Of Counsel
Thomas F. Norton serves as Of Counsel to Christopher Trainor & Associates. Admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1991, Tom has a public record spanning personal injury, premises-liability, Social Security, appellate, and federal civil matters.
One of Tom's clearest publicly documented matters is Hoffman v. Red Oak Management Co. Tom represented a tenant appealing the dismissal of her premises-liability case after she slipped on an icy walkway outside her apartment. The Michigan Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal and returned the case for further proceedings, finding genuine factual disputes about the condition of the walkway and whether the defendants had notice of the hazard.
A 2009 Eastern District of Michigan order also identifies Tom as counsel for plaintiffs in Peterson v. United States, a federal civil matter in which Christopher Trainor also appeared. Together, these records document Tom's plaintiff-side work and his longstanding professional connection with the firm.
Tom's publicly documented work shows a willingness to continue pursuing a viable claim after an early dismissal. In Hoffman, he carried an injured tenant's premises-liability case to the Michigan Court of Appeals, where the dismissal was reversed and the client regained the opportunity to move her case forward.
Tom's public record includes plaintiff-side representation in the Michigan Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Tom represented a tenant whose premises-liability claim had been dismissed after she slipped on an icy apartment walkway. The Court of Appeals reversed and remanded, holding that genuine factual disputes remained about whether the walkway was fit for its intended use and whether the defendants had notice of the hazardous condition.
A 2009 federal court order identifies Tom as counsel for the plaintiffs in a civil matter in which Christopher Trainor also appeared, documenting their professional connection and Tom's federal court representation.
The Hoffman decision reversed a dismissal and returned the case for further proceedings; it was not a final damages award. Past results depend on the facts and circumstances of each case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Core Focus
