Sean F. Cox, Retired Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, joins JAMS following nearly 30 years of distinguished judicial service to Michigan courts. On the federal bench, Judge Cox presided over many complex cases, including class and collective actions, as well as four multidistrict litigation (MDL) matters. 

While on the bench, Judge Cox successfully resolved some of Michigan’s most protracted disputes. He is known for his resolution of a 1977 matter involving the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Later, he leveraged these insights for a mediated settlement that created the Great Lakes Water Authority. As a part of the mediation team that resolved Detroit’s municipal bankruptcy, he facilitated a historic public utility deal resolving longstanding issues amongst the counties of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne, and the City of Detroit. The regional water authority serves nearly 40% of Michigan’s population.

In 2016, Judge Cox presided over a criminal case against Volkswagen AG (VW) in which the company was charged with conspiracy to defraud and violations of the Clean Air Act. The company ultimately pled guilty to the charges and was assessed a criminal penalty of $2.8 billion.

Judge Cox heard appeals by designation of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He has also served as a visiting judge for the Michigan Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Cox was a partner at Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, where he was a trial lawyer focusing in municipal and personal injury litigation, including medical malpractice. His broad perspective on the law is also informed by his diverse early experiences. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was a construction worker and worked on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company. Judge Cox is known as a thoughtful and deliberative jurist. As a mediator, he excels at helping parties find common avenues of dialogue, even in the most complex cases.

Representative Matters

While on the bench, Judge Cox presided over a wide variety of matters, including:

• Business Commercial
• Chrysler Group, LLC v. Fox Hills Motor Sales, Inc. et al., Case Nos. 13-2117, 13-2118, 13-2119: Automobile manufacturer and dealerships brought consolidated actions involving claims, counterclaims and requests for declaratory relief following manufacturer’s bankruptcy rejection of dealer franchise agreements, arising out of disputes concerning the Consolidated Appropriation Act’s arbitration provision (See Chrysler Group, LLC v. South Holland Dodge, Inc., 862 F.Supp.2d 661 (E.D. Mich. 2012) and Chrysler Group, LLC v. Fox Hills Motor Sales, Inc., 776 F.3d 411 (6th Cir. 2015) (affirming Judge Cox’s rulings.)
• Michigan Division-Monument Builders of North Am. v. Michigan Cemetery Assoc., 524 F.3d 726 (6th Cir. 2008): Affirming Judge Cox’s rulings in putative class action alleging violation of the Sherman Act
• Anton et al. v. SBC Global Services, Inc., Case Nos. 01-40098 and 01-40213: Consolidated jury trial of sales commission disputes, wherein jury awarded one plaintiff $3,832,554 in damages and the second plaintiff $3,498,540 in damages; verdicts upheld on appeal in Anton v. SBC Global Services, Inc., 350 F. App’x 39 (6th Cir. 2009)
• Acme Contracting, Ltd. v. Toltest, Inc., Case No. 07-10905: Bench trial in construction contract dispute case, awarding plaintiff more than $2 million in damages
• Happy’s Pizza Franchise, LLC v. Chicago Partners #78, LLC et al., Case No. 13-11910: Franchise contract dispute that ultimately settled just prior to bench trial of claims that survived summary judgment
• Wasvary v. WB Holdings, LLC et al., Case No. 15-10750: Class action settlement reached and approved in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) case involving alleged unauthorized text messages
• Curtis v. Target Corp., Case No. 12-11199: Premises liability case brought under Michigan law
• Civil Rights
• Big Dipper Ent., LLC v. City of Warren, Case No. 07-14716: Granted summary judgment in Section 1983 action against city, challenging ordinances that regulated the licensing and location of sexually oriented businesses; rulings were affirmed in a published opinion, Big Dipper Ent., LLC v. City of Warren, 641 F.3d 715 (6th Cir. 2011)
• Seals v. Wayne Cnty. Emp. Retirement Sys., Case No. 20-11272: Jury trial on employee’s Section 1983 First Amendment retaliation claim resulted in jury verdict of $180,000 and an attorneys’ fees award of $281,522.50; verdict upheld on appeal (See Seals v. Wayne Cnty. Retirement Sys., 2025 WL 608255 (6th Cir. Feb. 25, 2025)
• Sosa v. City of Detroit, Case No. 10-12878: Bench trial in Section 1983 case; awarded more than $1 million in damages on claim for deprivation of due process
• Pickle v. McConnell, Case No. 13-10208: Summary judgment granted in Section 1983 case brought by former prison guard injured while performing his duties; affirmed in Pickle v. McConnell, 592 F. App’x 493 (6th Cir. 2015)
• Edgerson v. Matatall, Case No. 10-14954: No-cause verdict rendered in jury trial of Section 1983 excessive force claims against police officer
• Henderson v. City of Flint, Case No. 16-11648: Jury trial on Whistleblower Protection Act claims resulted in no-cause verdict
• Peeples v. City of Detroit, Case No. 13-13858: Eleven firefighters laid off by city during RIF and later recalled after their union secured settlement with the city, brought action against city and union, asserting race and national origin claims under Title VII
• Lynn v. City of Detroit, Case No. 17-14168: Qui tam complaint filed by relators, asserting federal False Claims Act claims against the city pertaining to the city's Transportation Department
• Conyers v. Garrett, Case No. 22-11152: Civil action challenging the constitutionality an amendment to the Michigan Constitution that makes a person who within the preceding 20 years has been convicted of certain felonies ineligible for election or appointment to public office if the conviction was related to that person's official capacity while holding an elected or appointed office
• Esordi v. Macomb Twp., Case No. 21-10570: Former city attorney filed suit against township and two of its officials, asserting due process claims; summary judgment rulings in favor of defendants affirmed in Esordi v. Macomb Twp., 2024 WL 3569470 (6th Cir. July 29, 2024)
• Boulevard & Trumbell Towing, Inc. v. City of Detroit, Case No. 17-12446: Towing company filed suit against the city, asserting due process claims after city terminated its towing permit
• Dewandeler v. County of Macomb, Case No. 11-12112: Former clerk brought Section 1983 claims against her former employer and two county officers
• Employment Law
• Louzon v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 09-11205: Jury trial on employment discrimination claims resulted in no-cause verdict
• Golles v. Five Star Store It, LLC, Case No. 23-10633: Denial of summary judgment in case asserting “as-regarded-as-disabled” claims under the ADA and Michigan’s Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act
• Henderson v. City of Flint, Case No. 16-11648: Jury trial on Whistleblower Protection Act claims resulted in no-cause verdict
• Horton v. Forty Eighth District Court, Case No. 05-72356: Jury trial of employment discrimination claims resulted in a $3 million verdict
• Environmental Law
• United States v. City of Detroit, Case No. 77-71100: United States brought action against City of Detroit and its Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), alleging violations of Clean Water Act (CWA) in connection with operation of DWSD's wastewater treatment plant and its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit; labor unions, whose members included employees of city and DWSD, moved to intervene
• Served as a mediator in the City of Detroit’s bankruptcy case and successfully mediated resolutions of multiple issues, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the Great Lakes Water Authority
• MDL Matters
• In re OnStar Contract Litigation, 278 F.R.D. 352 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 19, 2011): Denying motion for class certification in an MDL wherein buyers and lessees of automobiles equipped with telematics equipment asserted a variety of claims (consumer protection laws, warranty claims, etc.); claims of the named plaintiffs were then litigated and settled
• In re Refrigerant Compressors Antitrust Litigation, 795 F.Supp.2d 647 (E.D. Mich. June 13, 2011): Both direct and indirect purchaser plaintiffs filed complaints in various jurisdictions, asserting putative class actions against several defendants and asserting a variety of claims, including antitrust claims; actions were consolidated for pretrial proceedings before Judge Cox; Judge Cox made a variety of rulings (See, e.g., In re Refrigerant Compressors Antitrust Litigation, 795 F.Supp.2d 647 (E.D. Mich. June 13, 2011.); claims ultimately settled
• In re Ford Motor Co. F-150 and Ranger Truck Fuel Economy Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, Case No. 2:19-md-02901: In this MDL proceeding, several putative class actions were transferred to Judge Cox for coordinated pretrial proceedings. The plaintiffs asserted a variety of claims under the laws of 50 states, as well as a related federal claim, against defendant Ford Motor Company. Judge Cox granted a motion to dismiss, ruling that the emissions-based claims were preempted under federal law and that they were also subject to dismissal for additional reasons. (See In re Ford Motor Co. F-150 and Ranger Truck Fuel Economy Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, 2022 WL 551221 (E.D. Mich. Feb. 23, 2022).)

Judge Cox’s decision was affirmed in a published opinion: In re Ford Motor Co. F-150 and Ranger Truck Fuel Economy Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, 65 F.4th 851 (6th Cir. 2023).

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

• Executive Board Member, Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan, 2019–2025
• Member, Federal Bar Association, 2006–2025
• Member, State Bar of Michigan, 1983–2025
• Member, Sixth Circuit Judicial Council, 2022–2025
• Member, Sixth Circuit Judicial Resources Committee, 2022–2025
• Member, Board of Directors, Federal Judges Association, 2020–2022
• Board of Trustees, Detroit Catholic Central High School, 2015–2025
  • Executive Board, 2016-2025
• Member, Disciplinary Panels, Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, 1992–1996
• Member, Judicial Qualifications Committee, State Bar of Michigan,1992–1996

Selected Awards and Honors

• Judge Cox served as a Sixth Circuit representative of the Federal Judges Association’s Board of Directors from 2018 to 2022.
• Award of Special Tribute (for outstanding service to the state of Michigan for his role in the creation of the Great Lakes Water Authority, including mediation of the historic agreement reached between the counties of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb and the City of Detroit), State of Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder (Former), 2016

Background and Education

• Judge, United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2006–2025
  • Chief Judge, 2022–2025
• Judge, Third Judicial Court of Michigan, 1996–2006
• Partner; Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho; 1990–1996
• Associate; Kitch, Suhrheinrich, Saurbier & Drutchas; 1984–1989
• J.D., Detroit College of Law, 1983
• B.G.S., University of Michigan, 1979