William B. Forrest III

Member

Attorney William Forrest III

Mr. Forrest represents employers in complex workplace disputes. In addition to litigating a broad spectrum of employment and traditional labor matters, Mr. Forrest regularly serves as lead counsel in ERISA pension and welfare benefit class actions. He also has expertise in employment contract disputes, including executive compensation, confidentiality, non-compete, non-solicitation, and sales commission litigation.

Some of Mr. Forrest’s recent engagements include: (1) winning a federal trial for Belle Tire Distributors, Inc., in an action challenging the executive exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act; (2) winning a federal jury trial for Ford Motor Company in an action by a former employee alleging age and national origin discrimination; (3) successfully arguing a race, gender, and pregnancy discrimination case in the Michigan Court of Appeals for Ford Motor Company; (4) obtaining summary judgment in an ERISA denial-of-benefits case against a Tier 1 aerospace, marine, rail and auto supplier; and (5) representing a multinational food services and facilities management corporation in an action alleging FMLA retaliation.

Mr. Forrest has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers in the labor and employment law field. In 2014, the Michigan Supreme Court appointed Mr. Forrest to the Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions.

He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he was a member of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review and was awarded the Order of the Coif. He was also a visiting student at the University of Michigan Law School. He graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a degree in Business Administration.

  • Obtaining dismissal of a nationwide ERISA class action against an automobile manufacturer alleging failure to pay a Medicare Part B reimbursement benefit.
  • Obtaining judgment for a diesel engine manufacturer in a class action dispute over a collectively bargained cap on retiree health insurance benefits.
  • Representing a professional sports and entertainment company in an action alleging breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition, and tortious interference.
  • Obtaining summary judgment for an automobile manufacturer in an ADA “reasonable accommodation” case alleging failure to engage in the required interactive process.
  • Representing the nation’s largest natural gas pipeline company in complex retiree health insurance class action spanning more than a decade.
  • Representing a Tier 1 aerospace, marine, rail, and auto supplier nationwide in ERISA benefit litigation.

  • Michigan
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Mr. Forrest is a state certified firefighter and an active volunteer member of the Bloomfield Village Fire Department.