Mike Rothrock is an experienced trial attorney with a proven track record of trying complicated cases to verdict. His practice focuses on representing insurers and businesses in matters related to general liability, automobile and trucking liability, premises liability, animal liability and insurance coverage disputes. Mike has experience as both a plaintiff's lawyer and a defense lawyer.

Areas of Focus

Insurance Defense
In the area of insurance defense, Mike has successfully handled a wide variety of cases from the pre-suit investigation stages through appeal, including those involving wrongful deaths and catastrophic injuries.

    Education

    • Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (J.D., 2008)
    • University of North Carolina at Wilmington (B.A., 2005)
      • cum laude

    Bar Admissions

    • North Carolina

    Court Admissions

    • 10th Judicial District Bar
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
    • U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina

    Professional Affiliations

    • North Carolina Bar Association
    • North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
    • Wake County Bar Association
    • DRI: The Voice of the Defense Bar

    Awards & Honors

    • AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell
    • Super Lawyers® Rising Star™ in Civil Litigation: Defense, 2018–2023
    • The Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College Graduate

Michael S. Rothrock

Rothrock and Clements Obtain Summary Judgment Thwarting Product Liability Claim

Michael S. Rothrock (Of Counsel-Raleigh, NC) and Peter Clements (Associate-Charlotte, NC) obtained summary judgment in North Carolina Superior Court for a national distributor of smoking and vaping products and accessories. In this product liability case, the plaintiff sought damages for injuries sustained after a lithium-ion battery experienced a thermal runaway in his pocket, causing second-degree burns and scarring. The plaintiff contends that the distributor and retailer of the batteries are liable because they knew or should have known that the batteries were inappropriate for use in vaping devices and alleges that he was not warned of the dangers associated with them. There was a factual dispute between the parties as to whether the plaintiff was warned, but the plaintiff maintained that if he was warned, the warning was insufficient. Mike and Peter argued that the plaintiff's claims lack merit because the plaintiff failed to prove that our client distributed the battery; no evidence was presented establishing the claimed injury was caused by an act or omission of the client; any failure to warn was not a proximate cause of the injury; and the sealed container defense bars the plaintiff's claims. The court concurred, granting Mike and Peter’s motion for summary judgment just before trial and dismissing the case. 

Michael S. Rothrock and Peter Clements Jr.

Privacy Settings
Your Privacy Choices
We value your privacy. Under privacy laws in your jurisdiction, you have the right to control how your personal information is used, including the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may also limit the use of your sensitive personal information.

Below, you can review and adjust your cookie and data sharing preferences. For more information about how we use your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Your Rights and Choices

Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: You may opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for advertising and analytics purposes by turning off Advertising & Targeting Cookies. We will honor your choice and will not sell or share your personal information for these purposes unless you enable these cookies again. Wilson Elser does not sell or share personal information in any other manner.

Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: If we collect sensitive personal information, you may limit its use to only what is necessary to provide requested services by adjusting your preferences here. Please contact privacy@wilsonelser.com with any questions.

Global Privacy Control: We honor browser-based opt-out signals, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC). If we detect such a signal, your opt-out preference will be automatically applied.
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions made by you, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They may be set through our site by us or our analytics partners to understand your interests and deliver more relevant content to you. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site