Michelle is a founding partner of the firm of Zoll & Kranz, LLC located in Toledo, Ohio. Michelle has been a plaintiff's lawyer for the entirety of her practice ““ over 26 years. She devotes the majority of her time to complex consolidated litigation, advocating for patients injured by medical devices and prescription medications.
She has held multiple leadership positions in various mass tort litigations. Her current leadership positions include:
- Liaison Counsel and Settlement Oversight Committee, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2197);
- Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, Gilead Tenofovir Cases (California JCCP 5043); and
- Plaintiffs' Executive Committee and Common Benefit Committee, In Re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2545).
Michelle's prior mass tort experience includes Plaintiffs' Steering Committee Appointments in In re: Text Messaging Antitrust Litigation(MDL 1997) and In Re: Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2391). Michelle's other mass tort litigation experience includes:
- In re: Polyurethane Foam Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2196
- In re: Keurig Green Mountain Single-Serve Coffee Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2542
- In re: Lawnmower Engine Horsepower Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, MDL No. 1999
- In re: Sulzer Orthopedics Inc. Hip Prosthesis and Knee Prosthesis Liability, MDL No. 1401
- In re: Heparin Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1953
- In re: Vioxx ® Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1657
- In re: Yasmin and YAZ (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2100
- In re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2592
- Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation (Transvaginal Mesh), MDL Nos. 2187, 2325, 2326, 2327, 2387, 2440
- In re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2441
- In re: Zimmer Durom Hip Cup Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2158
- In re: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2385
- In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2299
- In re: Fresenius Granuflo/Naturalyte Dialysate Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2428
- In re: Zoloft (Sertraline Hydrochloride) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2342
- In re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2502
- In re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606
- In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, MDL 2670
- In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2740
- In re: 3m Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2885
- In re: Zofran (Ondansetron) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2657
Michelle also has extensive leadership experience in professional organizations. She is currently serving on the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association, as a member of the Ohio State Bar Foundation Board and as a Trustee for the Toledo Bar Association Foundation. She has also served as President of the Toledo Bar Association (2015-2016), and as a member of the Council of Delegates of the Ohio State Bar Association.
Michelle was born in Springfield, Ohio. She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree (cum laude) from Miami University in 1990. She graduated from the University of Toledo College Of Law with a Juris Doctorate in 1993 and was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in 1993. Michelle is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois (2014), Northern (1994) and Southern (2006) Districts of Ohio, various other district courts, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (1994), the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (2007), and the United States Supreme Court (1998).
She is AV Peer Review Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Martindale-Hubbell and is also listed as one of the “œTop 100 Trial Lawyers” by the American Trial Lawyers Association. She was designated “œLawyer of the Year” in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation- Plaintiffs in Toledo by Best Lawyers® for 2019. Michelle was also selected to Super Lawyers in 2020, Top Rated Class Action & Mass Torts Attorney in Toledo, OH.