Rod Cooper

Contact

Member
Toledo
Four Seagate
Eighth Floor
Toledo, Ohio 43604

Overview

Rod Cooper practices in the field of civil litigation and has handled a variety of complex commercial disputes in State and Federal Courts.  His practice areas include contract, insurance coverage, and product liability cases. 

Rod has extensive experience representing clients in the automotive and commercial vehicle industry.  He carries the AV® PreeminentTM Peer Review RatingSM by Martindale-Hubbell®.

Rod has successfully tried both jury and bench trials as lead counsel.  He also has considerable appellate experience.  Rod has argued before appellate courts in Ohio, Michigan, California, and before the Ohio Supreme Court.  Recently, Rod successfully argued a case in the Federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (before Judges Posner, Easterbrook, and Sykes), with the Court affirming the summary judgment he won on behalf of a manufacturer client faced with a wrongful termination charged advanced by its long-time dealer.

Awards / Recognition

  • In 2021, Rod was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America ® for Appellate Practice and Commerical Litigation

Professional / Community

Professional Affiliations

  • Toledo Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan

Community Affiliations

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo, Associate Trustee

Representative Matters

Representative Reported Appellate Matters:

  • Texas UJoints, LLC v. Dana Holding Corp., 844 F.3d 617 (7th Cir. 2016)
  • Dana Limited v. Sypris Technologies, Inc., 54 N.E.3d 801, 2015-Ohio-5311 (6th Dist. Ohio App. 2015)
  • Hull v. Columbia Gas, 110 Ohio St.3d 96 (2006)
  • Eaton Hydraulics Inc. v. Continental Casualty Co., 132 Cal. App. 4th 966 (2005)
  • Bouchard v. American Home Products, 213 F.Supp.2d 802 (N.D. Ohio 2002)
  • Longs v. Wyeth, 536 F.Supp.2d 843 (N.D. Ohio 2008)
  • Zuniga v. Norplas Indus. Inc., 974 N.E.2d 1252 (Ohio App. 2012)

services

Litigation

education

B.A., 1992, Miami University
J.D., 1995, Duke University

admissions

United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio
United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio
United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court, Western District of Michigan
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

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