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 Company, Shannon v American Motors Corporation, Berkopec v American Motors Corporation, Dodd v American Motors Corporation, Slayton 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).
Primary Practice Areas
Credentials
Education
University of Michigan 1970, A.B.
University of Michigan Law School 1973, J.D.
Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
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, Commercial Litigation, 2013-2025
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