Bio
Nicole C. Ruggirello is a partner in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office who practices primarily in the area of insurance coverage law.
Ms. Ruggirello represents several major property and casualty insurance companies in coverage matters nationwide, including complex coverage litigation and pre-litigation consulting and counseling. Her coverage work includes the handling a variety of issues such as environmental contamination, construction defect, bad faith, personal and advertising injury, claims made coverage and high-exposure product liability claims.
In addition to her admission in numerous federal courts, Ms. Ruggirello is admitted to practice in the state courts of Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. She is a member of the state bars of Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. Ms. Ruggirello is also a member of the DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar.
Representative Client Work
- Represented insurers in various declaratory judgment actions involving bodily injury and property damage claims in numerous states, including California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin
- Defended insurer in coverage litigation involving over 1,000 underlying asbestos claims and assisted in defeating a dispositive motion on duty to defend
- Prevailed in obtaining dismissal of a coverage case on the basis of the no-direct action rule
- Assisted in securing a favorable judgment in an environmental contamination coverage case involving alleged damages exceeding $20 million
- Counseled insurer in settlement negotiations involving environmental contamination at sites located throughout the nation
- Provided coverage opinions and recommendations to insurers on a range of topics, including coverage for property damage, bodily injury, personal and advertising injury, claims involving pollution, defective products, automobile injuries and collisions, premises liability claims, asbestos claims and construction defect claims
Professional Affiliations
- State Bar of Michigan
- Illinois State Bar
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- DRI (Insurance Law Committee)
Community Involvement
- Madonna University, Board of Paralegals
Areas of Practice
Credentials
Clerkships
- Law Clerk, Michigan Court of Appeals, Judge Michael J. Riordan
Education
- Notre Dame Law School, magna cum laude, J.D., 2011
- University of Notre Dame, magna cum laude, B.A., 2008
Admissions
- Michigan, 2011
- Illinois, 2017
- Wisconsin, 2019
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, 2015
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2016
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2017
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2018
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, 2018
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2022
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2022
Honors/Awards
Honors & Recognitions
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ – Insurance Law, 2023 - 2024
- Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in Insurance Coverage, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2020 - 2021
- “Up & Coming Lawyers” honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2019
- Notre Dame Law School Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Articles Editor
- Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society)
- Alpha Kappa Delta (Sociology Honor Society)