Michael S. Danko

PROFILE

A lawsuit can result in compensation for victims of wrongdoing. Mike Danko believes it can result in even more. By holding wrongdoers accountable, a lawsuit can take the profit out of harming others, it can deter wrongdoing in the future and change for the better the way corporations do business. As a result, what happened to the client need not happen again to someone else.

Representative results:

$14.9 million jury verdict against an aircraft engine manufacturer for injuries a passenger sustained in the crash landing of a single-engine aircraft
$2.6 million settlement for a policy holder whose insurance company wrongfully refused to pay $225,000 in medical bills
$10 million court judgment against a large developer for the breach of a promise to deposit $400,000 into purchase escrow
$20 million settlement for a pedestrian injured by a utility explosion
$9.8 million jury verdict against a snow resort for a woman injured in a snowboarding accident
$2.9 million jury verdict against an overhaul facility for a pilot injured in helicopter crash
$2.2 million court judgment against a state for a bicyclist who fell after hitting an obstruction in the road
$1.55 million settlement for woman injured in a plane crash at Lake Tahoe
$50 million court judgment against a candy manufacturer for the wrongful death of child
$9.75 million settlement for a family injured in a Hawaiian tour helicopter crash on the island of Kauai

Mike Danko graduated from Dartmouth College, magna cum laude, and then earned his law degree at the University of Virginia School of Law. He began his legal career working for an internationally known Wall Street law firm, representing the nation’s leading financial institutions in high-stakes business litigation.

Finding this aspect of the law to be more lucrative than it was fulfilling, Mike joined the plaintiffs’ firm of O’Reilly & Danko and has spent the last 14 years representing people who have suffered catastrophic injuries, and the families of those who have been killed, due to the negligence or wrongdoing of another party. He has earned millions of dollars in settlements, and in judge and jury awards for his clients that have helped pay for ongoing medical treatment and care for injured victims, and compensated families for the loss of a loved one.

In 2009, Mike was honored with a Trial Lawyer of the Year nomination from his state's trial lawyers association, the Consumer Attorneys of California. Mike was named a Northern California SuperLawyer for 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004. He is a Lawdragon 500 finalist. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association and the Consumer Attorneys of California, where he serves on on the board of governors.

As a spokesman for his clients and to prevent other injuries and deaths--from such causes as candy that chokes children, or old tires subject to sudden detreading--Mike has appeared on numerous local and national radio and television shows, and has been interviewed by USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg News, and many other national and local media venues.

Mike Danko is also an experienced pilot who has logged more than 2500 hours in flight over a period of 30 years. He owns and operates a number of different aircraft including a helicopter, and therefore has a unique, in-depth, personal knowledge of aviation from the pilot’s point of view.

See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations
by Mike Danko

LIBRARY

Blogs

News, Publications, and Press Releases

Mike Danko Appears With Yaz Clients
May 27, 2010
Watch CBS Los Angeles Online

May 25, 2010
Watch CBS Sacramento Online

"But what Bayer isn't telling us is that the risks associated with Yaz are much grater than the risks associated with the other birth control pills."
Pilot's Insurer Meets with Palo Alto Residents (Tesla Crash)
February 25, 2010
San Jose Mercury News
". . .Those who lost wages due to Pacific Gas & Electric Company's extended power outage are unlikely to be reimbursed."
Palo Alto Airport Proposes New Routes to Avoid East Palo Alto
February 22, 2010
San Jose Mercury News
". . .The airport can't force pilots to adopt [the new routes]. They can only suggest, and perhaps make it uncomfortable for those who don't comply."
Palo Alto Plane Crash Likely Caused by a Lethal Combination of Factors
February 20, 2010
San Jose Mercury News
". . .It is the most challenging event possible in that aircraft. If you're incredibly proficient, you might have a chance."
Mike Danko Honored as Attorney of the Year Finalist by California Trial Lawyers Association
November 14, 2009
The Consumer Attorneys of California
". . .Doing what we do, you never know how many lives you will save. . ."
Editorial: FAA and NTSB Battle Over Aviation Safety
November 13, 2009
San Francisco Daily Journal
". . .The FAA's mandate is not just to regulate aviation, but to 'encourage' it as well. If that sounds like a built-in conflict of interest, it is."
Lawsuits Over Birth Control Pills Yaz and Yasmin:
October 30, 2009
Legal Talk Network
Mike Danko from the Danko Law Firm and James T. O'Reilly, Professor of Law at University of Cincinnati College of Law, look at the basis for the litigation, the reported side affects, the FDA's role, Bayer's continued marketing campaign and the pending federal lawsuit.
". . .What they continue to conceal, even in this corrective advertising, is that the drug is more dangerous than other competing drugs but is no more effective."
Legal Challenges Pile Up Against Yaz
October 23, 2009
San Francisco Daily Journal
Susan Galinis Tells Her Yaz Story
October 19, 2009
ABC San Francisco
"If there's any way we can force Bayer to take this drug off the market, we're going to do it."
PG&E's Aging Underground Problem
July 16, 2009
NBC Bay Area News
". . .They're just time bombs under the street."
Liability in Yemenia Airways Crash May Extend to Los Angeles
July 8, 2009
The National Law Journal
". . .The theory would be that the leasing company gave an aircraft to an airline that it knew was not capable of operating it safely."
Compensating The Families Of Air France Flight 447
June 5, 2009
Law360
". . .To avoid liability, the airline must prove a negative."
Mike Danko and His Client, Susan Crane, Testify Before State Legislature About The Dangers of Old Tires
April 20, 2009

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