Bio
A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Detroit office, Chelsea B. Gallagher Hughes maintains a wide ranging practice that includes the defense of litigation involving transportation, general civil and environmental liability.
Ms. Gallagher Hughes’ transportation law practice focuses on personal injury insurance litigation under the Michigan No-Fault Act and cases involving automobile negligence, bodily injury and uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits claims. She has the distinction of being approved panel counsel for some of the nation’s leading auto insurance providers through which she defends their policyholders.
Additional areas of Ms. Gallagher Hughes’ expertise include insurance coverage claims, premises liability litigation on behalf of national retailers, movie theaters and apartment complexes, as well as commercial liability disputes.
A former certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector, Ms. Gallagher Hughes has deep roots in the environmental industry. This experience includes stormwater control plan design and regulatory compliance, as well as extensive knowledge of the federal Illicit Discharge Elimination Program (IDEP), Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program and Superfund matters under the federal Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Representative Client Work
- Obtained summary judgment in matters involving insurance fraud where the insured intentionally misrepresented information to obtain benefits or to procure the policy of insurance
- Obtained summary judgment in no-fault matters involving priority disputes among insurance carriers, coverage and other matters involving the payment of personal protection insurance benefits under the statute
- Obtained summary judgment for clients on numerous issues, including premises liability, serious impairment of body function, negligence and no-fault claims
Professional Affiliations
- Irish Network Detroit
- Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals
- Women Lawyers Association of Michigan – Wayne
- State Bar of Michigan
Areas of Practice
Credentials
Education
- University of South Carolina Law School, magna cum laude, J.D., 2016
- Michigan State University, B.S., 2011
Admissions
- Michigan, 2016
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2016