Cindy is an insurance coverage and professional liability defense attorney with Smith Haughey and member of the firm's Board of Directors. Notably, she is a member of the legal team that serves as national counsel for a major legal malpractice insurer, providing coverage opinions and representation in connection with insurance coverage disputes. Cindy also represents professionals such as lawyers, physicians, and nurses , as well as hospitals in the defense of malpractice claims.

In Cindy's twelve years as a litigator and trial lawyer, she has analyzed complicated medical causation issues; addressed the admissibility of expert evidence; prepared and successfully argued complex motions for summary disposition; and postured dozens of cases for trial or effective settlement negotiations. Cindy's trial experience includes serving as second-chair in two medical malpractice trials, both of which resulted in no-cause verdicts for her clients the defendants.

Cindy graduated summa cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and practiced in Denver, Colorado in the area of products liability defense prior to joining Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge.
Outside of work, Cindy enjoys spending time with her family, running, gardening, and playing the cello and piano.

Education

• Calvin College (B.A., 1990)
• Thomas M. Cooley School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1997); Editor, Law Review

Admitted to Practice

• State Bar of Michigan, 2003
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2003

Presentations

• "Litigation Rules of the Road - Anatomy of a Lawsuit" (Michigan Professional Insurance Exchange, Pediatric Grand Rounds 2006)
• "Deposition Survival 101" (Battle Creek Health Systems, 2007)

Client Successes for Cindy C. Boer

• 7/1/2010
  Carol Carlson and Cindy Boer obtained dismissal of a medical malpractice wrongful death case in which their client, a family practice physician, was alleged to have failed to diagnose a rare uterine sarcoma. After a two-day evidentiary hearing, the court exercised its role as "gatekeeper" and ruled that the opinion of the plaintiff's expert was not reliable and contained analytical gaps. The court excluded the expert from testifying at trial, which resulted in summary disposition in favor of the defense.
• 5/1/2010
  Chip Behler and Cindy Boer, assisted by Jack Oostema, successfully defended their client, a large Michigan law firm, against charges of malicious prosecution. After more than five weeks of trial, Smith Haughey's client was dismissed by the judge on a motion for directed verdict.

Smith Haughey Articles

• "Lost Earnings Claims for Shoulder Dystocia Cases - Making the Case that Economic Damages are Speculative," Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Legal Alert, June, 2007
• "The Unique Challenges to Litigating Claims Involving Children - A Defense Lawyer's Perspective," Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Legal Alert, January, 2007
• "Woodard v. Custer - The Supreme Court Sets Forth More Stringent Standards for Matching Specialties in Medical Malpractice Cases," Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Legal Alert, September 2006
• "Practical Advice for Handling Law Enforcement Interviews of Hospital Patients," Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Legal Alert, July 2006
• "Apsey v. Memorial Hospital, Another Hurdle for Medical Malpractice Claims," Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Legal Alert, May, 2005
• "Croskey v. BMW of North America - Much Ado About Nothing," Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Legal Alert, April, 2005

External Publications

• "The Impact of Tort Reform on Colorado Products Liability Litigation," Colorado Lawyer, November 2001
• "Punitive Damages: Excluding Financial Evidence in the Product Liability Case, for the Defense," DRI, February 2000
• "The New and Improved Commerce Power - Can the Federal Child Support Recovery Act Survive Lopez?" T.M. Cooley Law Review, Vol. 13, No. 2, 1996

Smith Haughey Publications

News for Cindy C. Boer

1/13/2012
Smith Haughey Announces New Shareholder and Board Members

1/6/2011
Smith Haughey Announces New Shareholders and Board of Directors

12/18/2006
Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Names New Shareholders

2/4/2003
Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Welcomes New Associates

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan
• Michigan Defense Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Michigan Association of Hospital Risk Management
• American Society for Healthcare Risk Management