Michael Jaeger

Partner

Michael.Jaeger@lewisbrisbois.com

Michael Jaeger is a partner in the Seattle office of Lewis Brisbois, a member of the Insurance Law and Transportation Practices, and an experienced Arbitrator/Mediator. His practice focuses on a broad spectrum of litigation, including matters related to insurance defense, premises liability, trucking and transportation law, Federal and State workers' compensation, maritime, product liability, asbestos litigation, toxic tort litigation, construction defect, public work litigation, property damage and construction personal injury defense. Michael is licensed to practice in the state of Oregon and in the state and federal courts of Washington. He has tried numerous cases on behalf of defendants, primarily concerning personal injury claims.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Insurance Law
  • Transportation
  • General Liability
  • National Trial Practice

Additional Experience

Admissions

Washington

OR

Supreme Court of Washington

US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

US District Courts, Eastern and Western Districts of Washington

Associations

  • Washington State Bar Association
  • Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association
  • Trucking Industry Defense Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • American Trucking Associations
  • National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association
  • Washington State Association for Justice
  • American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers

Professional Presentations

  • “Emerging Issues with Using Owners/Operators,” CLM Pacific Northwest Conference, 2016
  • American Conference Institute’s 3rd National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation - Evidence Preservation/Spoliation, November 2012
  • Second National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation—Settlement Negotiations and Alternative Dispute Resolution: Using ADR to Minimize the Impact of Trucking Litigation, American Conference Institute, December 2011

Education

University of Puget Sound

Juris Doctor, 1993

Central Washington University

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with double major in Management and Marketing, 1988

Publications

Emerging Trends in Transportation and Logistics Remarks, Tacoma, June 2012

Representative Matters

  • Plaintiff filed suit against defendant, alleging that as a result of a boat moving company’s negligence, the boat sustained damages in the six-figure range. An appellate victory was secured when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant.
  • Plaintiff claimed personal injuries as a result of a motor vehicle accident with a tractor-trailer. Liability was admitted. Defendant’s medical expert diagnosed a cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sprain and strain.  Plaintiff asked the jury for $65,000.  Four-day jury trial resulted in a defense verdict.
  • Plaintiff truck driver sued the manufacturer of the trailer in federal court alleging a defective trailer caused him to roll his tractor trailer. Plaintiff claimed $4.3 million in damages. Pursued successful summary judgment on causation and prevailed upon appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
  • Plaintiff claimed permanent injuries, including a closed head injury, a shoulder injury requiring surgery, and bilateral knee injuries requiring future knee-replacement surgeries, as a result of head-on collision with a tractor-trailer. Liability was admitted and plaintiff claimed damages in excess of $1.8 million. Two-week jury trial resulted in award for plaintiff in the amount of $595,000 ($55,000 less than defendant’s pretrial offer). 
  • Defense verdict after a four-day jury trail regarding a motor vehicle accident where plaintiff claimed neck and back injuries, and defendant had admitted liability.
  • Four-day jury trial resulted in award of only $16,000 for two plaintiffs involved in pedestrian/motor vehicle accident. Plaintiffs claimed various injuries, including permanent knee injuries, neck, back and hip injuries. Liability was admitted and plaintiffs asserted damages in excess of $160,000.
  • Four-day jury trial resulted in award for plaintiff of only $5,000 against defendant after motor vehicle accident plaintiff claimed caused chronic lower back injury and lost wages. Liability was admitted and plaintiff claimed damages in excess of $70,000.
  • Four-day jury trial resulted in award for plaintiff of only $8,628 against defendant driver in case where defendant’s liability was determined on summary judgment. Plaintiff claimed chronic neck and back injuries and lost profits, seeking damages in excess of $200,000.
  • Three-day jury trial resulted in award for plaintiff of only $4,500 in automobile accident case where the defendant had admitted liability, the plaintiff claimed significant property damage and permanent lower back injuries from herniated and bulging disks (verified by MRI) and sought $300,000 in damages.
  • Two-day jury trial resulted in award for plaintiff of only $9,000 from motor vehicle versus pedestrian accident. Liability was conceded and plaintiff sustained multiple fractures and lower back injuries and claimed damages approaching six figures.
  • Secured summary judgment for Live Nation, the Grant County Sheriffs Office and Phish in a lawsuit in which the plaintiffs sought to hold the defendants liable for injuries they suffered at a concert when they were struck with rocks by unknown assailants. The court agreed with the defendants that they only owed a duty to invitees to prevent reasonably foreseeable harm, and the harm in question was not reasonably foreseeable.