William B. Forrest III
Member
Birmingham Office
280 North Old Woodward Avenue, Suite 400
Birmingham, Michigan 48009
wforrest@kohp.com
P: 248.645.0000
F: 248.645.1385
Biography
Mr. Forrest has litigated employment disputes for Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000 companies, and other clients in the automotive, energy, financial services, big-box retail, and entertainment industries. He has successfully defended those enterprises against a broad spectrum of claims, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, "whistleblowing," and defamation. He also has extensive experience litigating disputes over retiree health insurance benefits and executive compensation plans, which are often brought as ERISA class actions. Some of his representative engagements include the following:
- Defeated class certification in a race discrimination case brought on behalf of 800 employees against a Detroit 3 auto manufacturer under Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
- Obtained summary judgment for an international wholesale warehouse store in a race discrimination case after the plaintiff's employment was terminated on suspicion of theft; and for an auto manufacturer in a reverse race discrimination claim by a manager of an assembly plant.
- Represented the nation's largest natural gas pipeline company in retiree health insurance litigation brought by a class of 3000 retirees.
- Obtained dismissal of a sexual harassment case against a Major League Baseball team.
- Secured a $4.9 million judgment on behalf of an NBA player in a breach of contract and fraud case against his former agent.
Mr. Forrest is active in the Metropolitan Detroit community. He serves on the Detroit board of Life Directions, a group devoted to motivating young adults in the Detroit Public Schools, especially the economically poor and "at risk," to mature into responsible, productive adults through self-direction.
Mr. Forrest graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1999, where he was a member of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review and was awarded the Order of the Coif. In 1998-1999, he was a visiting student at the University of Michigan Law School. He graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 1996 with a degree in Business Administration.
Bar and Court Admissions
Michigan
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
Memberships and Activities
State Bar of Michigan
Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
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