Michael Manfredi defends companies and individuals in the areas of premises liability, product liability, transportation, employment and labor, and insurance defense. A courtroom veteran, Michael has tried cases in Georgia state and superior courts and the federal district courts in Georgia, and he represents clients in the appellate courts as well. 

Michael’s clients range from local to national to international entities. They include commercial and multifamily residential premises owners, including REITs and other ownership groups; hotels; property managers; chemical and product manufacturers and distributors; and members of the ridesharing and micro-mobility industries. He also represents companies on both sides of issues in contract disputes, including disagreements and litigation over indemnification.

Favoring a holistic approach to managing the litigation process, Michael first seeks quick and cost-effective resolutions to potentially protracted liability cases, accelerating turnaround through procedural dismissals, substantive dismissals, successful tenders and negotiated settlements.

Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Michael worked at a highly respected civil litigation firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and gained significant experience while serving as an assistant attorney general at the Office of the State Attorney General, where he represented state officers and officials sued for alleged constitutional violations and tort claims and appeared before federal and state judges for trials, oral argument and pretrial conferences.

    Education

    • Georgia State University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2010)
      • vice president, Moot Court
      • Student Bar Association 3L Senator-at-Large
      • Budget Review Committee member
      • Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, International Trade and Corporate Law
    • Wake Forest University (B.A., 2007)
      • Dean’s List
      • All-ACC Academic Honor Roll

    Bar Admissions

    • Georgia

    Court Admissions

    • Supreme Court of Georgia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
    • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Georgia
    • Court of Appeals of Georgia

    Professional Affiliations

    • Marist Alumni Lawyer's Association
    • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
    • Atlanta Bar Association
    • Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies
    • Georgia Italian-American Bar Association

    Awards & Honors

    • Selected for inclusion in The Legal 500 United States in Cannabis Tier 4, 2025
    • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® Ones to Watch™, 2024-2025
    • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©: Ones to Watch in the areas of Construction Law; Insurance Law; Municipal Law, 2021-2023
    • Selected for inclusion in the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40

    Languages

    • Italian
    • Spanish

Michael P. Manfredi

Michael Manfredi defends companies and individuals in the areas of premises liability, product liability, transportation, employment and labor, and insurance defense. A courtroom veteran, Michael has tried cases in Georgia state and superior courts and the federal district courts in Georgia, and he represents clients in the appellate courts as well. 

Michael’s clients range from local to national to international entities. They include commercial and multifamily residential premises owners, including REITs and other ownership groups; hotels; property managers; chemical and product manufacturers and distributors; and members of the ridesharing and micro-mobility industries. He also represents companies on both sides of issues in contract disputes, including disagreements and litigation over indemnification.

Favoring a holistic approach to managing the litigation process, Michael first seeks quick and cost-effective resolutions to potentially protracted liability cases, accelerating turnaround through procedural dismissals, substantive dismissals, successful tenders and negotiated settlements.

Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Michael worked at a highly respected civil litigation firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and gained significant experience while serving as an assistant attorney general at the Office of the State Attorney General, where he represented state officers and officials sued for alleged constitutional violations and tort claims and appeared before federal and state judges for trials, oral argument and pretrial conferences.

Events

Michael Manfredi defends companies and individuals in the areas of premises liability, product liability, transportation, employment and labor, and insurance defense. A courtroom veteran, Michael has tried cases in Georgia state and superior courts and the federal district courts in Georgia, and he represents clients in the appellate courts as well. 

Michael’s clients range from local to national to international entities. They include commercial and multifamily residential premises owners, including REITs and other ownership groups; hotels; property managers; chemical and product manufacturers and distributors; and members of the ridesharing and micro-mobility industries. He also represents companies on both sides of issues in contract disputes, including disagreements and litigation over indemnification.

Favoring a holistic approach to managing the litigation process, Michael first seeks quick and cost-effective resolutions to potentially protracted liability cases, accelerating turnaround through procedural dismissals, substantive dismissals, successful tenders and negotiated settlements.

Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Michael worked at a highly respected civil litigation firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and gained significant experience while serving as an assistant attorney general at the Office of the State Attorney General, where he represented state officers and officials sued for alleged constitutional violations and tort claims and appeared before federal and state judges for trials, oral argument and pretrial conferences.

Michael P. Manfredi

Manfredi and Sands Obtain Motion to Dismiss in Federal Action

Michael Manfredi (Partner-Atlanta, GA) and Jennifer Sands (Associate-Atlanta, GA) obtained dismissal of all claims against the firm's client in a federal action in which the plaintiff sought $3,000,000 in damages. The plaintiff asserted claims against multiple defendants, alleging violations of his constitutional rights under both federal and state law, and negligence under Georgia state law. The plaintiff further sought attorney's fees under O.C.G.A. § 13-6-11, alleging our client acted in bad faith and was stubbornly litigious. The federal district court granted the motion to dismiss in its entirety without oral argument, notwithstanding the plaintiff's request for a hearing.

Michael P. Manfredi and Jennifer S. Sands

Atlanta Team Secures Settlement at a Fraction of Plaintiff's Eight-figure Demand

Michael Manfredi (Partner–Atlanta, GA), Kristina Thompson (Of Counsel–Atlanta, GA), and Jennifer Sands (Associate–Atlanta, GA​​) secured a significant defense outcome in a premises liability case arising from a shooting on the defendants' apartment-style residential property. The plaintiff sustained gunshot wounds to his lower extremities and faces a potential future amputation. His initial demand was for $30 million, and he filed suit against our insured clients in Gwinnett County State Court. The Atlanta defense team vigorously defended the case through discovery and contentious motions practice, maintaining that the plaintiff's injuries resulted from unforeseeable third-party criminal acts for which the property owner and management are not liable. Despite substantial resistance from opposing counsel, the team successfully obtained the underlying criminal investigative files, which revealed numerous material inconsistencies – including lies and omissions - between the plaintiff's statements to law enforcement and his civil discovery responses and testimony. Based on these findings, the team filed a Motion for Sanctions for Discovery Abuses seeking dismissal of the Complaint. While the motion was pending, plaintiff's counsel reduced the demand from $30 million to $3 million, which was one-tenth of the initial demand. The case ultimately resolved for an amount below that reduced figure.

Michael P. Manfredi, Kristina E. Thompson and Jennifer S. Sands

Manfredi and Groswith Deliver Summary Judgment Victory in SPF Product Liability and Toxic Tort Litigation

Michael Manfredi (Partner-Atlanta, GA) and Jennafer Groswith (Partner-Dallas, TX) secured summary judgment for SWD Urethane, an Arizona-based spray polyurethane foam manufacturer, in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia. The plaintiff alleged that SWD manufactured defective and toxic spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation applied in her home during a November 2020 renovation. Upon returning, she claimed to experience a range of symptoms –including headaches, breathing difficulties, chest tightness, and rashes – which she attributed to SPF exposure. The plaintiff brought claims against SWD for strict product liability (design defect), negligent product liability (design defect), failure to warn, negligence per se, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees. 

Mickey and Jennafer moved for summary judgment on multiple grounds, including the plaintiff's failure to respond to SWD's requests for admissions, which were deemed admitted, and the absence of competent evidence connecting SWD to the SPF installed in the plaintiff's home. In opposing the motion, the plaintiff relied on unverified air quality expert reports and a late-disclosed medical causation affidavit from her treating physician to establish the causal link between the SPF and her injuries. Wilson Elser successfully moved to strike or exclude these submissions, arguing that the air quality reports were unsworn and, therefore, did not satisfy the evidentiary requirements for consideration on summary judgment, and that the treating physician’s causation testimony constituted undisclosed expert opinion offered after the close of discovery. The court agreed and excluded all three expert reports.

With the expert evidence excluded, the plaintiff was left with only a single invoice between SWD and the co-defendant installer as purported proof that SWD manufactured the SPF at issue. Mickey and Jennafer argued that the invoice was insufficient to create a genuine dispute of material fact, as it did not establish that the products listed were SPF, that they were used in the plaintiff's home, or that SWD was the manufacturer rather than merely a seller. The court agreed that no reasonable jury could conclude from the invoice alone that SWD manufactured the SPF applied in the plaintiff's home, granted summary judgment on all claims and dismissed SWD from the case with prejudice, and awarded its costs.

Michael P. Manfredi and Jennafer G. Groswith

Stone, Manfredi and Jolley Successfully Defend Attorney in Libel/Slander Case

Parks Stone (Partner-Atlanta, GA), Michael Manfredi (Partner-Atlanta, GA) and Eleanor Jolley (Of Counsel-Atlanta, GA) prevailed at the Georgia Court of Appeals in a libel and slander case filed against our client defense attorney for comments made to opposing counsel during the course of the underlying litigation. Our client made comments to opposing counsel regarding the nature and extent of the appellant doctor’s services and billing practices. The doctor filed the lawsuit seeking to silence our client by asserting claims for libel and slander. Parks, Michael and Eleanor sought dismissal under Georgia’s anti-SLAPP free speech statute on the grounds the communications were privileged, protected, and made in good faith and in furtherance of a legitimate interest. The trial court agreed in part, finding the communications were protected but not privileged. The Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the trial court’s decision on the grounds the comments were made in furtherance of his clients’ legitimate interests, were limited in scope and occasion, and published only to proper persons. As such, they were considered privileged and protected under Georgia law. The trial court was accordingly ordered to consider on remand our client’s request for attorneys’ fees and litigation costs incurred throughout the defense of the appellant’s claims.

Parks K. Stone, Michael P. Manfredi and Eleanor G. Jolley

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