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Kenneth L. Lewis joined
Plunkett Cooney in 1993 and currently serves as a member
of the firm's Board of Directors. He joined the firm after
working in the law departments of the City of Detroit
and the County of Wayne.
Mr. Lewis has built
a solid reputation in the local legal community through
courtroom victories and persuasive negotiations, and
he has a broad background in governmental and constitutional
issues impacting upon state governments.
Mr. Lewis has held leadership
positions in various legal organizations, including
the State Bar of Michigan (Law Practice Management Section,
Past Chair), the National Bar Association (Board of
Governors), the Conference of Black Lawyers, the Wolverine
Bar Association (Past President), the Detroit Metropolitan
Police Academy and Institute for Continuing Legal Education
(Law Instructor) and the Attorney Discipline Board (Chair).
Representative
Client Work
- Successfully defended
labor, employment and municipal liability matters
on behalf of numerous municipalities in Michigan
- Tried over 175 adversarial
proceedings, including jury trials, bench trials,
labor arbitrations, disciplinary trial boards, administrative
hearings and regulatory hearings
- Advised and counseled
over a dozen different legislative bodies
- Lectured and published
articles and training materials for lawyers and law
enforcement personnel for over 30 years
Notable
cases
- Bobbie and Vickie
Adams v City of Detroit, et al. (Wayne County Circuit
Court 2001) Plaintiff sisters brought action against
station house officers who arrested them for disorderly
conduct during an altercation at the station involving
the sisters’ nephew.
- Davis v Cook (36th
Judicial District Court, 1994) Represented City and
several police officers accused of violating Fourth
Amendment rights when officers executed search warrant
in a drug raid. Plaintiff claims the officers raided
the wrong house. All parties were dismissed from the
suit except officer who prepared search warrant.
- Brown v County of
Wayne (Wayne County Circuit Court, 1992) Represented
County in an employment action where Plaintiff, an
engineer, claimed racial discrimination because he
failed to receive anticipated promotions during his
20-year tenure with County.
- Patrick v Clement,
906 F 2d 1108(6th Cir, 1990) Represented police officer
accused of using excessive force on passenger after
a high speed chase in a residential neighborhood.
Plaintiff, a local high school football star claimed
his alleged spinal cord injuries shortcut his collegiate
football career. A jury verdict in excess of $300,000
was overturned on appeal.
- Armstead v Johnson,
435 Mich 851(1990) Represented local township in an
action in which plaintiff who was shot in the groin
by local law enforcement officer, claimed excessive
force, false arrest and malicious prosecution. Although
plaintiff prevailed at the trial level, the matter
was reversed on appeal on governmental immunity grounds.
- Solomon v Royal Oak
Township, 656 F Supp 1254 (E.D. Mich, 1986) partially
reversed on appeal 842 F 2d 862 (6th Cir, 1988) Represented
local township and officials in a defamation, wrongful
demotion and first amendment constitutional challenge
by a police supervisor who was demoted for misconduct.
Trial resulted in verdict for supervisor. On appeal,
6th Circuit panel reversed defamation findings reducing
damage award to plaintiff
- Trezzi v City of
Detroit, 120 Mich App 506(1982) Represented City of
Detroit in a wrongful death action in which the decedent’s
estate challenged the operation of the city’s
911 Emergency System. Michigan Court of Appeals sustained
trial court’s granting of summary judgment. The
matter was sustained on appeal to the Michigan Supreme
Court which consolidated this case with several others
to formulate a landmark decision on governmental immunity
found in Ross v Consumers Power Co, 420 Mich 567 (1984)
(On Rehearing)
- Michigan Welfare
Rights Organization v Dempsey, 462 F Supp 227 (E.D.
Mich 1978) Represented welfare rights organization
and public assistance recipients who challenged Michigan
Department of Social Services practice of disclosing
confidential welfare information about welfare recipients
who were victims of past physical and emotional abuse
from present and former spouses and boyfriends. The
court ruled that the department’s disclosure
policies were violative of the Social Security Act
and relevant regulations.
- Card v Dempsey, 445
F Supp 942 (E.D.Mich, 1978) Represented public assistance
recipients who brought civil rights class action against
state department of social services challenging department’s
practice of limiting retroactive food stamp benefits.
After a settlement was reached federal judge ruled
plaintiffs were entitled to attorney fees pursuant
to the newly enacted Civil Rights Attorneys Fee Act
of 1976. This was the first published opinion interpreting
the provisions of the act in Michigan.
- Himmler v Weinberger,
422 F Supp 196 (E.D. Mich, 1976) Represented nursing
home patients entitled to medicare benefits who brought
class action against then HEW for its failure to provide
Goldberg v Kelly type pretermination hearings to Medicare
beneficiaries. Although clients prevailed at the trial
level on a motion for summary judgment, the matter
was reversed on appeal. See Himmler v Califano, 611
F 2d 137(6th Cir, 1979)
Professional
Affiliations
- Detroit Metropolitan
Bar Association
- Wolverine Bar Association
(Past President)
- State Bar of Michigan
(Law Practice Management Section, Past Chairman)
- American Bar Association
- National Bar Association
(Board of Governors)
- National Conference
of Black Lawyers
- Federation of Corporate
Counsel
- Attorney Discipline
Board (Chairperson, 1999-2000)
- Mediation Tribunal
Association (Mediator)
- Institute for Continuing
Legal Education (Law Instructor)
Community Involvement
- United Way Community
Services (Board of Directors)
- Detroit Metropolitan
Police Academy
- Rosedale – Grandmont
Baseball League, Committee Member
Fraternities
- Phi Alpha Delta
- Alpha Phi Alpha
Publication and Lectures
- “Ethics in Your
Practice,” State Bar of Michigan Seminar, May
2007
- “The Ultimate
Trial Notebook,” ICLE Seminar, Troy, Michigan,
May 2006
- “Ethics in Your
Practice,” State Bar of Michigan Seminar, November
2006
- ICLE 2nd Annual Solo
and Small Firm Institute, Dearborn, Michigan, October
2005
- “Civil Depositions
& Pretrial Motions,” ICLE Seminar, Troy,
Michigan, January 2004
- “Ethics in Your
Practice,” State Bar of Michigan Seminar, November
2003
“Anatomy of a Jailhouse Suicide,” PRIMA
Annual Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, June
2000
- “The Art of
Cross Examination in Employment Discrimination Cases
– The Art of telling a Good Story” Vol 77,
Michigan Bar Journal 1064, October 1998
News
-
Lewis elected chair
of City Connect Detroit’s boar
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Areas
of Practice
Civil Rights
Commercial Litigation
Direct Representation of Municipalities
Education Law
Labor & Employment Law
Municipal Law
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