Merrick R. Domnitz
| Location: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Phone: | 414-289-0909 |
| Fax: | 414-289-9490 |
| Email: | Email me |
Merrick R. Domnitz is the senior shareholder in the Milwaukee law firm of Domnitz, & Domnitz, S.C., and his practice emphasizes general liability, wrongful death, and insurance bad faith litigation. Mr. Domnitz has taught civil trial practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served as a lecturer on product liability and trial practice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and is a frequent lecturer throughout Wisconsin on the subjects of tort law and trial advocacy.
He is a 1977 Cum Laude graduate of Hamline University School of Law where he was a member of the Silver Gavel Honor Society and received an associate law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the University of Exeter, Exeter, England in July 1976.
As a Milwaukee personal injury attorney, Mr. Domnitz has, on behalf of his injured clients, won verdicts ranging from one million to seven and one half million dollars in automobile accident, truck accident, defective product, insurance bad faith, sexual assault and medical negligence cases. He has won over five and one half million dollars in punitive damage awards for his clients and was part of the team that successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Wisconsin to remove the statutory cap on damages in medical malpractice actions.
Tom’s Workplace Accident Case – Recovered Over $700,000
Mr. Domnitz has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 1993.
He is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Justice where he has served on the Board of Directors from 1982 through the present, coordinated the Association’s College of Trial Advocacy in 1985 and 1986, was Program Chairman in 1986 and 1987, Treasurer in 1988, Secretary in 1989, Vice President in 1990, President-Elect in 1991 and President in 1992.
He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He authored a chapter in the 1990 State Bar publication “Wisconsin Discovery Law and Practice “, as well as “Civil Procedure During Trial.” Ric was elected to the Board of Directors of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin in 1992 and re-elected in 1995 and 1998 when he was elected to the position of Chairman.
Mr. Domnitz served three terms as a member of the American Association for Justice Board of Governors. In January 1991 he was elected to the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and served as President in 1995.
Domnitz has been consistently listed as one of Milwaukee’s top personal injury trial attorneys by Milwaukee magazine and has been selected by his peers as one of Wisconsin’s Top 50 Super Lawyers every year from 2005 to the present and as one of Wisconsin’s Top 10 Attorneys in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
In 1996 Domnitz was nominated and elected to the prestigious International Society of Barristers and was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America from 1997 to the present. In 2001 he was nominated and elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers.
In December, 2002, Ric was the recipient of the Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer of the Year award presented by the Wisconsin Association for Justice. In April, 2003, he was recognized by the Wisconsin Law Journal as one of Wisconsin’s Leaders in the Law.
Ric lists as his proudest credentials that he has been married to Anita Carol Domnitz, R.N., M.S., N.D. since 1973, has two sons, Ari (married to Angela) and Noah (married to Rebecca), a grandson, Jakob Tyler Domnitz (11/1/2006), a granddaughter, Lucy Marie Domnitz (8/18/10), and a grandson, Hersch Zachary Domnitz (5/25/14).
List of Cases for Milwaukee Personal Injury Attorney Merrick R. Domnitz
1. Stiebs : Lead trial attorney in this obstetrical malpractice case tried to verdict in Waupaca County, WI. After two weeks of trial the jury returned a verdict for the brain damaged child and his mother in the sum of $3,900,000.
2. Kaul : Lead trial attorney in this nursing malpractice case tried to verdict in Ozaukee, County WI. The three week trial resulted in a verdict of $7,661,000. An error in the instructions required that the liability aspect of the trial be tried a second time resulting in a victory for Sean Kaul and his parents. The verdict was sustained on appeal and after interest was added the final resolution was $10,450,000.
3. Ferdon : Appellate Co-counsel before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Made oral argument to the court resulting in the court striking down Wisconsin’s cap on non-economic damages.
4. Trinity : Lead trial counsel in this insurance bad faith case on behalf of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church tried to verdict in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The punitive damages verdict was a county record $3,500,000 which was sustained on appeal by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After interest the final judgment was $4,800,000.
5. Scheidler : Lead trial counsel in this insurance bad faith case tried to verdict in Wood County, Wisconsin. The jury returned a verdict on behalf of the Scheidler family which included a county record punitive damage award of $2,000,000.
6. Schroedel : Lead trial counsel in this automobile accident case tried to a verdict in Waupaca County, Wisconsin. The jury returned a verdict of $1,300,000 for Lisa Schroedel whose arm had been paralyzed in the accident.
7. K.A. , a minor: Lead trial counsel in this civil sexual assault case wherein the jury returned a verdict for two young girls who had been victimized by a neighbor. The jury verdict was against the perpetrator’s spouse who failed to act reasonably to prevent the continuation of the numerous assaults. The award for the girls was $1,900,000.
8. Tomashek : Lead trial counsel in this nursing malpractice case tried to verdict in Brown County, Wisconsin. After two weeks of trial the jury returned a verdict of $2,400,000 for the young plaintiff rendered deaf by a negligently operated phone triage system at a Green Bay clinic.
9. Singer : Co-counsel in this ground breaking pediatric malpractice case. After a nine day trial on damages a Kenosha County, Wisconsin jury returned a verdict of $5,200,000 which included millions of dollars to finance a program to develop and implement a talking computer for young Shanon Singer.
10. Rehbeck : Lead trial counsel in this personal injury case tried to verdict in Wood County, Wisconsin. After a week long trial the jury returned a verdict of $1,200,000 for a man injured by a chunk of wood propelled by a negligently operated hydro-axe used to clear brush. The award included a $1,000,000 punitive damage award based upon the company’s blatant disregard of the manufacturer’s warnings.
11. Millican : Lead counsel in this settlement for a woman rendered paraplegic by contaminated medicine. The settlement of $2,000,000 was a function of the limited available insurance coverage for the defendant.
12. Olmos : Lead counsel in this medical negligence case resolved for more than half a million dollars on behalf of a woman who was over prescribed the drug Lamictal by a local neurologist.
13. Wallner : Lead counsel for a bicyclist struck by a truck in downtown Milwaukee. Case resolved for $800,000.
Areas of Practice
- General Liability (Auto, truck, motorcycle, watercraft and ATV accidents etc.)
- Wrongful Death
- Insurance Bad Faith
- Product Liability
- Medical Malpractice Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Wisconsin, 1977
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1977
Education
- Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota
- J.D. cum laude – 1977
- Honors: Member, Silver Gavel Honor Society
- Marshall Wythe School of Law, Exeter, England – 1976
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
- B.A. – 1971
Published Works
- Wisconsin Discovery Law and Practice, State Bar publication, 1990
- Civil Procedure During Trial, State Bar publication, 1990
- A TRIAL STORY: In Honor of Christy, December, 2004
Classes/Seminars
- Lecturer on Product Liability and Trial Practice, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Instructor, Advanced Trial Practice Course, University of Wisconsin Law School
Honors and Awards
- Selected to 2014 Best Lawyers in America
- Voted one of Wisconsin’s 50 Super Lawyers 2005 and 2006
- Recognized by the Wisconsin Law Journal as One of Wisconsin’s Leaders in the Law, 2003
- Recipient, Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2002
- Nominated and Elected to the Prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, 2001
- The Best Lawyers in America, 1997 – Present
- Nominated and Elected to the International Society of Barristers, 1996
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Milwaukee Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Member
- American Association for Justice, Member, Board of Governors
- Wisconsin Association for Justice, President, 1992 – Present
- Wisconsin Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, President, 1991 – 1995
- Wisconsin Association for Justice, Member, Board of Directors, 1983 – Present
- Academy’s College of Trial Advocacy, Co-ordinator, 1985 – 1986
- Academy’s College of Trial Advocacy, Program Chairman, 1986 – 1987
- Wisconsin Association for Justice, All Officer Chairs, 1988 – 1991
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Litigation Section, Board of Directors, 1992 – 2001
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Litigation Section, Chairman of Board of Directors, 1998