Overview
Rachel Olney is a litigator who focuses her practice on a broad range of complex insurance coverage litigation including first and third party no-fault litigation, medical malpractice defense, business and commercial litigation, and mass tort defense of asbestos cases.
Rachel's representative client work includes:
- Defending insurers in first and third party no-fault litigation
- Examining priority insurers for the payment of first party personal injury protection benefit claims.
- Defending against uninsured and underinsured motorist claims
- Evaluating "threshold" injuries
- Analyzing liability and causation issues
- Reviewing complex insurance policies for exceptions and exclusions
- Providing pre-litigation/claims stage advice to insurers
- Defending large volume asbestos cases, representing various suppliers and manufacturers of asbestos-containing products
Honors & Recognitions
2019 "Up and Coming Lawyer", Michigan Lawyers Weekly
Best Lawyers in America© 2021-2024 "One to Watch" (Commercial Litigation)
Michigan Super Lawyers "Rising Star," General Litigation, 2020-2023
Affiliations
Memberships & Affiliations
Legal Affiliations:
- State Bar of Michigan
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Michigan Defense Trial Counsel
Experience
Representative Matters
- Won appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals
- In April 2023, had trial victory in Wayne County Circuit Court. It was a challenging case involving a no-fault domicile issue and the verdict (after only 15 minutes of deliberation) resulted in a $900,000 savings for the client.
- Successfully secured summary disposition in numerous cases in favor of insurance companies in claims for first and third party no-fault benefits. Most notably:
- Secured summary disposition in favor of an insurance company where the injured party was seeking $1,000,000+ after the Court determined that an insurer of higher priority was responsible for the first party no-fault benefits.
- Secured summary disposition in favor of an insurance company where the injured party was seeking $1,000,000+ after the Court determined that the injured party committed a fraudulent insurance act.
- Secured summary disposition in favor of an insurance company where medical providers were seeking $500,000+ after the Court determined that the medical providers did not have standing.
- Secured summary disposition in favor of an insurance company after the court determined that the injured party was barred from first party no-fault benefits for failing to reasonably cooperate in the investigation of her claim.
- Secured summary disposition in favor of an insurance company after the court determined the injured party was barred from third party no-fault benefits because she was negligent in causing subject motor vehicle accident.
- Secured summary disposition in favor of an insurance company after the court determined the injured party was barred from third party no-fault benefits because she failed to satisfy conditions precedent to the insurance policy.
Communications
Publications
- Is the Fraud Defense in First-Party Litigation a Thing of the Past?, Foster Swift Litigation News Update E-blast, July 16, 2020
News & Events
Speaking Engagements
- Coverage for Defective Subcontractor Work: Learning from Skanska v. MAP, Insurance Alliance of Michigan (IAM) Claims Conference, September 19, 2022
News
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2024 "Ones to Watch", Best Lawyers in America, August 17, 2023
- 17 Attorneys Selected to 2023 Michigan Super Lawyers and “Rising Stars”, Michigan Super Lawyers, August 11, 2023
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2023 "Ones to Watch", Best Lawyers in America, August 18, 2022
- 21 Attorneys Selected to 2022 Michigan Super Lawyers and “Rising Stars”, Michigan Super Lawyers, August 12, 2022
- New Virtual Program Addresses Legal Strategies for Women Business Leaders, Michigan Business Network, March 28, 2022
- Foster Swift Elects Four Shareholders, January 10, 2022
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2022 "Ones to Watch", August 19, 2021
Practice Areas
Education
Michigan State University College of Law, J.D., 2015, summa cum laude
Michigan State University, B.A., 2012, with High Honors
Bar and Court Admissions
Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan