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Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller
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Tenacious counsel and ground-breaking verdicts
Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller represents injury victims in birth trauma, medical malpractice, and dangerous drug and device claims. She also represents survivors of sexual assault against those who commit these crimes and the institutions that protect them.
Lisa joined Sommers Schwartz immediately after graduating summa cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley School of Law. Upon joining the team, she began practicing as a full-time litigator. She has devoted her life to advocating for those that have been injured by health care providers, dangerous drugs and devices, and sexual predators. She has successfully litigated cases in state and federal courts across the nation, including in Michigan, Illinois, and North Carolina.
Lisa attributes much of her success to her background. From a very young age, Lisa was told that she would be a lawyer one day. This statement was most assuredly brought on by her love of debate, and, quite frankly, just a good argument. However, it takes more than a love of argument to become a good lawyer. Before law school, Lisa worked several minimum-wage jobs from which she learned the importance of hard work and gained a deep respect for those who fill these positions. She also developed a desire to fight for and speak on behalf of those who may not be able to do so for themselves due to what they have been put through. To Lisa, there are few things as satisfying as obtaining justice for these individuals.
Lisa likes to point out that as a Sommers Schwartz lawyer, she is both an attorney and a counselor, and she believes both roles carry equal importance. Thus, Lisa takes considerable time to meet with and speak with her clients when the need arises, which she feels helps her clients regain their voice as well as their emotional strength.
Accomplishments
- Confidential settlement for minor students subjected to sexual misconduct by Detroit area middle and high school teacher.
- $500 million settlement with Michigan State University arising from the sexual assaults perpetrated by Larry Nassar on gymnasts and other young women over the course of several decades. Ms. Esser-Weidenfeller personally represented several survivors in this settlement.
- $200 million settlement reached with the New England Compounding Center (NECC) over the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak from contaminated steroids. Ms. Esser-Weidenfeller personally represented dozens of victims and the families of loved ones who had died after being injected with contaminated steroids.
- $3.9 million birth trauma settlement for physician’s failure to perform intrauterine resuscitation and mitigate hypoxic-ischemic brain injury
- $2 million settlement for medical staff’s failure to timely diagnose Group B Strep infection during pregnancy, resulting in serious birth injuries including septicemia, meningitis, retinal hemorrhage, and optic nerve damage.
- $1.975 million hospital malpractice settlement for a client now permanently paralyzed due to a failure to timely diagnose and treat an epidural abscess in his spine.
- $1.325 million settlement for a neurosurgeon’s failure to treat spinal cord stenosis, resulting in permanent lower extremity paralysis, constant nerve pain, and limited mobility and ambulation.
- $1.2 million verdict in a medical malpractice case involving a resident physician’s negligence that resulted in an elderly woman’s face being lit on fire.
- $855,000 verdict in a wrongful death case alleging an oral surgeon’s failure to diagnose cancer of the tongue.
- $800,000 settlement for a patient who suffered a spinal cord stroke after a negligent cervical epidural injection procedure, resulting in hemiplegia and spasticity.
- $500,000 settlement alleging negligence during a shoulder dystocia, resulting in a brachial plexus injury and cervical avulsions.
Memberships
- State Bar of Michigan – Character & Fitness Committee
- Oakland County Bar Association – Medical Legal Committee, Executive Board
- American Bar Association – Awards & Subgrants Chief Judge, Young Lawyers Division, 2013-2014 term
- American Bar Association – Awards & Subgrants Team Associate Judge, Young Lawyers Division, 2009-2010 term
- American Association for Justice
- Michigan Association for Justice – Executive Board
- Public Justice
Testimonials
I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your hard work and dedication in handling my case. I appreciate your professionalism, your compassion, and your perseverance throughout this challenging process. You have gone above and beyond to protect my rights, to defend my interests, and to secure a favorable outcome for me. You have shown me that justice is not only a concept but a reality that can be achieved with skill, courage, and integrity. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me. You have made a positive difference in my life, and I will always remember your kindness and generosity.
After I was injured, a family member who practices probate and trust law promised to help me find a great attorney to take my case. After doing some research, he called Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller and proceeded to have me do the same. Within a couple of weeks, I retained her for my medical malpractice case and never regretted my decision for a minute. Throughout my case, she was honest and upfront during every point of contact. Lisa was easy to reach via office phone and email, and when the case felt like it was ramping up, she gave me her cell phone number so I could always reach her, gain perspective, and re-focus on the things in life that were the most important. When I first retained Lisa, I felt like I was trusting her with my life. My world felt it had been turned upside down, I could not work, and physically, I did not recognize myself. Not only did she orchestrate a settlement on my case, she helped me to pick up the pieces of my life with her encouraging words, presence, and sincerity. If I had chosen another attorney I may have obtained the same financial outcome, but I know I would not have felt as secure in one of the most difficult time periods of my life. In the first phone call to Sommers Schwartz, P.C., I was looking to obtain a highly qualified medical malpractice attorney; I got just that and luckily for me, I also found someone who, after all was said and done, I consider a friend. If you have been injured and are considering a medical malpractice case, you will not go wrong by calling Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller at Sommers Schwartz, P.C.
Recent Posts
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Juris Doctor, summa cum laude
- Screening & Preemption Editor, WMU-Cooley Law Review
- Research Assistant, Criminal Procedure
- First Year Moot Court Competition
- Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand, International Law
- Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, International Law
- Western Michigan University, Bachelor in Business Administration, Concentration in Business Finance
- Michigan
- Illinois
- North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- Birth Injury
- Class Action & Mass Tort
- Medical Malpractice
- Personal Injury
- Sexual Assault & Abuse
Truth, integrity, and zealous advocacy - that is how we win your case
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