Jack Weston has been a litigation/trial attorney for over 30 years. As one who has always endeavored to practice law fairly and ethically, Mr. Weston has expanded his personal practice to include serving as an independent mediator/facilitator to assist other parties in reaching an amicable resolution of their cases. Jack has facilitated cases involving trucking litigation, construction litigation, first and third-party motor vehicle litigation, and premises liability litigation for both large and small plaintiff and defense firms.

Considering the crowded nature of the alternative dispute resolution field and the limited time the courts are allowing for parties to get their facilitations done, Mr. Weston can routinely accommodate cases with “short fuses.” Jack has had considerable success in resolving cases as a facilitator, as evidenced by numerous counsel that have utilized his services and the fact that this has been through word-of-mouth referrals.

Mr. Weston earned his Juris Doctor from The American University — Washington College of Law and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. Jack is a member of the Firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Property, Fire and Casualty, and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. He is also an active member of the State Bar of Michigan.

Specializing in motor vehicle litigation, with a sub-specialty in trucking regulation and litigation, John L. “Jack” Weston has successfully represented insurance companies, private corporations, and individuals in no-fault first and third-party automobile negligence claims, including bodily injury, uninsured, and underinsured motorist claims. He has tried cases in both federal and state courts throughout Michigan, as well as Arizona, California, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. Mr. Weston’s trucking practice encompasses the representation of both American and Canadian clients. He provides assistance with trucking regulation and coverage issues, as well as defending trucking companies in both personal injury/accident and environmental/property damage claims. He has obtained defense verdicts in motor vehicle cases in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties and has had motions for summary disposition based upon the threshold injury requirement of the Michigan No-Fault Act granted in those counties as well.

In addition to defending his clients in the courtroom, Mr. Weston is avidly committed to staying on top of the latest rulings and legislation in his areas of expertise. He regularly attends meetings sponsored by the Trucking Law Committee of the Defense Research Institute, the Transportation Lawyers Association, the Trucking Industry Defense Association, and the Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association. He also attends the annual Michigan No-Fault Seminar. Mr. Weston has conducted numerous seminars on Michigan no‑fault law for corporate and insurance clients in Michigan and Canada. He recently acted as a keynote speaker at the Canadian National Fleet Safety Conference in Toronto, Ontario. He also authors articles for several Secrest Wardle newsletters and has been published in periodicals for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and The Administrative Law Review of The American University.

Notable examples of Mr. Weston’s exceptional motor vehicle litigation defense work include the following:

• In 2019, Mr. Weston tried a case in the Wayne County Circuit Court relating to an accident involving two passenger cars. Plaintiff alleged that she was sitting stopped at a red light when her car was struck from behind by Defendant. Defendant maintained that the light had turned green and Plaintiff had started from the light when she suddenly slammed on her brakes, telling Defendant that it was because a vehicle on the intersecting street had run the red light, crossing in front of Plaintiff’s vehicle. Both Plaintiff and Defendant were alone in their vehicles and there were no witnesses to the accident. Plaintiff contended that she suffered herniated cervical and lumbar discs as a result of the accident and that the lumbar herniation caused prudential nerve neuropathy, leading to incontinence and necessitating two surgeries to implant a nerve stimulator with subsequent surgeries required every five years to replace the stimulator’s batteries. Defendant did not admit liability as to how the accident occurred and contested whether Plaintiff’s claimed injuries stemmed from the accident. Plaintiff asked the jury for $300,000.00. After a week-long trial, the jury returned a verdict of No Cause of Action, indicating that it did not believe that Plaintiff’s claimed injuries arose from the accident. Additionally, because Plaintiff rejected the case evaluation award, Defendant was entitled to case evaluation sanctions.

• Mr. Weston successfully defended a corporate client in another 2019 third-party automobile case, filed on behalf of an injured minor in the Wayne County Circuit Court. Plaintiff claimed cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and rib injuries when the vehicle in which she was a passenger t-boned Defendant’s truck and trailer. At the close of discovery, Defendant filed a Motion for Summary Disposition. The motion was predicated upon Defendant’s position that Plaintiff did not suffer a threshold injury as defined under the Michigan No-Fault Statute and prevailing case law. After extensive argument, the generally plaintiff-oriented judge agreed with that assessment, noting in a written opinion that Plaintiff showed no objective signs of any injury, nor did her claimed injuries appear to have affected the normal course of her life. Additionally, because Plaintiff rejected the case evaluation award, Defendant was entitled to case evaluation sanctions, as the granting of a dispositive motion is considered a judgment on the merits.

Expanding upon his practice, Mr. Weston also serves as an independent mediator/facilitator. He regularly facilitates cases involving trucking litigation, construction litigation, first and third-party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability litigation, and property loss claims.

Mr. Weston has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. From 2015 through the present, Mr. Weston has been voted by his peers to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Michigan Super Lawyers, an honor accorded to only 5% of Michigan attorneys. Mr. Weston has also been listed in the Super Lawyers Business Edition in the area of Personal Injury: Defense, where he was also selected as one of the top 100 attorneys in Michigan in 2019. For the past 10 years, he has also served as a defense case evaluator (mediator) in both Oakland and Wayne Counties.

Mr. Weston has been with Secrest Wardle since 2001. He is a member of the Firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Property, Fire and Casualty, and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. He proudly serves as a Chair of the Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Weston earned his Juris Doctor from The American University – Washington College of Law and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

Mr. Weston is a member of the following associations:

• State Bar of Michigan – Litigation Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
• Oakland County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute – Committee on Products Liability, Trial Tactics Committee, Trucking Law Committee
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association

For over 30 years, John L. “Jack” Weston has successfully defended corporate and private clients in a wide range of premises liability matters. He has tried cases in federal and state courts throughout Michigan, as well as Arizona, California, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. He has obtained defense verdicts in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb Counties, and has had motions for summary disposition based upon lack of notice and the open and obvious defense granted in those counties, as well as upheld in the Michigan Court of Appeals.

In addition to defending his clients in the courtroom, Mr. Weston is avidly committed to staying on top of the latest rulings and legislation in his areas of expertise. He has conducted seminars on premises liability in Michigan and Ohio. He also regularly authors articles for several Secrest Wardle newsletters and has been published in periodicals for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and The Administrative Law Review of The American University.

Notable examples of Mr. Weston’s exceptional premises liability litigation defense work include the following:

• for a corporate client relating to an accident involving a utility pole. Plaintiff alleged serious injuries arising out of an incident which occurred when Plaintiff, while working in the course and scope of his employment with a cable company, ascended a utility pole owned by Defendant. While Plaintiff was affixed to the top of the pole, the pole broke and fell to the ground as a result of subterranean rot which could not be observed upon inspection. Plaintiff alleged that Defendant was negligent in failing to inspect its poles.The evidence showed that, prior to mounting the pole, Plaintiff performed a MIOSHA-mandated “push, poke and prod safety test” upon which he discovered no defects. Further, the evidence revealed that Plaintiff’s employer had not obtained Defendant’s permission to attach wires to Defendant’s pole. Defendant filed two Motions for Summary Disposition. The first contended that Defendant had no notice of any alleged defect, as even Plaintiff testified that he felt the pole was safe to climb. The second motion maintained that Plaintiff was trespassing on Defendant’s property at the time of the incident and that Defendant had no duty to regularly inspect every one of its telephone poles. In a written opinion, the trial court agreed and granted both motions, finding that Defendant had no notice of any defect and that Plaintiff failed to show that Defendant had a legal duty to periodically inspect its poles. Additionally, the Court noted that Plaintiff’s claim sounded exclusively in premises liability rather than ordinary negligence as Plaintiff had alleged.

• Mr. Weston successfully defended a corporate client in another 2018 premises liability case, this time in the Macomb County Circuit Court. This case arose out of an incident which occurred when Plaintiff’s vehicle allegedly drove over a bent manhole cover, causing it to flip up and flatten the tire on Plaintiff’s vehicle. Plaintiff claimed back, neck, and shoulder injuries as a result. At the conclusion of discovery, Defendant filed a Motion for Summary Disposition based upon a lack of notice of the claimed “defect,” as well as upon no breach of duty. The Court, in its written opinion, initially noted that Plaintiff’s claim sounded exclusively in premises liability rather than ordinary negligence as Plaintiff had alleged. It thereupon granted Defendant’s motion, holding that there was no evidence presented to show that Defendant should have had notice that the manhole cover was bent, as Defendant wasn’t notified of that fact until the day of the accident. Further, the Court held that there was no evidence that Defendant had any sort of duty to routinely inspect all of its manhole covers, and therefore breached no duty to Plaintiff.

Expanding upon his practice, Mr. Weston also serves as an independent mediator/facilitator. He regularly facilitates cases involving trucking litigation, construction litigation, first and third-party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability litigation, and property loss claims.

Mr. Weston has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. From 2015 through the present, Mr. Weston has been voted by his peers to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Michigan Super Lawyers, an honor accorded to only 5% of Michigan attorneys. Mr. Weston has also been listed in the Super Lawyers Business Edition in the area of Personal Injury: Defense, where he was also selected as one of the top 100 attorneys in Michigan in 2019. For the past 10 years, he has also served as a defense case evaluator (mediator) in both Oakland and Wayne Counties.

Mr. Weston has been with Secrest Wardle since 2001. He is a member of the Firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Property, Fire and Casualty, and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. He proudly serves as a Chair of the Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Weston earned his Juris Doctor from The American University – Washington College of Law and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

Mr. Weston is a member of the following associations:

• State Bar of Michigan – Litigation Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
• Oakland County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute – Committee on Products Liability, Trial Tactics Committee, Trucking Law Committee
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association

For over 30 years, John L. “Jack” Weston has defended corporate and private clients at trial in federal and state courts throughout Michigan, as well as Arizona, California, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. He has obtained products liability defense verdicts in Grand Traverse, Washtenaw, Oakland, and Wayne Counties, as well defending products liability cases at trial in California and Pennsylvania. He has had numerous dispositive Daubert motions granted in federal courts throughout Michigan, as well as in Wayne, Oakland, Saginaw, Cheboygan, Genesee, and Kent County Circuit Courts.

In addition to defending his clients in the courtroom, Mr. Weston is avidly committed to staying on top of the latest rulings and legislation in his areas of expertise. He has conducted seminars on product liability in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and California for corporate and insurance clients. He also regularly authors articles for several Secrest Wardle newsletters and has been published in periodicals for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and The Administrative Law Review of The American University.

Notable examples of Mr. Weston’s exceptional products liability litigation defense work include the following:

• Mr. Weston defended a matter in federal court arising from the failure of a steel ladle at Plaintiff’s mill, which dumped 157 tons of molten steel inside the building, destroying a $1.6 million ladle carrier, a $400,000.00 ladle, and a $250,000.00 ladle stand. Plaintiff also claimed business interruption damages, for a total claim of approximately $5 million. Plaintiff asserted that the component of the ladle designed by Mr. Weston’s client, and manufactured by his client’s agent, was defective both in its design and in its manufacture, claiming that the design defect was the proximate cause of the ladle’s failure and resultant damages. Mr. Weston, through aggressive discovery that spanned over four years and involved almost 50 depositions in seven different states, obtained summary judgment in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on all of the principal allegations raised against his client by Plaintiff.

• Mr. Weston also notably tried a products liability case in Grand Traverse County Circuit Court. The case involved a fire at a hotel that Plaintiff claimed was caused by of a piece of equipment designed and manufactured by Mr. Weston’s client. Among other allegations, Plaintiff claimed that it was the defective design and manufacture of that equipment that caused the fire. At trial, on aggressive cross-examination, Plaintiff’s liability expert was forced to concede that much of the evidentiary support he relied upon to formulate his opinions was speculative, as well as the fact that some of the theories upon which he was relying were not generally accepted by experts in his field. At the close of Plaintiff’s proofs, Mr. Weston moved the Court for a directed verdict. Noting that Plaintiff had failed to support a prima facie case of liability, the Court granted the motion and entered a directed verdict in favor of Mr. Weston’s client.

Expanding upon his practice, Mr. Weston also serves as an independent mediator/facilitator. He regularly facilitates cases involving trucking litigation, construction litigation, first and third-party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability litigation, and property loss claims.

Mr. Weston has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. From 2015 through the present, Mr. Weston has been voted by his peers to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Michigan Super Lawyers, an honor accorded to only 5% of Michigan attorneys. Mr. Weston has also been listed in the Super Lawyers Business Edition in the area of Personal Injury: Defense, where he was also selected as one of the top 100 attorneys in Michigan in 2019. For the past 10 years, he has also served as a defense case evaluator (mediator) in both Oakland and Wayne Counties.

Mr. Weston has been with Secrest Wardle since 2001. He is a member of the Firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Property, Fire and Casualty, and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. He proudly serves as a Chair of the Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Weston earned his Juris Doctor from The American University – Washington College of Law and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

Mr. Weston is a member of the following associations:

• State Bar of Michigan – Litigation Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
• Oakland County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute – Committee on Products Liability, Trial Tactics Committee, Trucking Law Committee
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association

For over 30 years, John L. “Jack” Weston has successfully defended corporate and private clients in a wide range of property damage claims. He has tried cases in federal and state courts throughout Michigan, as well as Arizona, California, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. He has obtained defense verdicts in Wayne County and has had motions for summary disposition granted there, as well as upheld in the Michigan Court of Appeals.

In addition to defending his clients in the courtroom, Mr. Weston is avidly committed to staying on top of the latest rulings and legislation in his areas of expertise. He regularly authors articles for several Secrest Wardle newsletters and has been published in periodicals for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and The Administrative Law Review of The American University.

Notable examples of Mr. Weston’s exceptional property litigation defense work include the following:

• Mr. Weston defended in a matter in federal court arising from the failure of a steel ladle at Plaintiff’s mill, which dumped 157 tons of molten steel inside the building, destroying a $1.6 million ladle carrier, a $400,000.00 ladle, and a $250,000.00 ladle stand. Plaintiff also claimed business interruption damages, for a total claim of approximately $5 million. Plaintiff asserted that the component of the ladle designed by Mr. Weston’s client, and manufactured by his client’s agent, was defective both in its design and in its manufacture, claiming that the design defect was the proximate cause of the ladle’s failure and resultant damages. Mr. Weston, through aggressive discovery that spanned over four years and involved almost 50 depositions in seven different states, obtained summary judgment in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on all of the principal allegations raised against his client by Plaintiff.

• Mr. Weston also notably tried a case in Grand Traverse County Circuit Court. The case involved a fire at a hotel that Plaintiff claimed was caused by of a piece of equipment designed and manufactured by Mr. Weston’s client. Among other allegations, Plaintiff claimed that it was the defective design and manufacture of that equipment that caused the fire. At trial, on aggressive cross-examination, Plaintiff’s liability expert was forced to concede that much of the evidentiary support he relied upon to formulate his opinions was speculative, as well as the fact that some of the theories upon which he was relying were not generally accepted by experts in his field. At the close of Plaintiff’s proofs, Mr. Weston moved the Court for a directed verdict. Noting that Plaintiff had failed to support a prima facie case of liability, the Court granted the motion and entered a directed verdict in favor of Mr. Weston’s client.

Expanding upon his practice, Mr. Weston also serves as an independent mediator/facilitator. He regularly facilitates cases involving trucking litigation, construction litigation, first and third-party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability litigation, and property loss claims.

Mr. Weston has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. From 2015 through the present, Mr. Weston has been voted by his peers to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Michigan Super Lawyers, an honor accorded to only 5% of Michigan attorneys. Mr. Weston has also been listed in the Super Lawyers Business Edition in the area of Personal Injury: Defense, where he was also selected as one of the top 100 attorneys in Michigan in 2019. For the past 10 years, he has also served as a defense case evaluator (mediator) in both Oakland and Wayne Counties.

Mr. Weston has been with Secrest Wardle since 2001. He is a member of the Firm’s Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Property, Fire and Casualty, and Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Groups. He proudly serves as a Chair of the Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Weston earned his Juris Doctor from The American University – Washington College of Law and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

Mr. Weston is a member of the following associations:

• State Bar of Michigan – Litigation Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
• Oakland County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute – Committee on Products Liability, Trial Tactics Committee, Trucking Law Committee
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association

For over 30 years, John L. “Jack” Weston has successfully defended a wide range of clients in trucking matters at trial in federal and state courts throughout Michigan, as well as in Florida. He has also tried cases in Arizona, California, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. Mr. Weston has additional experience over the last 15 years representing Canadian trucking clients in cross-border accidents and disputes. He provides assistance regarding trucking regulation, customs, and coverage issues, and vigorously defends trucking companies in personal injury/accident and environmental/property damage claims. Additionally, Mr. Weston proudly serves as a Chair of Secrest Wardle’s Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group.

In addition to defending his clients in the courtroom, Mr. Weston is avidly committed to staying on top of the latest rulings and legislation in his areas of expertise. He regularly attends meetings sponsored by the Trucking Law Committee of the Defense Research Institute, the Transportation Lawyers Association, the Trucking Industry Defense Association, and the Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association. He also attends the annual Michigan No-Fault Seminar. Mr. Weston has conducted numerous seminars on Michigan no‑fault law for corporate and insurance clients in Michigan and Canada. He recently acted as a keynote speaker at the Canadian National Fleet Safety Conference in Toronto, Ontario. He also authors articles for several Secrest Wardle newsletters and has been published in periodicals for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and The Administrative Law Review of The American University.

Notable examples of Mr. Weston’s exceptional trucking litigation defense work include the following:

• Mr. Weston obtained a voluntary dismissal from The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a death case involving a Canadian trucking client, in which a federal administrative trial was pending in Florida. Defendant’s driver had been killed while supervising the unloading of steel rods from his trailer by a forklift. The forklift operator negligently flipped a bundle of rods off of the trailer onto the driver, killing him. OSHA cited the driver’s company, maintaining that it had failed to provide its employee/driver with a safe workplace – even though the facility at which the driver was killed was not owned by Defendant. Mr. Weston obtained a voluntary dismissal by aggressively maintaining that, because the driver was an owner-operator, rather than a direct employee, he did not fall within any of the “employee” designations used by OSHA, but was rather an independent contractor.

• Mr. Weston successfully litigated a property damage claim in which it was alleged that Defendant’s tractor-trailer damaged the loading bay of a United States Post Office building while making a delivery. Aggressive discovery revealed that Plaintiff’s claims were factually unsupported, and Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the case.

• Mr. Weston successfully litigated a personal injury suit in federal court involving a woman who claimed that she was struck by Defendant’s tractor-trailer while she was directing traffic in the duty-free lot at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, Michigan. Aggressive discovery uncovered a witness living in Canada who testified that Plaintiff was not struck by the tractor-trailer, but instead simply slipped and fell on ice while running after it. The matter was voluntarily dismissed.

Expanding upon his practice, Mr. Weston also serves as an independent mediator/facilitator. He regularly facilitates cases involving trucking litigation, construction litigation, first and third-party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability litigation, and property loss claims.

Mr. Weston has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. From 2015 through the present, Mr. Weston has been voted by his peers to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Michigan Super Lawyers, an honor accorded to only 5% of Michigan attorneys. Mr. Weston has also been listed in the Super Lawyers Business Edition in the area of Personal Injury: Defense, where he was also selected as one of the top 100 attorneys in Michigan in 2019. For the past 10 years, he has also served as a defense case evaluator (mediator) in both Oakland and Wayne Counties.

Mr. Weston has been with Secrest Wardle since 2001. In addition to serving as Chair of the Firm’s Trucking/Commercial Vehicle Litigation Practice Group, he is also a member of the Motor Vehicle Litigation, Premises Liability, Product Liability, and Property, Fire and Casualty Practice Groups.

Mr. Weston earned his Juris Doctor from The American University – Washington College of Law and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

Mr. Weston is a member of the following associations:

• State Bar of Michigan – Litigation Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
• Oakland County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute – Committee on Products Liability, Trial Tactics Committee, Trucking Law Committee
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Canadian Fleet Safety Council of the Transportation, Health, and Safety Association