Biography
Shawn R. Miller is a trial and managing attorney at Danko Meredith, where he represents wildfire survivors and families across California and handles catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and complex civil litigation. As Managing Attorney, he also oversees case strategy and docket management across the firm’s wildfire litigation, coordinating the investigation, discovery, and trial preparation work that spans the firm’s largest matters.
His practice centers on holding utilities accountable for catastrophic fires that destroy homes, livelihoods, and communities — and on securing the compensation survivors need to rebuild.
Wildfire Litigation
Shawn is part of the litigation team at Danko Meredith handling cases arising from some of California’s most devastating utility-caused wildfires, including the Eaton Fire, Dixie Fire, Camp Fire, North Bay Fires, and Butte Fire. He is involved in every phase of these cases — from early investigation and evidence preservation through discovery, expert coordination, motion practice, and trial preparation.
- Eaton Fire (2025): Representing homeowners and families in the consolidated litigation against Southern California Edison, pending before Judge Laura Seigle in Los Angeles Superior Court.
- Dixie Fire, Camp Fire, North Bay Fires, and Butte Fire: Representing survivors in coordinated proceedings against PG&E involving catastrophic loss of homes, businesses, and lives across Northern California communities.
- San Bruno Gas Explosion: Member of the trial team that prepared for trial six bellwether cases arising from the PG&E gas pipeline explosion.
Trial Work
Shawn second-chaired the trial in Rizkallah v. FedEx Ground, which resulted in a $61 million jury verdict, including $50 million in punitive damages — experience that reflects the kind of high-stakes trial preparation he now brings to the firm’s wildfire and catastrophic injury docket. He has also second-chaired multiple jury trials in insurance bad faith and personal injury litigation.
Catastrophic Injury, Wrongful Death, and Aviation
Beyond wildfire and utility litigation, Shawn has litigated catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving motor vehicle and bicycle collisions, aviation accidents, medical negligence, and industrial accidents. His aviation experience includes serving as second chair to Mike Danko in Gottlieb v. Khalaf, which resulted in a $13.3 million jury verdict for the family of a 67-year-old pilot killed in the crash of a single-engine Cessna aircraft.
Civil Rights Litigation
Shawn brought one of the earliest claims under the Unruh Civil Rights Act on behalf of a transgender plaintiff, in Hastings v. Seton Medical Center, and has litigated cases involving discrimination on the basis of race, sexual orientation, and HIV status. That background — advocating for individuals against powerful institutions unwilling to acknowledge wrongdoing — is the same throughline that runs through his wildfire and catastrophic injury work today.
Commitment to Wildfire Prevention
Shawn’s involvement with wildfire survivors extends beyond litigation. He serves on the board of the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council, working on wildfire prevention and community protection efforts. He views wildfire litigation as being about more than compensation — it is about accountability, safety, and helping families rebuild.