Bio
Claire D. Vergara is an attorney in Plunkett Cooney’s Transportation Law and Medical Litigation practice groups.
A member of the firm’s Detroit office, she focuses her litigation practice on the defense of first-party No-Fault and third-party motor vehicle negligence cases and trucking liability, as well as malpractice claims brought against health care providers.
Ms. Vergara serves as approved litigation counsel for some of the nation’s leading insurance providers. Her work in the areas of auto and trucking liability includes the defense of personal injury and wrongful death claims, as well as coverage disputes involving Michigan’s No-Fault law.
An experienced trial attorney, Ms. Vergara’s medical liability practice includes claims of alleged birth trauma, spinal cord injury, cardiac arrest, missed diagnoses, and long-term care. She has also prevailed at the pre- and post-trial stages of litigation, including successful mediations, arbitrations, settlements, and appeals.
Representative Client Work
- Represented a variety of clients, including medical providers such as hospitals, TBI facilities, surgical centers, anesthesia groups, case managers, rehabilitation clinics, transportation companies and catastrophically injured individuals, in first-party No-Fault and third-party motor vehicle negligence claims
- Obtained summary disposition on behalf of medical providers in No-Fault matters involving payment of personal protection insurance benefits under the No-Fault statute in order to obtain payment, interest and penalty attorney’s fees
- Served as second chair, tried to verdict two no-fault personal protection insurance benefit cases on behalf of medical providers
- Appealed and argued multiple applications for leave to appeal involving personal protection insurance benefits to the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court
- Served as trial counsel in several medical malpractice/wrongful death cases involving missed diagnoses and medication mismanagement, trying them to verdict
- Prior to joining the defense bar, successfully resolved numerous medical malpractice, wrongful death, and premises liability cases in six- and seven- figure recoveries through mediation, arbitration, appeal and trial
- Handled class action and mass tort litigation as panel counsel in the Flint Water cases
Professional Affiliations
- Detroit Bar Association
- Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Executive Board, President, 2024 - 2025; Executive Board, Secretary, 2023 - 2024)
- State Bar of Michigan
Areas of Practice
Credentials
Education
- Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, J.D., 2012
- University of Michigan, B.A., 2009
Admissions
- Michigan, 2013
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2014
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2015
Honors/Awards
Honors & Recognitions
- Lawyers of Color's DEI Hot List, 2023
- Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star in Personal Injury General Defense, Michigan Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, 2018 - 2020, 2022-2023
- The National Trial Lawyers “Top 40 Lawyer Under 40”