Daniel Raymond Dutko

Daniel Dutko knows the best way to maximize recovery for clients is to prepare every case for trial. A trial lawyer with more than twenty years of experience, Daniel has built his career trying high-stakes cases against powerful defendants in courtrooms across the country. Over the course of his career, he has tried more than fifty jury trials and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients through verdicts and settlements.

In 2025, Daniel served as lead trial counsel in Skaggs v. Angels Baseball, a wrongful death case against the Los Angeles Angels, a Major League Baseball franchise valued at more than $1 billion. After more than three months of trial, Daniel asked the jury to award the Skaggs family more than $250 million in actual damages, in addition to punitive damages. During deliberations, the jury sent a note asking, “Do we as the jury get to decide the punitive damage amount? There is no field (on the charge) for it?” The following day, the Los Angeles Angels settled the case for a confidential amount.
Daniel also served as lead trial counsel in West v. Colorado Materials, representing the parents of Andrew West, an oilfield worker who was killed by a tractor-trailer truck. Daniel tried the case in Hays County, one of the more conservative counties in Texas. After a week-long trial, the jury returned a $46 million verdict for the family—the largest personal injury verdict in Hays County history.

In 2023, Daniel was appointed Special Prosecutor by the Texas House of Representatives Board of Managers, the bipartisan group of representatives charged with prosecuting the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In that role, Daniel served as a trial lawyer before the Texas Senate and cross-examined key witnesses on the Senate floor in one of the most closely watched proceedings in Texas history.

Honors and Recognition
In both 2025 and 2026, Lawdragon recognized Daniel as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America, a distinction reflecting his place among the most accomplished and influential lawyers in the nation. Lawdragon also recognized Daniel as one of the 500 Leading Litigators in America in 2026 and 2027 and one of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers from 2021 through 2026. Since 2023, Daniel has been selected to Super Lawyers, and in 2025 and 2026 he was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation.

2025 and 2026 Lawdragon Leading Lawyers in America: The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America

2026 and 2027 Lawdragon Leading Litigators in America: The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | The 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America

2021 through 2026 Lawdragon Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers: The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | The 2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers

2025 and 2026 Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury Litigation2023 – 2025 Super Lawyers