Donald Miller, Butzel Long Photo

Donald B. Miller focuses his practice entirely on litigation, primarily devoted to employment discrimination defense, personal injury and products liability defense, and commercial litigation matters. Mr. Miller is well-regarded by clients and others for his legal expertise, decades of experience, and substantial record of prevailing in courts at all levels across Michigan. His clients include universities, manufacturing companies and related entities, enterprises in the petroleum sector, and others. He has been recognized by prestigious legal publications over numerous years as among the top attorneys in Michigan and the nation in his areas of practice.

Overview

Donald B. Miller is a Shareholder practicing in Butzel's Detroit office. He is the Firm’s General Counsel and has served on the Firm's Board of Directors and as a litigation Practice Group Manager and Co-Chair of the Firm's Litigation Department. He has practiced law in Michigan with Butzel since 1973, following graduation from The University of Michigan, where he obtained both his undergraduate and law degrees (A.B., 1970; J.D., 1973, cum laude). Mr. Miller's practice consists entirely of litigation and is very diverse in terms of substantive areas, being devoted to employment discrimination defense, personal injury and products liability defense litigation, and commercial litigation.

Mr. Miller's employment practice has included the defense of numerous cases in the civil rights area, including sex, age, race, national origin and religious discrimination cases, sex harassment actions, suits alleging implied contract rights to job security by salaried employees, and non-compete cases. He has represented many employers over the years, including The University of Michigan, American Motors Corporation, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Host International, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, United Insurance Company of America, Ford Motor Company, and McLouth Steel Products Corporation. Included among Mr. Miller's trials in the employment area are the following: Viverito v Ford Motor CompanyShannon v American Motors CorporationBerkopec v American Motors CorporationDodd v American Motors CorporationSlayton v Host International, and Kolovson v The University of Michigan.

Included within Mr. Miller's products liability experience is thorough familiarity with the Michigan personal-injury asbestos litigation. He has represented such clients as AlliedSignal Inc., now Honeywell, Inc. (refractory products), General Electric Company (turbines and wire and cable products), and other defendants, in thousands of such cases throughout the State of Michigan. Mr. Miller has handled many cases alleging exposure to mold in buildings, which have elements of construction defect litigation, environmental concerns, and personal injury claims. He has also defended claims arising from exposure to lead-based paint and carbon monoxide.

In addition, Mr. Miller handled a variety and volume of cases for Mobil Oil Corporation, now ExxonMobil Corporation, and Pennzoil Company, including personal injury work, gasoline pricing and supply litigation, and service station dealer and distributor litigation arising under the federal Petroleum Marketing Practices Act. He has also been involved in commercial litigation between automotive suppliers and between automotive suppliers and OEM's.

Mr. Miller is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (Labor and Employment Law Section, Negligence Law Section) and the American Bar Association (Section of Labor and Employment Law, Section of Litigation, and the Trial, Tort and Insurance Practice Section).

Credentials

Education

University of Michigan 1970, A.B.

University of Michigan Law School 1973, J.D.

Admissions

Awards & Recognitions

Awards & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America®, Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor & Employment; Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2013-2024

Michigan Super Lawyers, Employment Litigation: Defense, 2012-2018

DBusiness Top Lawyers, Labor and Employment Law, 2015 and 2019; Product Liability, 2016-2018, 2020-2023; Legal Malpractice Law 2018

Experience

  • Defend a law school against claims of wrongful denial of tenure to two Assistant Professors, and revocation of tenure to a third Professor
  • Defend a University against a whistleblower claim brought by an assistant basketball coach
  • Defense of a telecommunications company in a sex discrimination trial
  • Defense of an oil company in a trial brought by a service station dealer alleging breach of contract
  • Defend a school district against claims brought under the Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act
  • Defend a myriad of employment discrimination claims on behalf of many clients
  • Defense of automobile companies against discrimination claims at trial
  • Defend the interests of several clients in thousands of asbestos personal-injury claims
  • Defend a claim brought by a Professor against a major University and his department chair for alleged theft of intellectual property
  • Defend a major University against a claim by a graduate student that two Professors misappropriated work product
  • Defend a major University against a claim brought by a graduate student claiming wrongful dismissal from the program
  • Trial of a wrongful discharge claim brought by a social worker at a university hospital
  • Defend a residential home builder at trial against a claim by a family for personal injuries related to exposure to mold
  • Defend residential home remodeler against a claim of injury to a child due to exposure to lead-based paint

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