Allen Park, MI

Michael D. Eberth

Michael D. Eberth is a partner at Nichols & Eberth, P.C., practicing law since 1994. He specializes in family law, including divorce, child custody, paternity, and estate planning. His practice also covers estate probate, business law, contract law, real estate, and personal injury claims. Prior to joining Nichols & Eberth, he worked in business defense litigation. Before his legal career, he was a plant manager in the automotive industry.

Michael B. Serling is the founder of the law firm and has been practicing law since 1970. He has been handling asbestos-related cancer cases since 1975. He was the first attorney in Michigan to file an asbestos-related wrongful death action on behalf of the family of a victim of mesothelioma cancer. He was also the first attorney in Michigan to win a substantial jury verdict in an asbestos-related disease case. His firm now handles mesothelioma cases throughout the United States and internationally. Mr. Serling graduated from Michigan State University in 1966 with a degree in history and a secondary education teaching degree. He taught in the city of Detroit while attending law school at night. He graduated from Detroit College of Law in 1970 (now the Michigan State University College of Law). Mr. Serling has been very passionate in his fight for the rights of asbestos disease victims. “The rights of American workers have been trampled upon. Nowhere is that more glaring than in the tragedy that has befallen the victims of asbestos-related mesothelioma and lung cancer. Each year thousands of men and women die of these dreaded diseases. These deaths could have been avoided if Asbestos manufacturers and suppliers had looked out for and protected the men and women who built our country through their hard work. It has been my mission for the past 45 years to fight for the rights of those men and women and their families victimized by the tragedy of asbestos disease and death.” He was selected to represent most school districts in the state of Michigan in a class action suit against asbestos manufacturers to help schools with the costs of removing asbestos products from their buildings. The suit was extremely successful in aiding schools in making them safer for students, teachers, custodians, and other staff members.

RPWB asbestos attorney Karl Novak has devoted nearly 30 years to putting together compelling cases on behalf of workers who developed cancer and lung disease as a result of asbestos exposure. Novak is sensitive to the wishes of his clients and adjusts his approach accordingly. Whether that is a quick, painless resolution, justice with an iron fist or something in between, Novak puts his clients and their needs first. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Novak was the first in his family to attend college. He worked his way through school in the steel industry, and has devoted his entire career to representing mesothelioma and other asbestos-exposure victims. He moved to South Carolina in 1989 to work for Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole, and joined RPWB as a founding member in 2002. Novak has represented tens of thousands of asbestos victims throughout the United States. With an avid interest in genealogy and oral history, he compiles documents and interviews his client, family members, co-workers, physicians and experts to tell the story of where the exposure took place, who is responsible and what impact the disease will have on the victim and their family. Novak has two grown children. When they were younger, he enjoyed coaching their baseball and soccer teams, including one special team that went undefeated for 3 straight seasons. He splits his time between South Carolina and Maine, and spends a lot of time on the road working with his clients.

Eric B. Abramson is the proud shareholder of Serling and Abramson, P.C. He has worked for the firm since 1989, when he started as an asbestos product exposure investigator. In his early years with the firm, Eric developed extensive experience and knowledge in the area of asbestos product identification. Eric became inspired to pursue a law degree and continued working for the firm throughout his educational journey. He received his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 1994, with a major in psychology. He went on to attend law school at the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University and was sworn into the Michigan bar in 2000. Eric Abramson has traveled extensively from California to the Middle East on behalf of the firm to conduct investigations into the use of asbestos. Over the years, Eric has investigated, litigated, and successfully resolved thousands of asbestos cases. His work has brought compensation to those who suffer from lung cancer, and mesothelioma along with justice for a multitude of victims and their families. Eric is a member of the Wayne County Asbestos Steering Committee. As a member of the steering committee, he has sat on several sub-committees as a representative of all Michigan plaintiffs in asbestos litigation. He has negotiated and co-authored ten case management orders governing the processing of asbestos litigation in Michigan. Part of his work on the committee includes, drafting master pleadings and collaborating on discovery and case processing issues. He has worked on procedures to ensure compliance with Medicare reporting obligations and satisfaction of claims. Eric Abramson is a trustee of the Detroit Bar Association Foundation (DBAF). The DBAF is a charitable organization which works to help meet the legal needs of the underserved community of Detroit. Eric is also a member of the Michigan Association of Justice and the American Association of Justice. Eric has testified before the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate on issues relating to asbestos litigation. He was involved in the negotiations for what would ultimately become bill HR 5451. Eric is also a member of the Trial Lawyers Care Network. As a member of the Trial Lawyers Care Network, he represented victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their families. In one the cases that he tried Eric co-counseled with Matthew Cartwright (a current member of the United States House of Representatives D-PA). All of the claims were tried in New York under the U.S. Victims Compensation Fund Act. All claimants involved were represented pro bono. Eric is committed to seeing that justice is served on behalf of clients. “Even though we cannot restore our clients’ health or their lives, we can bring some measure of comfort and justice to them and their families.” Eric is a husband and proud father of four children.

Philip J. Goodman has been practicing for 50 years and has been Of Counsel to Serling & Abramson, P.C. (and its predecessor, Michael B. Serling, P.C.) for the past 25 years. He is admitted to practice in the State of Michigan and has been admitted and litigated in federal courts throughout the United States. Mr. Goodman was co counsel with Serling & Abramson, P.C. in a class action on behalf of over 300 Michigan public and private schools which recovered more than $100 million from the manufacturers of asbestos-containing building materials used in school buildings. He currently focuses on asbestos personal injury claims, but also represents clients injured by environmental contaminants such as mold and other toxic materials. Mr. Goodman is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School, where he was a member of the Wayne Law Review. In Phil’s spare time he and his wife Molly enjoy traveling around the world and spending time with their 5 children and 10 grandchildren.

Joel Waterstone

Joel manages asbestos-related commercial property damage claims for our firm and has over 34 years of asbestos investigative experience. In addition, he oversees the processing of asbestos bankruptcy claims, which has over 30 billion dollars available for asbestos victims for all personal injury and property damage clients. He has been involved in asbestos litigation throughout the United States since 1987. As the lead investigator, he is responsible for the detailed information, interviews, and numerous types of documents needed to prove our client’s exposures. Joel’s extensive experience inspecting industrial, commercial, and public buildings built with asbestos materials has provided the firm with a massive database of information to assist our clients. He is widely recognized by attorneys and experts as one of the foremost product identification specialists in the field. Joel has worked on thousands of asbestos cases that include mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related cancers. Joel graduated from Life Chiropractic University in 1983 and uses his strong medical knowledge in case evaluation. “I am committed to doing everything I can to make our client’s difficult situations a little better.”

David Ienna

David Ienna serves as the President and a partner at Fairmax Law, bringing a wealth of legal expertise to the firm. In 2012, he earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo. Throughout his legal career, David has demonstrated a commitment to diverse practice areas, including consumer protection, personal injury, civil and business litigation, family law, and real estate law. However, his primary focus and area of expertise lie in bankruptcy law. With a remarkable track record, David has successfully navigated thousands of individuals and businesses through Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases across multiple states. As President of Fairmax Law, he dedicates himself daily to ensuring that all clients of the firm receive top-tier, professional, and convenient legal services, always delivered with compassion and care.