Cynthia Haffey, Butzel Long Photo

Clients across the globe have come to depend on Cynthia J. Haffey’s experience when legal action is looming. Her practice is focused on commercial litigation with a specialty in automotive supply chain and intellectual property disputes. Notably, because she won’t represent OEMs, her automotive supplier clients can trust they are receiving unconstrained counsel. Ms. Haffey counsels and represents Fortune 500 companies and entities of all sizes. She has obtained multimillion dollar awards, verdicts, and settlements for her clients across numerous jurisdictions.

Overview

Cynthia Haffey has deep experience—litigating and prevailing—in federal and state courts and arbitration tribunals in Michigan, New York, Illinois, Arizona, Indiana, Maine, South Carolina, and Massachusetts. In addition to her experience in automotive supply chain and intellectual property disputes, she has decades of experience litigating shareholder disputes, corporate merger, acquisition, and other transaction disputes, fraud and other business torts, sales commission disputes, matters involving breach of non-compete agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets, real estate disputes, construction contract disputes, anti-trust, bankruptcy, and securities litigation.

Ms. Haffey is a Shareholder practicing in the firm’s Detroit office. She was the first female ever to be elected to Butzel’s Board of Directors. Today, Ms. Haffey focuses her leadership skills on serving as Co-Chair of the firm’s Automotive Industry Team, Automotive Law Practice Department, and Global Automotive Coordinating Committee. She is additionally Co-Chair of the firm’s Alternative Fee Committee and is a member of the Mexico International Team.

Cynthia Haffey has been recognized repeatedly during the course of her career by numerous prestigious legal publications for her exceptional work in Commercial Litigation. Additionally, also throughout her lengthy legal career, she has shared her knowledge with clients and others through a variety of presentations, webinars, speaking engagements, and publications. Ms. Haffey is co-author of MEMA, the Vehicle Suppliers Association’s North American OEM Production Purchase Order Terms and Conditions Comparative Analysis. Butzel has proudly prepared this analysis, widely recognized as an industry standard, each year consecutively since 2008.

Credentials

Education

Wayne State University Law School, J.D., cum laude

Western Michigan University, B.S. magna cum laude

Admissions

  • Michigan

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan, former Co-Chair of Social Justice Committee
  • Oakland County Bar Association

Awards & Recognitions

Awards & Recognitions

Best Lawyers in America® - Commercial Litigation, 2024, 2025

DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit - Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law, 2012; Litigation-Commercial, 2018, 2020-2023

Michigan Lawyers Weekly -Women in the Law, 2012

Michigan Super Lawyers - Business Litigation, 2013-2023

Michigan Super Lawyers – Top 50 Women, 2014-2015

Chambers USA—America's Leading Lawyers for Business - Litigation-Commercial, 2019-2023

Wayne State University Law School - Norman I. Lemmon Award; Walter Nussbaum Award; Boaz Siegel Award

Experience

  • Defended and Represented counter-claimant in aviation supplier litigation
  • Successfully represented healthcare technology company in Non-Compete/Trade Secret dispute.
  • Obtained a $7.25 million settlement for German automotive corporation in dispute relating to the acquisition of a piston manufacturing company.
  • Successfully represented client in breach of executive level employment agreement.
  • Successfully positioned client at trial to obtain a significant settlement on behalf of the defendant/counter-plaintiff in a dispute alleging breach of contract and fraudulent inducement relating to the sale of electrical control panel company.
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of public university on Section 1983 claim.
  • Defended corporation in employment whistleblower action
  • Successfully positioned the defense of breach of contract dispute concerning the sale of a business so that plaintiff withdrew its claim with prejudice in the middle of arbitration.
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of retailer clothing chain in employment wrongful discrimination action.
  • Automotive supplier dispute
  • Defended party in contract dispute
  • Defended client in fraud claims relating to sale of business
  • Defended client in First Amendment action
  • Contract dispute
  • Defend corporation in employment discrimination action
  • Obtained jury verdict in favor of Defendant in a $5 million lawsuit brought by a major hospital/health care system in connection with an acquisition of client’s optometric centers.
  • Obtained favorable case evaluation settlement on behalf automotive supplier in employment whistleblower action.
  • Defended client in contract dispute
  • Successfully represented Tier 1 Automotive Supplier in breach of contract disputes with its supply base.
  • Represented tier 1 auto supplier in contract dispute against OEM; settled in favor of our client
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of purchaser of real estate development in a dispute with surety.
  • Obtained jury verdict in favor of defendants in a $5 million lawsuit brought by a major hospital/health care system in connection with an acquisition of client’s optometric centers.
  • Successfully represented residential real estate multi-list entity in antitrust dispute.
  • Lead counsel in over 150 litigation actions on behalf of major tier 1 automotive supplier.
  • Defended corporation in employment whistleblower action
  • Successfully represented healthcare technology company in breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secret/confidential information dispute.
  • Defended party in business fraud action
  • Successfully represented document imaging company in Non-Compete/Trade Secret dispute.
  • Successfully represented Tier 1 Automotive Supplier in breach of contract action in the United States District Court, North District of Illinois.
  • Real estate litigation contract dispute
  • Obtained directed verdict at trial on behalf of defended corporation in employment whistleblower action.
  • Defended party in contract dispute
  • Lease dispute for major exposition center
  • Represented party in their claim of fraudulent misrepresentation against seller of business
  • Successfully arbitrated and obtained $7.2 million award, including $675,000 in attorney fees and costs, in breach of contract dispute between aerospace supplier and aircraft manufacturer.

News & Events

News

Speaking Engagements

Alerts & Publications

Client Alerts

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