Christine D. Oldani, Appellate Attorney, Detroit: Plunkett

Christine D. Oldani is a partner in the firms Detroit office who specializes in appellate law, governmental law and professional liability law. Since 2006, Ms. Oldani has been identified as one of Michigans Super Lawyers in appellate practice.

Ms. Oldani has over thirty years experience representing municipal/governmental clients. She also has extensive experience in the area of professional liability appeals and has numerous published appellate decisions to her credit. These include many of the leading cases in the area of professional negligence law. In addition, Ms. Oldani lends research and writing assistance to trial attorneys litigating all types of professional liability cases.

Representative Client Work

• Argued over 100 times in the Michigan appellate courts
• Has over 100 published decisions in her name
• Authored numerous amicus briefs on behalf of governmental clients
• Drafted legislation and consulted on legislation for governmental clients
• Drafted ballot proposals on behalf of municipalities

Notable Cases

• Speicher v Columbia Township Board of Election Comm'rs, 299 Mich App 86 (2012): [re: the recovery of actual attorney fees under Michigan's Open Meetings Act]
• Robinson v City of Lansing, 486 Mich 1 (2010): [re: the two-inch rule does not apply to a city side-walk next to a state highway]
• Morrison v Secura Ins, 286 Mich App 569 (2009)
• Allison v AEW Capital Management Co., LLP, 481 Mich 419 (2008) [re landlord's statutory duties to keep premises in reasonable repair and to keep common areas in a condition fit for the use intended do not extend to removing accumulation of snow and ice]
• Buckner v Lansing, 480 Mich 1243 (2008) [re city not liable under highway exception to immunity for accumulation of snow and ice caused by snow removal from adjoining highway and sidewalk; snow and ice are not a highway "defect"]
• Grace v Leitman, 480 Mich 913 (2007) [re application of the "exercise of judgment" rule as a defense in a legal malpractice action for trial strategy and tactics]
• Brown v Brown, 478 Mich 545 (2007) [re employer not liable for negligent supervision of an employee who, before raping a third party on the employer's premises, did not evidence any propensity for criminal misconduct]
• Fejedelem v Kasco, 269 Mich App 499 (2006) [no negligent misrepresentation claim against accountant in absence of justifiable reliance] 
• Manzo v Petrella, 261 Mich App 705 (2004) [re causation, i.e. suit with a suit, in a legal malpractice action]
• Pohutski v City of Allen Park, 465 Mich 675 (2002)  [no common law trespass nuisance exception to governmental immunity]
• Estate of Mitchell v Dougherty, 249 Mich App 668 (2002)  [applicaton of attorney judgment rule in legal malpractice action]
• Persinger v Holst, 248 Mich App 499 (2001)  [suit by beneficiaries against testators attorneys]
• Hatch v Grand Haven Charter Township, 461 Mich 457 (2000) [bike path not a sidewalk within meaning of defective highway exception to governmental immunity]
• Maiden v Rozwood, 461 Mich 109 (1999) [duty of assistant county medical examiner owed to public at large, not to criminal suspect]
• Mieras v DeBona, 452 Mich 278 (1996) [contours of negligence case against will-drafting attorney]
• Simko v Blake, 448 Mich 648 (1995) [exercise of judgment rule adopted in legal malpractice cases]
• Mason v Wayne County Bd. of Commrs, 447 Mich 130 (1994) [reversal of $4 million judgment against county on basis of governmental immunity]
• Charles Reinhart Co. v Winiemko, 444 Mich 579 (1994) [proximate cause in appellate malpractice case is question of law for court]
• Atlanta Intl Ins. Co. v Bell, 438 Mich 512 (1991) [attorney owes no duty to insurance company that retained defense counsel]
• Friedman v Dozorc, 412 Mich 1 (1981) [attorney owes no duty to clients adversary in litigation]
• OBrien v Hazelet & Erdel, 410 Mich (1980) [constitutionality of Michigans statute of repose, MCL 600.5839, governing design professionals]

Professional Affiliations

• Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan (Member, Representative Assembly, 1991-1994; Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, Appellate Practice and Public Corporation sections)
• Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society (Trustee)
• American Academy of Appellate Attorneys (Fellow)

Community Involvement

• University of Detroit School of Law Alumni Association

Publications and Lectures

• Summary Disposition and the Rocket Docket ICLE, December 2005
• Governmental Immunity after White v Beasley, Michigan Judicial Institute (2004)
• Public Officials Liability: Some Protections for Municipal, Township and County Officials, Michigan Municipal League, June 1992
• Practicing Law Under the Michigan Tort Reform Statutes 1986, Institute of Continuing Legal Education Seminar, September 16, 1986
• New Tort Legislation and Related Insurance Issues 1986, Institute of Continuing Legal Education Seminar, February 2, 1986
• Governmental Immunity: A Call for Legislative Action, Michigan Bar Journal, May 1984
• Update of Michigan Law Concerning the Tort Liability of Public Corporations, Public Corporation Newsletter, State Bar of Michigan, June 1982

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