Brian Joseph Butler
Top rated Employment Litigation attorney in Cincinnati, Ohio
The Butler Trial Firm
Practice areas: Employment Litigation, Personal Injury, Business Litigation; view more
Licensed in Ohio since: 2007
Education: University of Cincinnati College of Law
Selected to Rising Stars: 2015 - 2022 Call today:
513-909-3402
Free Consultation The Butler Trial Firm
615 Elsinore PlaceSuite 105
Cincinnati, OH 45202 Visit website
Brian Joseph Butler is a shareholder at Mezibov Butler in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he practices personal injury, employment law, and business litigation. Many of Mr. Butler's clients have been injured in motor vehicle accidents or have otherwise been hurt through the negligence of another party. He also handles wrongful death matters, nursing home abuse cases, premises liability cases and more. He serves clients in the Cincinnati, Hamilton, Mason and West Chester, Ohio, areas.
Mr. Butler is admitted to practice in all Ohio state courts, the U.S. district courts for the northern and southern districts of Ohio and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Over the course of his career, he has also represented clients in federal courts in other jurisdictions, including in the state of Kentucky.
Mr. Butler also has a great deal of experience with litigation related to employment, including cases involving wrongful termination, unlawful discrimination, retaliation, non-compete agreements, the Family and Medical Leave Act and more. He has also represented a variety of clients in cases involving financial disputes, professional malpractice fraud, contract disputes, wills and trusts and other complex issues. Mr. Butler has extensive trial experience, including obtaining two verdicts in excess of $20,000,000.
After earning degrees in history and political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Mr. Butler obtained his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He graduated with honors from both educational institutions.
A native of the Cincinnati area, Mr. Butler participates in both state and national professional organizations. He belongs to professional groups including the Ohio Employment Lawyers Association, the National Employment Lawyers Association and the Ohio Association for Justice.
Practice areas
Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Business LitigationFocus areas
Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law - Employer, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Retaliation, Sexual Abuse - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death, Wrongful Termination
- 40% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
- 40% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 20% Business Litigation
First Admitted: 2007, Ohio
Professional Webpage: https://www.mezibov.com/attorney/brian-butler/
Bar / Professional Activity
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana, 2016
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2012
- National Employment Lawyers Association, Member, 2007 - Present
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, 2012
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 2008
- Ohio Employment Lawyers Association, Member, 2007 - Present
- Ohio, 2007
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Hulsmeyer v. Hospice of Southwest Ohio, Inc., et al., 2014-Ohio-5511
- Class Action Certification and Judgement In Favor of Class- Morse v. Fifty West Brewing Co. | United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Case No. 1:21-cv-00377 The Butler Trial Firm successfully petitioned the Court to certify class and collective actions for failure to pay minimum wages. Fifty West Brewing Company paid Kevin Morse and more than 100 other employees below the state and federal minimum wage and improperly required these workers to share tips with kitchen staff. The Court granted judgment in favor of Mr. Morse and the class on the minimum wage claims, concluding that Fifty West violated state and federal minimum wage laws. , 2026
- Arbitration award of $174,804.51 | Linneman v. Total Quality Logistics, LLCThe Butler Trial Firm represented Christopher Linneman in an action against Total Quality Logistics for FMLA interference. Mr. Linneman took FMLA leave for the birth of his child. While on leave, some members of Mr. Linneman’s team improperly handled a load resulting in a loss for TQL. Several months later, TQL terminated Mr. Linneman as a result of the mistake other employees made while he was on FMLA leave. The arbitration panel found in Mr. Linneman’s favor, awarding him $174,804.51 in lost wages. The arbitration panel also ordered TQL to pay the Butler Trial Firm’s significant attorney fees. , 2024
- Settlement of $600,000- Nathan Shackleford v. Cincinnati Insurance Company | Warren County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 19CV092319 The Butler Trial Firm represented Nathan Shackleford, a former roadway maintenance worker, who was struck while performing maintenance of a landscaped median in Mason, Ohio. Mr. Shackleford suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him with a significant sensitivity to light and other orthopedic injuries. In addition to recovering from the driver who struck him, The Butler Trial Firm pursued a claim against his employer’s uninsured motorist carrier who had denied coverage because Mr. Shackleford was struck while he was in the roadway and not in a company vehicle. After aggressively pursuing the claim, the Butler Trial Firm was able to establish that the uninsured motorist carrier was responsible for coverage because Mr. Shackleford was using his employer’s vehicle as a base of operations while performing maintenance. The Firm’s diligence enabled Mr. Shackleford to obtain a significantly greater recovery than was available from the driver that struck him, giving Mr. Shackleford the means to move forward with his life despite his significant injuries., 2021
- Settlement of $2,500,000- Todd Taylor v. Gary Riffle, et al. | Warren County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 17CV90155 The Butler Trial Firm represented Todd Taylor for injuries he sustained when operating a motorcycle on Western Row Rd. in Mason, Ohio. As Mr. Taylor was traveling normally in the inside lane, a driver coming the opposite direction lost the ability to use his brakes and crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, striking Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor, although wearing a helmet, suffered traumatic brain injury. Mr. Taylor was unable to continue working and required a substantial amount of assistance with daily activities. The Butler Trial Firm’s investigation uncovered that the driver who struck Mr. Taylor was driving a vehicle owned by his employer and that it had refused to perform recommended maintenance on the vehicle’s brake lines, creating an unreasonable danger to Mr. Taylor and other motorists. The Firm was able to use that unfortunate fact to make sure Mr. Taylor recovered enough to compensate him for his significant loss., 2019
- Settlement of $2,350,000- Estate of Jordan Alexander v. Tiffany Davis, et al. | Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Case No. A1904890 The Butler Trial Firm represented the Estate of Jordan Alexander in a wrongful death matter. The decedent, Ms. Alexander, was operating a motorcycle on Columbia Parkway when a semi-truck, illegally on Columbia Parkway to begin with, attempted to execute a u-turn across several lanes of traffic. Ms. Alexander was unable to avoid colliding with the semi-truck, colliding with it at a significant rate of speed. Ms. Alexander unfortunately suffered fatal injuries. The Butler Trial Firm was able to leverage claims against several different entities to obtain a significant recovery for the grieving family., 2023
- $622,497.70 Verdict in Doug McGonegle v. Select Comfort Retail Corp. | United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Case No. 1:19-cv-00442 The Butler Trial Firm represented Doug McGonegle, a former salesperson at a Sleep Number store in Kenwood Towne Center, in a disability discrimination case. Mr. McGonegle suffers from essential tremor, a genetic condition that causes mild hand tremors. Mr. McGonegle’s supervisor did not like the fact that customers could see Mr. McGonegle’s hands shaking and worried that customers might think it was evidence of something worse, like a drinking habit. The supervisor questioned other employees about Mr. McGonegle’s drinking habits and reported to corporate management that she believed Mr. McGonegle might be an alcoholic. Ultimately, Sleep Number terminated Mr. McGonegle for phony reasons. A jury, after a week-long trial, determined that Sleep Number had terminated Mr. McGonegle because of his hand tremor and awarded him $622,497.70, which included $500,000 in punitive damages., 2022
- $25,000,000 verdict in TThe Estate of Magnolia Walsh v. Total Quality Logistics, LLC | Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Case No. A2300752 The Butler Trial Firm represented the Estate of Magnolia Walsh in a wrongful death action against Total Quality Logistics. Magnolia’s mother, Chelsea Walsh, worked for Total Quality Logistics in its claims department. She was pregnant with Magnolia and, after suffering a pregnancy complication, requested permission to work from home because her physician had ordered she be on bed rest. Total Quality Logistics refused to allow her to work from home and directed her to work in the office. Chelsea Walsh, fearing she would not have income or health insurance, returned to work. As a result of not observing bed rest, Magnolia was born before reaching the point of viability. She died approximately six hours after being born. The jury found that Total Quality Logistics was 90% responsible for Magnolia’s death and awarded a total of $25,000,000 in damages., 2026
- $22,294,467 verdict in Get Your Back On Track, LLC v. Banshee 3652, LLC, et al. | Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Case No. A2003571 The Butler Trial Firm represented Get Your Back On Track, LLC, which did business as Revolution Fitness, in a case against the former owners of the property at which Revolution Fitness previously operated. Revolution Fitness’s lease included a right of first refusal that gave it the option to purchase the property if the owner ever intended to sell it. Instead of offering the right of first refusal, the former owner and property manager sold the property out from under Revolution Fitness, ultimately causing Revolution Fitness to cease operations. A jury awarded Revolution Fitness over $22 million, including $14.8 million in punitive damages., 2025
- Dias v. Archdiocese of Cincinnati, et al., 1:11-cv-00251, United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 2013
Educational Background
- Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, B.A., cum laude, Major: History and Political Science, 2000-2004
- J.D.- University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2004-2007
- St. Xavier High School, 1996-2000
Honors
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018
Office location for Brian Joseph Butler
615 Elsinore Place
Suite 105
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-909-3402
Selections
- Rising Stars: 2015 - 2022
