Bio

Alyssa C. Kennedy is a member of Plunkett Cooney's Torts & Litigation and Medical Litigation practice groups. She maintains a wide-ranging litigation practice that includes the defense of premises liability, toxic torts, construction liability, ski resort and product liability claims, as well as first- and third-party motor vehicle liability and No-Fault disputes. 

A member of the firm’s Petoskey office, Ms. Kennedy also has extensive experience representing nurses, doctors and hospitals in medical liability litigation, as well as a variety of claims brought against extended care facilities and nursing homes. Her northern Michigan practice also include expertise with respect to real estate transactions, employment matters, landlord/tenant issues, business law and municipal law, which includes working with government officials and public safety officers in matters involving municipal elections, utilities disputes and criminal prosecutions. 

Recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star since 2019, Ms. Kennedy is a 2014 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law. While in law school, she served as managing editor of the Canada-U.S. Law Journal, received the national Scribes Brief-Writing Award and was a member of the Craven National Moot Court team.

Representative Client Work

  • Successfully defended and obtained a no cause jury verdict in a nursing negligence lawsuit involving allegations a resident was improperly left alone with his meal causing his death by asphyxiation

  • Successfully argued at Daubert hearing that orthopedic surgeon’s expert testimony regarding how a nursing home resident was injured was unreliable, resulting in summary disposition in favor of defendant nursing facility

  • Successfully defended numerous claims alleging improper nursing home care causing injury or death

  • Successfully resolved numerous medical malpractice and other litigation actions through mediation, trial and appeal

  • Appealed to Michigan Court of Appeals a trial court order granting use of a nursing home facility’s standing order as evidence of ordinary negligence and a breach of the nursing standard of care

  • Represented clients in family division of Charlevoix and Emmet County Circuit Courts

  • Contracted with the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to serve as public defender in Emmet County, Michigan (2022)

  • Pro bono legal services to indigent individuals in Emmet and Charlevoix counties

Notable Cases

  • Est. of Corrado by Meyers v. Rieck, 333 Mich. App. 402, 960 N.W.2d 218 (2020)

Professional Affiliations

  • Charlevoix County Bar Association
  • Emmet County Bar Association
  • Women Lawyers Association of Michigan
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan

Credentials

Education

  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., 2014
  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges, B.A., 2009

Admissions

  • Ohio, 2014
  • Michigan, 2017

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star - Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Defense; Michigan Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, 2019 - 2024

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