Alyson Claire Decker

Litigator | Fractional General Counsel | Space Attorney 🚀 | Mediator | Employment Law Guru | Board Member | Luminary

[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

June has been such a blur of work and events that I haven’t had time to post about appearing at #SpaceTechExpo earlier this month.

The panel was “Trump 2.0 – Key Priorities and Urgent Policies for a Thriving Space Ecosystem” and the three key themes I spoke about were:

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

3. We parachuted into this case a month before trial. Plaintiff asked for $116 million. The jury awarded $3.7 and found Plaintiff 49% liable. Once the verdict was reduced by comparative fault and to present value, the total was only about $1.3 million.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

I've been trying to process, dethaw (IT WAS COLD), and figure out how to post about the 5-week (drunk bicyclist versus police cruiser) trial I just had in Flint, Michigan, because, boy, was this an experience.

So here are my much anticipated three takeaways:

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

2. 2nd chairing can often feel like being a 3rd thumb. That wasn't the case here. First chair was fantastic and worked in a collaborative manner. And I got to do 5 expert crosses, 2 treater crosses, 2 fact witness crosses, and the direct of 1 of 2 defense witnesses.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

Even just a few months ago I couldn’t imagine that I’d be in Flint, Michigan in the middle of a multi-week long trial, but here I am!

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https://t.co/OeLZZw2vSW

[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

The first trial I ever did I parachuted in weeks before to second chair it. After that trial ended I remember saying that’s what I wanted my career to be- trials- and preferably ones where I came in last minute.

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#norestforthelitigator

[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

Sometimes when you ask for it- your career delivers- even if takes a few years.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

It was a great result for our client and a reminder that being a discovery bulldog can have big payoffs. (P.S. Plaintiff side attorneys, don’t forget to thoroughly vet your clients, because defense counsel sure as hell will.)

#norestforthelitigator

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

A little over a year ago I was brought on to a case involving an alleged sexual assault that occurred in 1984. There were no records, the alleged perpetrator was unidentified, and there was no one left alive who had worked there on the management team in the 1980s.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

After multiple informal discovery conferences where I made it clear that the only pedophile here was plaintiff- Plaintiff’s Counsel asked us to agree to a dismissal of all claims with prejudice in exchange for us not pursuing them for costs, fees, and sanctions.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

3️⃣ High end employment law disputes. (For example, we just wrapped up a case for an executive whistleblower where no severance was offered at the time of their wrongful termination, but we were able to get them fully compensated for lost wages and emotional distress.)

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

One of the first questions I get asked about the employment law work I do is whether I represent employers or employees. And the answer is both.

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#employmentlaw

[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

2️⃣ Employees trying to both understand and potentially negotiate a higher severance package.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

Despite opposition from the other defendants, the Court granted a motion for good faith settlement, protecting Ms. Decker's client from apportionment of any future award of damages against the remaining defendants. Potential worst case exposure was between $1.5-$1.9 mil.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

Case 5: The Good Faith Settlement

Ms. Decker was added to this case, which had been pending for quite some time, involving the alleged sex trafficking of a minor.

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#norestforthelitigator #goodfaithsettlement

[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

Case 4: The MSJ

Ms. Decker jumped in to write a motion for summary judgment for a City, one of the defendants in the case. At issue was whether the City could be held liable for a pinecone that had fallen from a tree and allegedly causing cranial and brain injuries.

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[Alyson Claire Decker @AlysonDecker10]

After following up on previous discovery, conducting some additional discovery on key issues to limit potential liability and exposure, and developing a working relationship with Plaintiff’s Counsel, Ms. Decker was able to negotiate a settlement of $125,000.

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