Michael C. Lewis

Mike Lewis earned his law license in 1998. Since becoming licensed, Mike has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in all varieties of civil litigation.

Examples of his experience in business matters include:

Representing a management level employee in a multi-million-dollar employment arbitration against a private equity owned health care group; the arbitration resulted in the largest reported arbitration award in the State of Michigan in 2025, over $6,000,000.00;

Representing a landlord in a multi-million-dollar claim brought by a national restaurant group in connection with a failed restaurant development in 2020; the case involved significant motion practice and pretrial discovery centering around mitigation of damages and alleged lost profits;

Representing a local property management firm in a significant claim against a private equity owned auto supplier related to the termination of a 15-year agreement to manage a large commercial office building in Wayne County in 2021.

In addition to these types of business matters, Mike has handled matters involving non-competition/non-solicitation agreements, commercial leases, and claims brought under commercial statutes like the Michigan Franchise Investment Law, the Michigan Sales Representative Commission Act, and the Michigan Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

Mike has also handled all kinds of general liability/negligence claims including:

Representing an estate in a multi-million-dollar wrongful death claim arising from a loading accident in an out of state steel tube mill, which killed a 30-year-old husband and father of four in 2015;

Representing a national trucking company in a multi-million-dollar negligence claim arising from a multi-party accident in rural Michigan in 2010; defense of this case involved complex non-party fault issues, interpretation and application of numerous federal motor carrier safety regulations, and extensive expert witness collaboration and preparation;

Representing an estate in a breach of contract claim against a national life insurance company following the denial of a death benefit claim in 2021; this case turned on discovery of the insurance company’s underwriting policies and procedures, depositions of its underwriters and investigators, and extensive research and briefing on the proper interpretation of the policy application term “mental or nervous disorder.”

In addition to these types of general liability matters, Mike has handled specialized personal injury claims including medical negligence and claims arising under the Michigan No-Fault Act and the Michigan Wrongful Death Act.

Mike has also developed a specialty in police excessive force/civil rights cases.

Examples of his experience in this area include:

Representing an estate in a multi-million-dollar case related to the shooting death of a seven-year-old child in 2010;

Representing several county sheriffs and a county municipality in a multi-million-dollar claim related to a shooting which occurred in response to a domestic violence call in 2007; this case was litigated for approximately seven years and, with the exception of the United States Supreme Court, pended in every state and federal court of competent jurisdiction, five different courts in total.

Representing a police officer and a local municipality in a claim related to a shooting in the lobby of a police station in 2022. This case is reported at 709 F. Supp. 3d398 (2023), and 120 F. 4th 520 (2024).

Mike and Gary have been friends for more than twenty-five years and they have worked closely on many matters including particularly the enormous litigation surrounding the failed Wayne County Consolidated Jail Project. Mike and Gary believe in the Danish proverb “A man’s character reaches town before his person.” They make it a priority in their practices to promote collegiality and civility, which not only makes their jobs easier, but more importantly saves their clients time and money.

Mike’s interests include literature, the arts, economics, politics, and sports. He leads a busy life with his incomparable wife Kristi and their two beautiful kids, John and Clare.