BoutinJones
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Eric Miller
Shareholder
Eric’s practice focuses on business litigation. He has experience handling disputes among business partners, landlords and tenants, trustees, and employers and employees. Eric has litigated a variety of cases before administrative tribunals, state and federal trial courts, and state and federal appellate courts.
Prior to joining Boutin Jones, Eric clerked for a United States District Court Judge and worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington.
“I practice general business litigation and estate litigation, representing people and businesses to help them resolve disputes.”
Before law school, I served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army/California National Guard, which included a deployment to Iraq.
Experience
- Represented a small business in a contract dispute with its distributor. The dispute was resolved in binding arbitration. The arbitrator found in our client’s favor on nearly all of its claims, rejected all claims made by the distributor, and awarded damages, attorneys’ fees and costs to our client.
- Co-lead counsel in a contract dispute arising from a restaurant’s lawsuit against our client, a brewery, in which the restaurant sought millions of dollars in damages. The dispute was resolved in binding arbitration. The arbitrator rejected each of the restaurant’s claims, found in favor of our client on a counterclaim, and our client was ultimately awarded nearly $300,000 in damages, attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Assistant trial counsel for a trustee in a case against a beneficiary arising from the beneficiary’s taking of over $250,000 from the decedent’s estate. Following a bench trial, the court entered judgment against the beneficiary in an amount exceeding $500,000, and ordered the beneficiary to pay the trustee’s attorneys’ fees and costs, based on the beneficiary’s bad faith taking and disposal of trust assets.
- Assistant trial counsel in a case involving a dispute between partners who owned a service station and mini-mart business. Following a two-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in our client’s favor.
- Defended state agencies and state employees against a wide variety of claims in state and federal trial and appellate courts as an Assistant Attorney General for Washington State. Examples of cases include:
- Obtained early dismissal on summary judgment in an employment discrimination action.
- Defended state agency against a claim involving an injury during a training exercise in a state trial and appellate court.
Involvement
Presentations
Co-presenter of “Critical Issues for Testifying Experts” for the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA).
Honors
Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom II
Graduated law school magna cum laude
Professional Associations and Memberships
Former Federal Law Clerk, Hon. Benjamin H. Settle, U. S. District Court, Tacoma, WA
Former Assistant Attorney General for Washington State
Community
Board Member, Meals on Wheels of Yolo County
Board Member, Yolo Crisis Nursery
Member, Woodland Sunrise Rotary Club
Member, Yolo County’s “100 Men Who Give a Damn” fundraising group
Prior Community Service: Big Brothers/Big Sisters in San Luis Obispo and Sacramento; Lawyers in the Library pro bono clinic; National Veterans Legal Services Program