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Katy focuses her practice on employment litigation, commercial litigation and appellate practice, including discrimination, harassment and whistleblower/retaliation claims, class actions, non-compete/non-solicitation matters, defamation claims, contract disputes, fraud claims, and business tort claims. She is also an experienced advisor to employers regarding employment issues that arise outside of the litigation context.
Education & Credentials
Education
University of Michigan
B.G.S., 1990University of Michigan Law School
J.D., 1995Bar Admission
Acknowledgements
- DBusiness Magazine
- "Top Lawyers," Labor and Employment Law, 2016, 2019-2023
- Benchmark Litigation
- "Local Labor & Employment Star," 2021-2024
- Michigan Super Lawyers®
- Employment Litigation, 2008-2024
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Employment Law, Labor and Employment Litigation, 2009-2025
- The Legal 500 United States
- Labor and Employment Disputes - Defense, 2023-2024
- Dispute Resolution - General Commercial Disputes, 2023
- "Recommended Lawyer," 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
- Michigan Lawyers Weekly
- "Women in the Law," Honoree, 2018
Representative Clients
- AT&T Inc.
- CARite, Inc.
- DuPont
- JPMorgan Chase
- Michigan House of Representative
Prominent Assignments
Employment Discrimination/Harassment/Retaliation/Whistleblower Claims
- Extensive trial and arbitration experience.
- Represented clients in single and multi-plaintiff actions alleging violations of federal and state civil rights laws, at both the trial court and appellate level.
- Represented multiple public sector clients in high-profile whistleblower claims that garnered state and national media attention.
- Successful defense of public institution on 14th Amendment and 1981 claims involving rights of privacy (obtained Sixth Circuit opinion, on issue of first impression, affirming summary judgment).
- Successful defense of multiple attempted class actions (each resulting in denial of class certification).
- MDCR and EEOC claim defense, including position statements, mediation and conciliation.
- Extensive experience regarding joint-employer obligations and liabilities.
Employment Counseling and Litigation Prevention on issues including:
- Experience in conducting harassment/discrimination investigations;
- Document/personnel file retention and production issues;
- FMLA;
- Discipline and termination issues;
- ADA/ disability accommodation obligations;
- Email and internet policies and privacy rights;
- Pre-employment and employee drug testing; and
- Enforceability of arbitration clauses in employment agreements.
Commercial Litigation
- Extensive trial and arbitration experience.
- Successfully obtained a no cause of action in a jury trial where damages alleged were one billion dollars.
- Successfully obtained a no cause of action in a trial where plaintiffs were asking for equitable relief that could have altered all Michigan public utilities’ obligations to property owners statewide.
- Successfully obtained a no cause of action in a multi-plaintiff contractual dispute seeking damages in excess of 4 million dollars.
Defamation Claims:
- Represented numerous clients in prosecuting and defending defamation claims.
- Obtained numerous retractions of defamatory statements prior to commencement of litigation, including an internationally disseminated retraction from Reuters.
- Experience in prosecuting "John Doe" actions, where defamatory material is posted anonymously on internet chat room sites.
Professional Involvement
- Michigan Bar Association Foundation, Fellow, 2023
- Michigan Bar Association, Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections
- Federal Bar Association
- Fellow, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
- Trial Skills presenter for Federal Bar Association, 2015
- Inns of Court (2012-2014)
Community Involvement
- VIP Mentoring, Trustee (2003-2016)
- Franklin Community Preschool, Board Member (1999-2000)
- University of Michigan Student Funded Fellowship, Board Member (1994-95)
Publications/Presentations
- Co-Author, "U.S. Supreme Court Splits the Baby as It Stays the Private Employer Vaccine or Test Mandate but Keeps the Healthcare Vaccine Mandate in Place," Dickinson Wright Industry Alert, January 2022
- Co-Author, "Private Employer Vaccine Mandate Moves Forward as Sixth Circuit Dissolves Fifth Circuit's OSHA ETS Stay," Dickinson Wright Industry Alert, December 2021
- Co-Author, "The Private Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate is Here: What Employers Need to Know," Dickinson Wright Industry Alert, November 2021
- Co-Author, “Employers: Are You Following Michigan’s New Mandatory Employee Safety Requirements?” Dickinson Wright Client Alert, April 2020
- Employment Litigation in Michigan, Second Edition (ICLE), Chapter Author, "Discrimination Claims"
- Michigan Business Torts (ICLE), Contributing Chapter Author, "Defamation"
- Employment Litigation in Michigan, First Edition (ICLE), Chapter Author, "Title VII and Related ELCRA Claims"
- Bloomberg/BNA Workplace Harassment Treatise - 2d Ed., Contributing Chapter Author, “Constructive Discharge”
- Whistleblowing, Reporting and Retaliation, Michigan Chamber Services Webinar, 2013\
- Inside the Minds -- Employment Discrimination Lawsuits, Chapter Author, "Effective Employer Strategies in Employment Discrimination Litigation", Aspatore Books, 2008
- Employment Discrimination Law, Fourth Edition (ABA), Contributing Chapter Author, "Unions"
- Labor and Employment Lawnotes, Volume 17.N.2 "The New Wave in Employment Litigation: Family Responsibilities Discrimination".
- Multiple speaking engagements for ICLE and the Michigan Bar Association Labor and Employment Section