Stephanie A. Douglas

Critical Motions and Appeals

• Providing strategic consulting on trial and appellate matters for auto manufacturer, including development of cross-case strategies, preservation of issues, edits to draft briefs, and participation in mock arguments.
• Providing strategic briefing for patent infringement disputes involving auto manufacturer in federal district court and Federal Circuit.
• Served as co-counsel on appeal for hospital in insurance coverage dispute, successfully preserving $9 million judgment.
• Before Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, obtained affirmance of summary judgment of hybrid § 301 claims under the Labor Management Relations Act and workers’ compensation retaliation claim under Kentucky law.
• In parolee’s civil rights action against addiction-treatment company, obtained dismissal from trial court and affirmance from Sixth Circuit.
• Appellate counsel in a catastrophic product liability matter before Pennsylvania Superior Court, preserving summary judgment on behalf of automobile manufacturer.
• Obtained favorable rulings on personal jurisdiction and choice of law in catastrophic product liability action in Michigan federal court, leading to summary judgment on claim for punitive damages.
• As appellate counsel in multiple-fatality product liability case tried in Kentucky federal court, obtained key evidentiary rulings at trial-level that helped to earn and preserve a complete defense verdict.
• As appellate counsel in high-exposure product liability case in Georgia federal court, obtained key in-limine rulings that enabled pre-trial resolution.
• Representing automobile company in contract dispute with potential dealer, obtained multiple summary judgment rulings on claims and counter-claims, and helped preserve them on appeal.
• As counsel for a manufacturer in international employment dispute seeking more than $30 million in damages; obtained summary judgment and costs award, and preserved judgment on appeal.
• In local property tax matter before Michigan appellate courts, preserved tax exemption that saves approximately $750,000 per year.
• In state tax appeal before Michigan appellate courts, preserved interpretation of tax refund statute worth approximately $8.5 million.
• Won interlocutory published decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals reversing and remanding for judgment in favor of multinational automaker company.
• Represented Michigan Senate and House of Representatives in litigation about the governor’s emergency powers.

Class and Mass Tort Litigation

• Representing a private software company in putative class action alleging product liability, negligence, and constitutional claims on behalf of 40,000 individuals, and seeking consequential and punitive damages.
• Representing national homebuilder as class counsel in multiple states, each involving allegations of construction defects and consumer fraud.
• Representing auto manufacturer in federal multi-district litigation alleging consumer fraud and warranty violations for mileage-per-gallon disclosures.
• Serving as critical motions and appellate counsel for defendant in mass environmental tort case.
• Serving as class- and appellate-counsel for multiple automakers in nationwide no-injury product-defect class actions.
• In Michigan federal court, secured pleading-stage dismissal of nationwide economic-loss class action.
• In California federal court, obtained pre-discovery voluntary dismissal of putative class action based upon dispositive motion filing.
• Obtained dismissal of TCPA class action filed against national beverage company before responsive pleading or discovery.
• In Arizona federal court, successfully defended national homebuilder in putative class action, obtaining with-prejudice dismissal before certification and $675,000 prevailing-party fees.
• As class counsel in putative construction-defect class action involving tens of thousands of homes and seeking $2 billion, obtained with-prejudice dismissal of punitive damages claims, excluded testimony of plaintiffs’ liability and damages experts, and defeated class certification.
• Won dismissal of putative class action alleging procedural due process against international software company.

Before joining BSP, Stephanie was a judicial law clerk to Judge Raymond Kethledge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge John Feikens in the Eastern District of Michigan, and an associate at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP.   She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where she earned numerous awards for outstanding academic work and served as the executive articles editor for the school’s technology journal.

Stephanie’s technology roots run deep. She earned her B.S.E. in Computer Engineering, with honors, from the University of Michigan, and then worked for ten years as a computer consultant for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).  Stephanie worked on teams that revamped some of America’s top companies’ technology solutions, and patented a hyper-video-editing system before the Internet was a household name.

Honors & Awards

Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©: Appellate Practice (2023-Present)

Lawyers for Civil Justice, Outstanding Contributor (2022)

Crain’s Detroit Business, Notable Woman in Law (2021)

America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® for Michigan (2020)

Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Leader in the Law (2020)

Benchmark Litigation, Future Star (2015 – present)

DBusiness Top Lawyers (2016, 2018, 2022 – present)

Michigan Super Lawyers (2016 – Present)

Michigan Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2013 – 2015)

Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly, Up & Coming Lawyers (2012)

University of Michigan Law School, Order of the Coif

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Professional Activities

Defense Research Institute, Member

Federal Bar Association, Member

Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, Sustaining Member

Lawyers for Civil Justice, Fellow Class of 2020

Lawyers for Civil Justice, Expert Evidence Committee, Associate Member

Leading Lawyers, Member (2021 – present)

Product Liability Advisory Council, Sustaining Member

State Bar of Michigan, Member

Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, Delegate

Sixth Circuit Advisory Committee on Rules, Member

Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Sustaining Member

Presentations

“Class Actions in 2023: Plaintiffs’ Trends and the Defense Toolbox,” PLAC Spring 2023 Conference, Panelist (April 2023)

“Superior to Class Actions: Why Courts Should Consider Defendants’ Recalls and Warranties Before Certifying a Class as the “Superior” Means of Resolving Consumer Claims” presented to Lawyers for Civil Justice (December 2021)

“Total Recall: Strategies and Best Practices in Product Recalls” Panel for the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (February 2020)

“When Rulings Go Bad” presented to the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (September 2019)

“Verdict Vigilance: Preventing, Spotting, and Preserving Verdict-Related Issues” presented to the Network of Trial Law Firms (August 2018)

“Class Actions: Successfully Navigating This Complex and High-Risk Landscape” presented to the Network of Trial Law Firms (October 2017)

“Class in Session: Defending Putative Class Actions” presented to the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (September 2017)

“Defending Construction Defect Class Actions” nationwide counsel for a client (November 2016)

“Class Action Update: The Changing Landscape” presented to Association of Corporate Counsel (February 2016)

“Class Actions and Mass Actions: Recent Developments and Reports from the Trenches” an update to National Association of Women Owned Law Firms (September 2014)

“Class Actions and Mass Actions: Recent Developments and Reports from the Trenches” nationwide counsel for a client (November 2013)

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Publications

“Boeing Opinion Strikes Blow Against Overpayment Theory ” Law360, co-author (2023)

“Teaming Up: Appellate and Trial Counsel Partnering to Win” DRI For the Defense (March 2021)

“Renewed Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Industry Has Made Great Strides, But There’s Still Work to Do” DBusiness (March 2021)

“Breaking Down Barriers with Project Clean Slate” Michigan Lawyers Weekly (February 2021)

“As Universal Life Insurance Premiums Increase, So Does Class Action Litigation” DRI For the Defense, Volume 60, Issue 8 (August 2018)

“Verdict Vigilance: Preventing, Spotting, and Preserving Verdict-Related Issues” DRI Certworthy, Volume 19, Issue 1, (June 2018)

“Tyson Foods Inc. v Bouaphakeo: An Aberration in the Use of Statistical Sampling in Class Actions” DRI In-House Defense Quarterly (Winter 2017)

For the Community

Child Care Network, Board Member, 2009-2012

National Association of Counsel for Children, authored Amicus Curiae Brief to the Michigan Supreme Court, 2009