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Education
Boston College, A.B.
summa cum laude
Georgetown University, J.D.
Admitted to Practice
Michigan 1975
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
Mr. Basta's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation with emphases on patents, copyrights, business disputes and environmental. He also has extensive experience in jury and non-jury trials and appeals in many fields: personal injury, wrongful death, and product liability involving chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aircraft, automotive and industrial products; automobile dealer relocation and contract termination. While in law school, Mr. Basta was on the editorial board of the Georgetown Law Journal.
Experience
Patent litigation in fields of automotive components, motion control, computers and computer peripherals, dies, and consumer goods
Copyright litigation in the entertainment field
Litigation of claims by manufacturers' representatives, disputes among Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers
Defense of consumer class actions, citizens suits for environmental contamination of neighborhoods, and class action litigation involving retail sales of gasoline
Extensive Superfund and environmental contribution litigation over contaminated waste sites throughout the Midwest
Joint defense, toxic tort litigation
25 years experience in case evaluations and special mediation; Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Office-trained mediator
Former law clerk to Charles W. Joiner, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1974-76
Significant Decisions
Reiter v. Sonotone Corp., 442 U.S. 330 (1979), consumer standing to sue under Section 3 of the Clayton Act
Kalamazoo River Study Group v. Rockwell Int'l Corp., 274 F.3d 1043 (6th Cir. 2001), zero allocation to potentially responsible party for threatened $2 billion river clean-up
Kalamazoo River Study Group v. Eaton Corp., 258 F. Supp. 2d 736 (W.D. Mich. 2002), zero allocation to potentially responsible party for threatened $2 billion river clean-up
City of Port Huron v. Amoco Oil Co., 229 Mich. App. 616 (1998), clean-up standards under Michigan Environmental Protection Act
United States Army Corps. of Engineers v. City of Detroit, 36 F.3d 185 (6th Cir. 2002), Rev'd en banc United States v. Michigan, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8370 (E.D. Mich., May 12, 2003), District Court's power under the All Writs Act to compel non-party to consent decree to assist in implementing its terms
H.R. Technologies, Inc. v. Astechnologies, Inc., 275 F.3d 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2002), patent infringement; finality of district court's orders
Asher v. Exxon Co., 200 Mich. App. 635 (1993), dismissal of toxic tort claim; action barred by discovery rule of limitations
McDonald Ford Sales, Inc. v. Ford Motor Co., 165 Mich. App. 321 (1987), good cause for dealer relocation by manufacturer
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
State Bar of Michigan
Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
Detroit Area Association of Defense Counsel
Michigan Defense Trial Counsel
Defense Research Institute
American Association For Justice
Federal Bar Association
American Intellectual Property Law Association
Intellectual Property Owners Association
Life Member, Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference
Civic and Cultural Involvements
Former Director, Detroit Chapter of Federal Bar Association
Former Board Member, Notre Dame High School.
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