01 · Business litigationTotal resolution
$24MA decade-long commercial dispute
A $15.6 million jury verdict was reinstated on appeal; prejudgment interest brought the reported total resolution to $24 million.
Case detailTrial counsel · Commercial + complex civil litigation
Trial counsel for consequential disputes.
Michael B. Pasternak represents businesses, principals, and select individuals in high-stakes civil litigation. Every matter is analyzed for leverage and prepared for trial from the outset.
Ohio admission 1992Sixth Circuit 1997
01$24MCommercial resolution after verdict and interest02$15MCombined civil-rights verdict · trial team03$1.75MMedical-negligence verdict · plaintiff trial team
0433+Years in civil litigation and trial practice
The record
Preparation changes the balance of power.
Results are earned before a lawyer enters the courtroom: in the record, in the details, and in the willingness to keep going when the other side expects the case to end.
02 · Civil rightsJury verdict
$15MThe East Cleveland Three
Michael served on the trial team in the federal civil-rights case for three men wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for two decades.
Case detail03 · Medical negligenceJury verdict
$1.75MFive neurological surgeries after a failed cranial implant
A unanimous jury verdict in a complex medical-negligence and product-liability case involving permanent injury.
Case detailPast results depend on the facts and law of each case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The standard
A selective docket. Direct responsibility. Trial-ready from day one.
Accepted matters are analyzed around liability, damages, evidentiary risk, and leverage before the first major move is made. That discipline shapes negotiation and trial alike.
Understand the approachScope of representation
Built for complex disputes and high-consequence claims.
Business disputes lead the practice. The same disciplined analysis is applied to a deliberately limited number of serious civil claims.
Business Litigation
Contract, ownership, and commercial disputes where the enterprise itself may be at risk.
02
Medical Malpractice
Serious medical errors investigated with the experts, records, and discipline these cases require.
03Wrongful Death
Measured, forceful representation when negligence has permanently changed a family.
04Nursing Home Neglect
Care records, staffing failures, and preventable harm brought into clear focus.
05Catastrophic Injury
Lifetime consequences documented with a case strategy built for the full measure of loss.
06Car Accidents
Serious collision claims prepared beyond the insurer’s version of events.
07Truck Accidents
Commercial-carrier cases developed through regulation, data, maintenance, and corporate responsibility.
Professional record01 / Counsel
1992Admitted in Ohio
FederalSixth Circuit · 1997
FacultyFBA Trial Academy · 2024
Michael B. Pasternak
Judgment built over three decades of complex civil litigation.
Admitted in Ohio in 1992, Michael advises businesses and select individual clients when the legal, financial, or personal consequences require direct senior-level attention.
His work spans complex commercial disputes and serious injury litigation, including medical negligence, wrongful death, nursing-home neglect, and catastrophic collisions.
He has argued through trial, post-trial motions, and appeal— including a commercial matter that took more than a decade and two trips to the Sixth Circuit to resolve.
Direct intake · Counsel-led review