David R. Stechow

Partner

Plunkett Cooney

Licensed Since: 1996
Joined Firm: 2000

38505 Woodward Ave.
Suite 2000
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

TEL: (248) 901-4007
FAX: (248) 901-4040

Mr. Stechow represents his clients in complex litigation matters involving property and personal injury claims resulting from construction deficiencies or fire and explosions in residential, commercial and industrial settings. Many of these cases include property destruction or serious injury or death.

Mr. Stechow attended Southern Methodist University and received his bachelor’s degree in 1992 from Michigan State University. He received his law degree in 1996 from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Mr. Stechow is also a 2002 graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy in Boulder, Colorado.

In 2010, Mr. Stechow was selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). The LCA is an honorary trial lawyer society comprised of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only. Fellows are selected based upon superior ethical reputation, as well as excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels.

Representative Client Work

• Defended a large construction equipment dealer in a wrongful death suit wherein plaintiff’s decedent was crushed while operating a skid-steer loader
• Defended a contractor in a personal injury suit wherein the plaintiff suffered a myriad of injuries requiring numerous surgeries; defended to jury verdict of no cause for action
• Represented a large general contractor in a suit for breach of contract and indemnity against a subcontractor achieving a favorable verdict.
• Defended a consumer electronic manufacturer in a fire loss claim involving property damage in excess of $1 million
• Successfully defended numerous chain saw manufacturers resulting in voluntary dismissal by plaintiffs.
• Obtained summary judgment for a general contractor accused of defectively constructing 11 homes within a development
• Obtained summary judgment for the owner of a press in a personal injury suit where the operator lost his arm
• Obtained summary judgment for a general contractor in a fire loss claim involving property damage in excess of $1.5 million
  

Professional Affiliations

• Oakland County Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan
• Michigan Defense Trial Counsel
• Defense Research Institute
• Litigation Counsel of America (Fellow)
  

Publications and Lectures

• “Spoliation of Evidence, Punitive Damages and State Transportation Safety Audit Procedures,” co-author Michigan Compendium Transportation Law for ALFA, February 2003
• “Sick Building: Your Prescription for Treating Claims, Lawsuits & Liability,” presented to Crawford Claims Management Services, Lecturer, November 2002
• “Product Defect and Defenses, Admissibility of Expert Testimony and Remedial Measures, and Indemnity and Contribution Issues,” co-author Michigan Compendium Product Liability Law for ALFA, July 2002
• “The Toxic Mold Case: The Law and Legal Issues,” Lecturer, Michigan Defense Trial Counsel Summer Conference, June 2002
• “Sick Building: Your Prescription for Treating Claims, Lawsuits & Liability,” presented to Travelers Insurance, Lecturer, February 2002
• “Sick Building: Your Prescription for Treating Claims, Lawsuits & Liability,” Lecturer, October 2001
• “Spoliation of Evidence, Discoverability of Surveillance Investigation and Admissibility of Guilty Plea,” co-author Michigan Compendium Transportation Law for ALFA, February 2001
  

Publications

• Notice of Non-party of Fault Remains Sharp Tool for Mitigating Construction Liability
• Medical Monitoring Claims Are Not Cognizable Under Michigan Law In the Absence of a Present Physical Injury

News

• Five Plunkett Cooney attorneys named industry ‘Rising Stars’

Areas of Practice
Construction Law
Construction Lien Law
Construction Site Accidents
Contractors’ Legal Issues
OSHA/MIOSHA Issues
Trucking & Transportation

Honors & Awards
2008 Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in Construction Litigation; Michigan Super Lawyers, a publication of Law & Politics magazine
University of Detroit Mercy Moot Court Tax Team
International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy 2002

Clerkship(s)
Clerk to the Honorable James S. Thorburn, 1996-1997 Oakland County Circuit Court
Clerk to the Honorable Richard D. Kuhn, 1995-1996, Oakland County Circuit Court

Education
University of Detroit Mercy, School of Law, 1996, J.D.
Michigan State University, 1992, B.A.
Southern Methodist University, 1988-1990