Michael Cerjak is a dedicated trial lawyer recognized for holding institutions accountable and securing justice for individuals, families, and closely held companies. His practice spans catastrophic injury, complex class actions, institutional misconduct in jails, nursing homes, and hospitals, and business disputes involving contracts, fiduciary duties, and fraud. Whether a case involves a motor vehicle crash, a consumer class action, or a commercial dispute, Michael is motivated by injustice and driven by fairness, his mission consistent: to help give ordinary people — not powerful institutions — a strong and strategic voice when the stakes are highest.
Michael has achieved record-setting results that highlight both his courtroom skill and his dedication to vindicating fundamental rights. He secured a $2.4 million defamation verdict — the largest in Wisconsin history and the largest ever in Taylor County — and a $7 million civil rights judgment stemming from critical lapses in medical care, similarly the largest of its kind. Michael has also led headline-making cases involving environmental contamination, unsafe apartments, and corporate misconduct, including cases tied to the Community Within the Corridor, Lydell Apartments, SoHi Lofts, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, and the nationwide Kia/Hyundai vehicle theft crisis. Together, these cases have attracted extensive attention and cemented Michael’s standing as a leader in complex litigation. His work has been recognized by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has repeatedly highlighted the “high-profile class action lawsuits” he has brought. He was also commended by a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge as an “extraordinarily qualified” class counsel who has gone “well above and beyond” his professional obligations in effectively advancing public impact litigation.
Michael brings extensive experience on both sides of high-stakes cases to clients of the firm. Earlier in his career, Michael spent years defending major insurers, corporations, and government agencies, trying dozens of cases and arguing before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He is also a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy at Stanford University, where he received praise for his “innate ability to communicate with jurors” and “impressive trial skills” as defense counsel. This dual experience gives Michael a strategic edge — he knows how the other side thinks, anticipates their moves, and builds effective strategies for his clients.
When he’s not in court, Michael enjoys mentoring law students at Marquette University, helping the next generation of advocates find their voice. And if you’re wondering what keeps him going? It’s simple: a deep sense of fairness, the love of a good fight, and — most importantly — the people he’s been able to help along the way.
Media Appearances
COMMUNITY WITHIN THE CORRIDOR
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ‘Where are these people going to go?’: Developer sued after Milwaukee apartment residents evacuated over toxic fumes, (June 14, 2023)
- WISN12, Residents in toxic apartments offered $5,000 to terminate lease, not sue management company, (June 12, 2023)
- WISN12, Attorneys file class action lawsuit against toxic apartment developers, (June 14, 2023)
- TMJ4, Lawsuit filed against developers of toxic Corridor apartment complex, (June 14, 2023)
- Wisconsin Law Journal, Alleged health risks spark class-action lawsuit against Milwaukee Developer, (June 15, 2023)
- FOX6, Milwaukee Community Within the Corridor lawsuit amid high TCE, (June 15, 2023)
- The Daily Reporter, Alleged health risks spark class-action lawsuit against Community Within the Corridor developer, (June 15, 2023)
- CBS58, Lawsuit filed against Community Within the Corridor developers as residents stare down deadline, (June 15, 2023)
- Finance & Commerce, Alleged health risks spark lawsuit against affordable housing developer, (June 16, 2023)
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Displaced CWC residents struggle to find housing as July 14 deadline looms, (July 5, 2023)
- Spectrum News 1, ‘Trust was really broken in this situation’: Some Community Within the Corridor residents filing lawsuit after TCE evacuation, (July 19, 2023)
- FOX6, Milwaukee apartment complex TCE settlement, tenants find relief, (October 19, 2023)
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Community Within the Corridor developer settles with residents displaced over carcinogen, (October 24, 2023)
- Urban Milwaukee, Settlement Reached For Contaminated Apartment Complex, (November 26, 2023)
- WISN12, Community Within the Corridor tenants receive 25K in settlement with developers, (January 5, 2024)
- Law360, Milwaukee Eyes Tighter Brownfield Oversight After Settlement, (January 12, 2024)
LYDELL
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Two lawsuits have been filed against the owners of Bayshore’s Lydell Apartments. Here’s what you need to know., (August 4, 2023)
- CBS58, ‘A toothless watchdog’: state lawmaker calls for changes after latest lawsuit alleging TCE exposure, (August 4, 2023)
- WISN12, Tenants file class action lawsuit against toxic Glendale apartment owner, (August 4, 2023)
- FOX6, Glendale The Lydell high TCE, tenants sue, (August 8, 2023)
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A year after The Lydell apartments were evacuated because of TCE, they might reopen soon, (August 22, 2024)
SOHI LOFTS
- WISN12, Tenants file lawsuit against SoHi Lofts, (November 14, 2023)
- WISN12, Tenants move back into SoHi Lofts days before Christmas, (December 22, 2023)
- Urban Milwaukee, A Christmas Miracle For Displaced SoHi Lofts Residents, (December 31, 2023)
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE – COLLEGE COURT
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Housing Authority tenants filed more than 4,000 complaints about bed bugs and pests. Now they are suing., (August 29, 2024)
- Urban Milwaukee, Lawsuit Filed Against City Housing Authority Over College Court Conditions, (August 28, 2024)
- Urban Milwaukee, Outside Monitor Proposed To Resolve Class-Action Tenant Lawsuit Against Housing Authority, (February 13, 2025)
- TMJ4, Tenants sue Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee over ‘uninhabitable’ living conditions, (August 28, 2024)
- Wisconsin Examiner, Class action lawsuit filed against Milwaukee Housing Authority, (August 29, 2024)
- CBS58, Residents file lawsuit against Milwaukee’s housing authority over bedbug infestation, (August 28, 2024)
- WISN12, Tenants suing Milwaukee’s housing authority over bedbug infestation, (August 28, 2024)
KIA/HYUNDAI VEHICLE THEFT CRISIS
- WISN12, Hoping to file claim in Kia, Hyundai class action lawsuit? It could take months, (June 12, 2023)
ESTATE OF MARQUIS HACKET – KIA/HYUNDAI VEHICLE THEFT CRISIS
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Family of Milwaukee man who died in crash with stolen Kia suing automaker, (January 22, 2025)
- TMJ4, Family sues Kia America after man was hit and killed by teen driving a stolen Kia, (January 22, 2025)
- WISN12, Milwaukee family sues Kia over deadly stolen car crash, (January 22, 2025)
Publications + Presentations
- How to Prepare for a Successful Mediation, State Bar of Wisconsin, June 2024 (panelist)
- Handling and Presenting Nursing Home Cases, Wisconsin Health Care Association/Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living, 2021 (invited speaker)
- December 2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure—Should Wisconsin Adopt?, State Bar of Wisconsin, September 2016 (invited speaker)
- Your Day in Court: Civil Trial Essentials, State Bar of Wisconsin, June 2016 (presentation)
- Nursing Home Admission Contracts: Enforcing Arbitration Provisions, Wisconsin Lawyer, April 2016 (with others)
- Defense Strategies to Minimize Damages, National Business Institute, October 2015 (presentation)
- Earn Your Stripes, Part 2, How to Get Through a Civil Trial, Wisconsin Lawyer, October 2015 (with others)
- Earn Your Stripes, Part 1: How to Get Civil Trial Experience, Wisconsin Lawyer, September 2015 (with others)
- Do the Mandates of the Affordable Care Act Affect the Recovery of Future Medical Expenses Under Wisconsin Law?, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Summer 2015
- You Can Do It! Civil Trial Essentials for Young Lawyers, State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Meeting & Conference 2015, June 2015 (presentation)
- Using the Collateral Source Rule Under the Affordable Care Act to Minimize Damages in Injury Settlements, National Business Institute, October 2014 (presentation)
- Collecting and Preserving Evidence for a Premises-Liability Trial, Fortune 500 Client, May 2014 (invited speaker)
- Using Technology at Trial, Firm Seminar, May 2014 (invited speaker)
- Using Evidence of Healthcare Fraud in Personal-Injury Cases, WIASIU Conference, April 2014 (presentation)
- Litigating the Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claim, National Business Institute, March 2014 (presentation)
- Personal Injury 101, National Business Institute, January 2014 (presentation)
- Experiences in Appellate Advocacy, University of Wisconsin Law School, September 2013 (guest speaker)
- Wisconsin Tort Update, Seminar, January 2013 (presentation)
- Medicare Set-Asides in Personal Injury Litigation, National Business Institute, October 2012 (presentation)
- The Enforceability of the Drive-Other-Car Exclusion in Light of the Truth in Automobile Insurance Act of 2009, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Summer 2012
- Auto Injury Litigation: From Start to Finish, National Business Institute, March 2012 (presentation)
- Taking Medicare’s Interests into Consideration, National Business Institute, October 2011 (presentation)
- What Is an Independent Concurrent Cause?, Wisconsin Defense Counsel, August 2011 (presentation)
- The Family Exclusion After Day v. Day, Wisconsin Defense Counsel, August 2011 (presentation)
- Wisconsin’s Timely Payment of Claims Statute Wis. Stat. § 628.46, Wisconsin Defense Counsel, March 2011 (presentation)
- Improving Your Legal Writing as a Young Lawyer, Marquette University Law School, April 2010 (presentation)
- Wisconsin’s Proposed E-Discovery Rules, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Winter 2009
- Reflections on a Year of Practice, Marquette University Law School, October 2009 (presentation)
- Litigating Multiparty Construction Disputes After Trinity Lutheran v. Dorschner Excavating, Inc., Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Summer 2009
- The Family-Exclusion Clause Is Ambiguous?, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Spring 2009