Attorney Profiles

Merrick R. Domnitz is the senior shareholder in the Milwaukee law firm of Domnitz, & Skemp,S.C., and his practice emphasizes general liability, wrongful death, insurance bad faith, product liability, and medical malpractice 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 practicing trial lawyer in Wisconsin, 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.

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 in both 2005 and 2006.

In 1996 Domnitz was nominated and elected to the International Society of Barristers and was selected for inclusion in the The Best Lawyers in America from 1997 to the present. In 2001 he was nominated and elected to the prestigious 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 and was voted by his peers one of Wisconsin's 50 Super Lawyers in November 2005 and 2006.

Ric lists as his proudest credentials that he has been married to Anita Carol Domnitz, R.N., M.S., N.D. since 1973 years and has two sons, Ari (married to Angela) and Noah and a grandson, Jakob Tyler Domnitz (11/2006).

• Car Accidents
• Recreational Vehicle Accidents
• Truck / Semi Accidents
• Wrongful Death

List of Merrick R. Domnitz Cases

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.