Biography

Michael R. Reed focuses his practice in business litigation. He has extensive experience in Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fiduciary class actions and ERISA benefit cases. Mike successfully obtained the dismissal of a complaint seeking in excess of $1.2 million filed on behalf of 35 ERISA plan participants and beneficiaries alleging wrongful denial of benefits. He also obtained a summary judgment ruling on a complaint filed on behalf of a class of more than 5,000 ERISA pension plan participants and beneficiaries seeking in excess of $250 million. That decision was affirmed on appeal to the Sixth Circuit. Mike has been the lead trial lawyer in numerous ERISA cases and other jury and bench trials and has successfully arbitrated and/or mediated major settlements.

Recently, Mike obtained a summary judgment ruling on liability issues in a case involving design and construction defects at a client’s major manufacturing facility. Mike also obtained a dismissal of a will contest action in which the plaintiff sought recovery of one-half of a large agricultural business.

Mike is well versed in handling business litigation cases involving breach of contract, commercial leases, employment/non-competition agreements, intellectual property disputes, advertising space leases, commercial real estate transactions, securitizations of subprime loans, breach of fiduciary duties, professional fee claims, and will contests.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mike worked for several years in management for a major, consumer products manufacturing company.

Education