For over 36 years, Christopher K. Cooke has expertly represented clients in a wide range of insurance defense matters including property, fire and casualty, premises liability, general liability, product liability, municipal, arson, fraud, and business law. Mr. Cooke has experience trying over 100 jury trials to verdict involving civil and criminal matters. He also provides counsels to clients in matters involving municipal law, regulatory issues, contract formation, intellectual property, business formation, estate planning, and domestic issues.

Mr. Cooke serves as outside counsel for a number of municipalities who regularly consult with him on employment-related matters involving Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), hostile workplace, employee discipline and termination, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Equal Pay Act, Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, Title VII issues and recently the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Cooke successfully managed his own practice. During this time, he litigated contested cases in insurance defense matters, including arson, fraud, PIP, no-fault, general liability, municipal defense, and general business. Additionally, he developed a business law practice, specializing in employment law.

Mr. Cooke is an active member of Secrest Wardle’s Insurance Coverage, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Cooke also belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Grand Traverse-Leelanau Antrim Bar Association.

For over 36 years, Christopher K. Cooke has expertly represented clients in a wide range of insurance defense matters including property, fire and casualty, premises liability, general liability, product liability, municipal, arson, fraud, and business law. Mr. Cooke has experience trying over 100 jury trials to verdict involving civil and criminal matters. He also provides counsel to clients in matters involving municipal law, regulatory issues, contract formation, intellectual property, business formation, estate planning, and domestic issues.

Mr. Cooke began his civil law career practicing with one of the foremost property insurance defense firms in Michigan where he conducted numerous arson and fraud investigations for insurance companies and brought many of those cases to trial. After gaining experience in the insurance defense arena, he served as house counsel for a national insurance company where he established the first arson, fraud and subrogation litigation defense unit for the company in the country. During this time, he also co-authored their Property Claims Investigation Manual and conducted training seminars for house counsel and adjusters in Michigan and nationally for their parent company. As house counsel, Mr. Cooke handled first-party coverage issues from investigation to trial. He has successfully tried numerous arson and fraud claims to verdict throughout the state. Noteworthy was his investigation of an arson ring in the Detroit area where the same players were moving from insurer to insurer, buying homes in transitional areas which would then experience partial or total fire losses. The claimants would then retain the same construction company to undertake the repair. The investigation and defense of the claims led to the federal government getting involved and ultimately resulting in prison time for some of the lead players.

Mr. Cooke has also been involved in a number of coverage issues, other than arson and fraud and has consulted closely with insurers on matters related to all risk and named perils policies.

From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Cooke successfully managed his own practice. During this time, he litigated contested cases in insurance defense matters, including arson, fraud, PIP, no-fault, general liability, municipal defense, and general business. Additionally, he developed a business law practice, specializing in employment law.

Mr. Cooke is an active member of Secrest Wardle’s Insurance Coverage, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Cooke also belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Grand Traverse-Leelanau Antrim Bar Association.

For over 36 years, Christopher K. Cooke has expertly represented clients in a wide range of insurance defense matters including property, fire and casualty, premises liability, general liability, product liability, municipal, arson, fraud, and business law. Mr. Cooke has experience trying over 100 jury trials to verdict involving civil and criminal matters. He also provides counsel to clients in matters involving municipal law, regulatory issues, contract formation, intellectual property, business formation, estate planning, and domestic issues.

Mr. Cooke has prosecuted and defended third-party motor vehicle litigation cases to verdict. From “dart out” accidents to automobile “chain collisions,” he has successfully represented insureds in courts throughout the State of Michigan.  Mr. Cooke has also investigated and defended first-party claims based on causation, claimed degree of injury, and fraud.

From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Cooke successfully managed his own practice. During this time, he litigated contested cases in insurance defense matters, including arson, fraud, PIP, no-fault, general liability, municipal defense, and general business. Additionally, he developed a business law practice, specializing in employment law.

Mr. Cooke is an active member of Secrest Wardle’s Insurance Coverage, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Cooke also belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Grand Traverse-Leelanau Antrim Bar Association.

For over 36 years, Christopher K. Cooke has expertly represented clients in a wide range of insurance defense matters including property, fire and casualty, premises liability, general liability, product liability, municipal, arson, fraud, and business law. Mr. Cooke has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict involving civil and criminal matters. He also provides counsel to clients in matters involving municipal law, regulatory issues, contract formation, intellectual property, business formation, estate planning, and domestic issues.

Mr. Cooke has defended a wide variety of premises liability matters for insurance and municipal clients. Prior to the advent of the open and obvious defense, Mr. Cooke handled all Kmart premises liability claims in northern Michigan. Mr. Cooke tried a number of claims to verdict involving complaints by shoppers of slipping and falling on accumulations of water, ice, fallen food, defective carpeting, improper maintenance, and defectively designed staircases. Much of this work has now been subsumed by the holding of Lugo v Ameritech, 464 Mich 12 (2001); however, every year creative plaintiffs find inroads into this holding that require a deep understanding of the history of the law and defense.

From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Cooke successfully managed his own practice. During this time, he litigated contested cases in insurance defense matters, including arson, fraud, PIP, no-fault, general liability, municipal defense, and general business. Additionally, he developed a business law practice, specializing in employment law.

Mr. Cooke is an active member of Secrest Wardle’s Insurance Coverage, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Cooke also belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Grand Traverse-Leelanau Antrim Bar Association.

For over 36 years, Christopher K. Cooke has expertly represented clients in a wide range of insurance defense matters including property, fire and casualty, premises liability, general liability, product liability, municipal, arson, fraud, and business law. Mr. Cooke has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict involving civil and criminal matters. As a trial attorney, he has defended and prosecuted product liability cases to verdict throughout the State of Michigan. He also provides counsel to clients in matters involving municipal law, regulatory issues, contract formation, intellectual property, business formation, estate planning, and domestic issues. Additionally, Mr. Cooke has presented training seminars to adjusters, attorneys, and fire and explosion experts on product liability issues, documenting the case, preserving evidence, spoliation of evidence, deposition and trial testimony, and related issues.

From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Cooke successfully managed his own practice. During this time, he litigated contested cases in insurance defense matters, including arson, fraud, PIP, no-fault, general liability, municipal defense, and general business. Additionally, he developed a business law practice, specializing in employment law.

Notable examples of Mr. Cooke’s extensive product liability experience include:

• A $1 million dollar plus verdict in a matter involving a natural gas explosion that destroyed a furniture retail store and took down a city block in Mancelona, MI.

• A $500,000 verdict against a radio manufacturing company whose clock radio ignited a house fire.

• The investigation and prosecution of a carbon arrow manufacturer whose quality assurance process was found to be negligent, proximately causing a batch of defective carbon arrows to be manufactured and sold leading to an arrow fragmenting upon release and driving parts of the arrow through the hand of the archer.

• The investigation of a commercial building fire that destroyed a number of commercial vehicles and the building. The fire originated from the defective design of a battery cable system in a truck that allowed the cable to arc against the frame and, over time, led to an ignition in the engine compartment of the truck several hours after the truck had been parked in the building. The jury returned with a verdict in excess of $1 million after deliberating for less than 10 minutes.

• The successful defense of a negligent design and installation claim against a woodburning stove installer who was alleged to have installed the stove too close to overhead framing members without using an appropriate heat barrier. The case was tried before a jury over the span of seven weeks in Benzie County. The jury returned with a no cause for action after several hours of deliberation.

•  The successful defense of the Laprino Cheese Factory fire in Grandville, MI that took the roof off a new commercial building resulting in damages in excess of $3 million. Mr. Cooke defended the installers who were alleged to be negligent in either leaving heat guns and a compressor running during a 10-minute break or bringing defective equipment to the scene of the job causing the fire. The case was tried over seven days to a jury in Kent County who returned with a no cause for action in less than two hours.

• The successful defense of a national manufacturer of a step stool who was sued under defective design theory after the stool collapsed causing a serious injury to an elderly lady. The defense included fracture testing of the stool and forensic examination of the remains to determine that the stool did not fracture and cause the plaintiff’s fall but rather, the plaintiff lost her balance and fell on the side of the stool leading to its post-fall condition.

Mr. Cooke is an active member of Secrest Wardle’s Insurance Coverage, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Cooke also belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association.

For over 36 years, Christopher K. Cooke has expertly represented clients in a wide range of insurance defense matters including property, fire and casualty, premises liability, general liability, product liability, municipal, arson, fraud, and business law. Mr. Cooke has experience trying over 100 jury trials to verdict involving civil and criminal matters. He also provides counsel to clients in matters involving municipal law, regulatory issues, contract formation, intellectual property, business formation, estate planning, and domestic issues.

Mr. Cooke has handled subrogation matters for a number of insurance companies over the last 30 years, including setting up the first in-house national subrogation department for a national insurer. He began his career practicing with one of the foremost property insurance defense firms in Michigan where he conducted numerous arson and fraud investigations for insurance companies and brought many of those cases to trial. After gaining experience in the insurance defense arena, Mr. Cooke served as house counsel for an insurance company where he established the first arson, fraud and subrogation litigation defense unit for the company in the country. During this time, he also co-authored their Property Claims Investigation Manual and conducted training seminars for house counsel and adjusters in Michigan and nationally for their parent company. Since then, Mr. Cooke has continued to expand his knowledge and expertise in the area of property, fire, and casualty litigation.

Examples of cases that highlight Mr. Cooke’s exceptional property, fire and casualty experience include:

• $1 million+ verdict in a matter involving a natural gas explosion that destroyed a furniture retail store and took down a city block in Mancelona, MI.

• $500,000 verdict against a radio manufacturing company whose clock radio ignited a house fire.

• The investigation of a commercial building fire that destroyed a number of commercial vehicles and the building. The fire originated from the defective design of a battery cable system in a truck that allowed the cable to arc against the frame and, over time, led to an ignition in the engine compartment of the truck several hours after the truck had been parked in the building. The jury returned with a verdict in excess of $1 million after deliberating for less than 10 minutes.

• The successful defense of a negligent design and installation claim against a woodburning stove installer who was alleged to have installed the stove too close to overhead framing members without using an appropriate heat barrier. The case was tried before a jury over the span of seven weeks in Benzie County.  The jury returned with a no cause for action after several hours of deliberation.

• The successful defense of the Laprino Cheese Factory fire in Grandville, MI that took the roof off a new commercial building resulting in damages in excess of $3 million. Mr. Cooke defended the installers who were alleged to be negligent in either leaving heat guns and a compressor running during a 10-minute break or bringing defective equipment to the scene of the job causing the fire. The case was tried over seven days to a jury in Kent County who returned with a no cause for action in less than two hours.

From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Cooke successfully managed his own practice. During this time, he litigated contested cases in insurance defense matters, including arson, fraud, PIP, no-fault, general liability, municipal defense, and general business. Additionally, he developed a business law practice, specializing in employment law.

Mr. Cooke is an active member of Secrest Wardle’s Insurance Coverage, Employment, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Cooke also belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Grand Traverse-Leelanau Antrim Bar Association.