Dave Baltmanis
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Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.
325 N. LaSalle St. Suite 350
Chicago, IL 60654 - (312) 751-1170
Education
- Northwestern University, J.D. (2009) – Honors: Magna cum laude; Order of the Coif; Editor-in-Chief, Northwestern University Law Review; senior research honors
- Northwestern University, B.A. (2004)
David Baltmanis joined Miner, Barnhill & Galland in 2011 following judicial clerkships with a federal appellate judge and a federal district judge. He maintains a diverse practice primarily representing individuals and institutional plaintiffs in the areas of complex commercial litigation, class actions, environmental law, employment law, and civil rights. He has also served as defense counsel for non-profit and healthcare organizations in commercial and employment matters. He also advises non-profits and small businesses on contractual matters, discrimination law, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. He has extensive experience in state and federal trial courts across the country, and has authored and co-authored merits and amicus briefs in state supreme courts, United States Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Dave believes that diligent legal representation is often the difference between just and unjust outcomes, and strives to make that difference for his clients at MBG, large and small. He is proud to have served as part of litigation teams on behalf of state governments that have recouped hundreds of millions of dollars from pharmaceutical manufacturers, and to have worked on class actions on behalf of thousands of alleged victims of corporate pollution. He is equally grateful for the opportunity to represent individuals suffering adverse treatment in employment, and to help secure settlements for families wrongfully denied healthcare benefits for mental health treatment. From his work with employer clients, Dave also understands the importance of making the adversarial process streamlined, collaborative, and affordable. Dave is happy to be part of a versatile, creative team at MBG that can tackle any sort of case with the same degree of intellectual rigor, thoroughness and professionalism.
Environmental Litigation
Dave has extensive experience in environmental law and is an integral member of the firm’s Environmental Litigation practice. His environmental practice focuses on protecting people and their property from corporate polluters. Dave was part of a team of MBG lawyers that successfully represented a class of over 10,000 residents bringing nuisance, negligence, and trespass claims against a corn wet mill, ultimately resulting in a $51.5 million settlement for the class.
Dave currently serves as co-lead counsel representing a class of residents of 22 communities in a nuisance and negligence class action against U.S. Steel. The case arises from a massive fire at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works on December 24, 2018, which resulted in great increases in emissions of sulfurous compounds for 102 days after. Plaintiffs bring nuisance and negligence claims alleging that U.S. Steel’s emissions interfered with their use and enjoyment of their properties—including noxious odors, physical irritations, fear over health effects, and limitations on use of indoor and outdoor spaces. The case was certified as a class action in May 2023, and is one of the largest environmental nuisance cases ever certified. The case is currently in merits discovery.
Learn more about Hernandez v. US Steel.
Dave serves as outside counsel to governmental clients in cases concerning environmental contamination from per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other environmental contaminants. Dave has also worked on actions brought by the Sierra Club under the Clean Air Act against one of the nation’s largest utilities.
Employment Law, Discrimination and Civil Rights
Dave has worked on a variety of employment litigation matters primarily on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants. His plaintiff-side work has focused on employment discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, pregnancy, and sexual orientation; employee compensation; severance disputes; and non-compete agreements. He has helped favorably settle cases on behalf of several families seeking benefits under ERISA and the Mental Health Parity Act. Additionally, Dave has represented individuals in litigation against municipal governments and government officials for violations of their constitutional rights.
Dave also serves as defense counsel for clients in a variety of matters in administrative agencies and state and federal courts. Examples of such cases include contract disputes, employment discrimination matters, cases regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act, and other matters.
Dave also has wide-ranging experience in non-litigation contexts. He has advised employers and labor organizations regarding employee personnel policies, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws. Dave frequently advises clients regarding non-discrimination obligations and is experienced with providing managers and line employees with anti-harassment training. He has also assisted non-profit and for-profit organizations with navigating and resolving contractual disputes in a host of contexts ranging from attorney-client matters to condominium law to higher education.
False Claims Act, Government Representation
and Whistleblower LitigationDave has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for a number of state governments suing dozens of pharmaceutical manufacturers for pricing practices that allegedly violate state false claims, Medicaid fraud and consumer protection laws. Dave has worked as part of the firm’s team at all phases of litigation, from discovery through appeal. Collectively, the firm’s efforts have secured jury verdicts and settlements for the firm’s clients totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Dave has also worked on behalf of individual whistleblowers reporting fraud on the government.
Community Service Activities
Dave is a member of the Board of Governors of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, Chicago’s public interest bar association, and previously served as its Vice President and President. He has worked on systemic reform efforts in the area of criminal justice as a part of its Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, and on efforts to assist unrepresented litigants through its Access to Justice Committee. In 2022, Dave was recognized with a Founder’s Award for his ongoing contributions to the Council and its partner organization, the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.
Dave has also performed pro bono work drafting amicus briefs on behalf of current and former United Nations officials in cases concerning federal civil rights and international law.
Bar Admissions
Illinois Supreme Court (2009)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2010)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2011)
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (2010)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2011)
U.S. Supreme Court (2013)
Publications
- James E. Pfander and David Baltmanis, “Rethinking Bivens: Legitimacy and Constitutional Adjudication,” 98 Georgetown Law Journal 117 (2009)
- James E. Pfander and David Baltmanis, “W(h)ither Bivens?” 161 University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online 231 (2013)
