Bio

A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Transportation Law Practice Group, Michael C. Dennis concentrates his practice on the defense of insurers, corporations, and individuals in a broad range of civil litigation matters, including first-party no-fault and third-party automobile negligence actions, insurance coverage disputes and subrogation claims.

A partner in the Bloomfield Hills office, Mr. Dennis also has extensive experience defending against personal injury, premises, dog bite, product and general liability cases throughout Michigan.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Dennis served as in-house counsel for a Fortune 1000 property and casualty insurance company.

Mr. Dennis received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2011. While there, he served as a judicial extern for the Hon. Judge Joseph A. Costello Jr., clerked for the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, and received awards for outstanding achievement in trial practice.

Representative Client Work

  • Advises insurance carriers regarding pre-lawsuit issues and coverage opinion requests
  • Obtained numerous dismissals of first-party no-fault and third-party cases based upon arguments of fraud/misrepresentation, priority, parked vehicle exclusion, lack of service and repeated violations of court orders
  • Successfully argued and obtained summary disposition on behalf of premises owners and subcontractors in premises liability/slip-and-fall through the application of the open and obvious danger doctrine, lack of notice rule and assumption of risk
  • Successfully authored and argued a motion for summary disposition in a catastrophic injury lawsuit, resulting in the dismissal of over $800,000 in claims for no-fault benefits alleged by the claimant and multiple medical providers through the introduction of evidence revealing the claimant’s constructive ownership of an uninsured vehicle involved in the accident

Professional Affiliations

  • State Bar of Michigan 

Credentials

Clerkships

  • Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office

Education

  • University of Toledo College of Law, J.D., 2011
  • Michigan State University, B.S., 2008

Admissions

  • Michigan, 2011

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ – Insurance Law, Personal Litigation - Defendants, 2021-2023
  • Highest Ranking Student: Trial Practice
  • Legal Education Opportunity Grant Recipient

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