Bio

Bruce, an experienced commercial litigator, represents clients of all sizes in trial and appellate courts throughout Michigan. Bruce’s practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation and construction law. He has litigated cases throughout Michigan’s state and federal court systems, and is also a court-approved mediator in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Michigan. He has appeared at one time or another before all of the current District Court Judges and Magistrates, and has a well-earned reputation among them resulting from his exemplary ethics and professionalism.

Examples of cases on which Bruce has served as lead or co-counsel, include:

In 2010, Bruce represented the plaintiffs in a multi-count fraud and shareholder oppression lawsuit in a four-week jury trial in Kent County Circuit Court which resulted in a verdict in favor of his clients for roughly $7.9 million – which is believed to be the highest verdict in the history of that Court; after the vast majority of the award was upheld on appeal, the case settled for $10 million in 2013.
In a U.S. District Court lawsuit, Bruce represented the architect who designed the remodeling of a paper mill in Otsego, Michigan who was sued when a 19 year-old worker fell through a manhole cover into a slurry pit and was killed. After being brought in to replace the national law firm that initially represented the architect, Bruce was able to file a motion for summary judgment after the close of discovery that resulted in a very favorable settlement for the architect. (The confidential settlement was for less than the architect had paid the Chicago law firm for handling the first three months of litigating the matter).
In a 2017 U.S. District Court lawsuit, Bruce successfully defended a Third-Party Administrator of self-funded insurance programs against an ERISA lawsuit claiming that the TPA had breached its duty to its insured by failing to pay a claim that Bruce’s client argued was excluded by the terms of the applicable Plan Documents. Not only did the Plaintiff agree to dismiss its federal lawsuit, but Bruce was able to obtain an award for the payment of attorney fees when the State Circuit Court judge to whom the case was originally assigned agreed with Bruce that the case was pre-empted and needed to go to the federal court. Once the case was in federal court, Bruce filed a Rule 11 notice that convinced the Plaintiff’s counsel to dismiss the case with prejudice and to pay more than $50,000 in attorney fees incurred in defending both the state and federal court lawsuits.

Bruce is also a court-approved mediator in the U.S. District Court, and was recently invited to act as one of the “pilot project” mediators on a project providing mediation services in prisoner’s rights cases.

In September 2018, Bruce received the State Bar of Michigan’s Roberts P. Hudson Award. According to the State Bar website, the award “is presented periodically to commend one or more lawyers for their unselfish rendering of outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan, the legal profession, and the public. It signifies unusual and extraordinary help and assistance to the Bar and the legal profession, which has been given generously, ungrudgingly, and in a spirit of self-sacrifice. It is awarded to that member of the State Bar of Michigan who best exemplifies that which brings honor, esteem, and respect to the legal profession [and] is considered the highest award conferred by the State Bar.” A former State Bar president, Bruce has been particularly invested in programs directed at better serving and protecting the public. He most recently co-chaired the State Bar’s “21st Century Task Force on the Practice of Law,” which developed more than 100 recommendations for how Michigan attorneys could better serve their profession and the public.

Bruce’s work is recognized by his peers, receiving a Martindale Hubbell^® AV Preeminent rating. He is also a fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America.

Bruce A. Courtade

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