil Liability Management Rights" Seminar, Presenter, LEORTC, June 8, 2018
  • "Things That go Bump in the Workplace," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Seminar, Detroit Athletic Club, Oct. 27, 2017
  • "Police Internal Review Boards and Citizen Oversight," Presenter, MAMA/PCLS Summer Conference, June 2017
  • "Guns in the Workplace," Co-presenter, MML Summer Conference, June 2017
  • "Correctional Law Update," Presenter, Genesee County Sheriff Department, May 2017
  • "Law Enforcement Civil Liability Management," Presenter, LEORTC, April 2017 and August 2016
  • "Department of Justice's Focus on Police Treatment of Mentally Ill," Co-presenter, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police Winter Conference, February 2017
  • "Emergency Vehicle Liability," Panelist, MML Convention, March 2016
  • "Police Body Cameras," Presenter, MML Fall Convention, September 2016
  • "Correctional Law Update," Presenter, LEORTC, August 2016
  • "Sexual Harassment: What is it? How to Prevent it, Co-Presenter, City of Woodhaven, September 2015
  • "Issues About Police Recording," Co-Presenter, Law Enforcement Officers' Regional Training Consortium, August 2015
  • "Hot Topic: Police Body Cameras," Presenter, Michigan Municipal League Conference, August 2015
  • "What to do When you Hear the Whistle," Presenter, Michigan Local Government Management Association Summer Workshop, July 2015
  • "Whistleblower and Retaliation Claims," Presenter, Michigan Municipal League Employment Law Seminar, Spring 2015
  • "Whistleblower and Retaliation Claims," Presenter, Michigan Local Government Management Association Conference, July 2015
  • "Normalization of Deviance in the Workplace – Enforcing policies and procedures/implementing discipline," Presenter, Thumb Area Managers (Thumb Nuts) Conference, June 2015
  • "CLUELESS – The Cost & Consequence of Untrained Management," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Practice Group Seminar, Troy Marriott Hotel, May 21, 2015
  • "They are Killing Themselves out There," Co-Presenter, MACP Mid-Winter Vehicle Ops Conference, February 2015
  • “Correctional Law Update,” Presenter, Law Enforcement Officers' Regional Training Consortium, January 2015
  • "Wrongful Prosecution," Presenter, NLC-RISC, October 2014
  • “Correctional Law Update,” Presenter, Law Enforcement Officers' Regional Training Consortium, October 2014
  • "Fourth Amendment v Michigan State Law Evaluation of Use of Force," Presenter, Law Enforcement Action Forum, January 2013
  • "How to Prevent Retaliation Claims," Presenter, Michigan Municipal League Employment Law Seminar, January 2013
  • “Correctional Law Legal Update and Excited Delirium,” Presenter, Charlevoix County, October 2012
  • “Use of Force – State Law (Odom) v. Constitutional Claims (Graham) and the Importance of the Different Standards,” Featured Speaker, Michigan Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference, Traverse City, October 2012
  • “Admissions and Confessions and Constitutional Law,” Instructor, LEORTC Police Academy, Genesee County, September 2012
  • “Michigan’s New Fireworks Law and Issues Relevant to Law Enforcement,” Presenter, MACP Conference, Boyne Highlands, June 2012
  • “Correctional Law Update,” Presenter, Ludington, May 2012
  • “Analysis & Opinion,” Presenter, Annual Saginaw County Manager’s meeting, April 2012 
  • “Police Issues Facing Detroit,” Panel Member, Foreign Study FIANNA Group, April 2012
  • “Correctional Law Update,” Presenter, Muskegon, April 2012
  • “Correctional Law Legal Update,” Presenter, Muskegon, March 2012
  • Michigan Association of Chief’s of Police Winter Conference, Featured Speaker, February 2012
  • “Correctional Law Update,” Presenter, Genesee County, February 2012
  • Excited Delirium Seminar, Presenter, LEORTC, January 2012
  • “Correctional Law Legal Update,” Presenter, Saginaw County, December 2012
  • "Sexual Harassment, Lies and Social Media Mock Trial," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group's Seminar, Troy Marriott Hotel, Nov. 10, 2011
  • LEAF Newsletter, Co-Author, quarterly publication on training issues in law enforcement

Credentials

Education

  • Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, magna cum laude, J.D., 1988
  • Central Michigan University, B.S., 1984

Admissions

  • Michigan, 1988
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1988

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating-AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
  • Best Lawyers in America® for Municipal, Labor and Employment Litigation, 2025
  • Michigan Super Lawyer, Top 50 Women Attorneys in Michigan, 2022
  • Michigan Super Lawyer in State/Local/Municipal, Michigan Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, 2010 - 2011, 2013 - 2023
  • Leading Lawyer in Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Law, Leading Lawyers Magazine Michigan, 2015 - Present
  • Leaders in the Law Honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2023
  • Women in the Law honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2012
  • Leading Michigan Women Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, 2021

Insights

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Press Releases