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Lawyer Profile

Image of Michael B. Bogdanow

Michael B. Bogdanow

Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C.
  • Recognized Since:
    2014
  • Recognized in:
    Appellate Practice
  • Website:
    http://www.meehanboyle.com
  • E-mail:
    mbogdanow@meehanboyle.com
  • Location:
    Two Center Plaza, Suite 600
    Boston, MA 02108

Michael B. Bogdanow is a Principal and Director of Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C., and oversees all of its appellate litigation. He has handled numerous appeals on a wide range of issues. Attorney Bogdanow successfully handled the appeal of a $63 million verdict on behalf of his firm's clients, a young girl who was given over the counter Children’s Motrin® to treat a mild fever (and her parents, who were also plaintiffs in the case). She developed the side-effects Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) resulting in life-altering injuries including the loss of 90% of her skin, blindness and significant respiratory damage. At the time of ingestion, the label did not identify early symptoms of TEN as it does today. Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary McNeil-PPC, Inc. appealed, and the judgment was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in Reckis v. Johnson & Johnson, 471 Mass. 272 (2015).

Michael Bogdanow also handled the appeal in Commerce Insurance Co. v. Ultimate Livery Service, Inc., 452 Mass. 639 (2008), which established the principle that if a transportation service does not take reasonable steps to help avoid harm caused by its inebriated passengers, the company can be held liable. An intoxicated passenger had been drinking with his friends in a "party limo" for several hours and immediately drove after being dropped off near his car. Minutes later, his erratic driving  killed an off-duty Boston police officer. The Supreme Judicial Court held that when a limousine service allows its passengers to become intoxicated, it has a duty of care to take reasonable steps to transport them to a place of safety, rather than simply dropping them off where they were picked up, particularly if it is foreseeable that they may then drive.

Michael Bogdanow follows two professional passions in life: law and art. He maintains a diverse practice at Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, and also creates paintings and sculptures in his Cambridge studio. While the two enterprises might seem contradictory – the rationality of law vs. the creativity of art – to Bogdanow, they occupy a common ground.

“Certainly art draws from the creative, nonverbal, aesthetic and spiritual part of the brain,” notes Bogdanow. “And law is more analytical, more verbal, more social and more direct. But there still is overlap. As an attorney I often find myself tapping into my skills as an artist. I try to view each case individually and to be as creative as possible in addressing the client’s needs.”

Bogdanow is also a prodigious writer. In 2018, he wrote Massachusetts Personal Injury Litigation, published by Matthew Bender. In 1993, he authored the legal treatise, “Massachusetts Tort Damages,” and in 1999 he wrote the second edition of the treatise, published by Lexis Law Publishing. He updates each of these treatises annually. He has also contributed to many other books, and has published numerous articles on tort and insurance law.

A native of Houston, Bogdanow has practiced law in Boston since his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1984. Like others at the firm, Bogdanow manages to make time to participate in bar activities. He has served as Chairperson of the Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments, and Co-Chair of the Boston Bar Association Litigation Section and Co-Chair of its Tort Committee. He has also served as President of the Massachusetts chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

  • Lawyer Bio
  • Client Comments
  • Firm Details
  • News & Media
  • Case History

Lawyer Bio

Michael B. Bogdanow is a Principal and Director of Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C., and oversees all of its appellate litigation. He has handled numerous appeals on a wide range of issues. Attorney Bogdanow successfully handled the appeal of a $63 million verdict on behalf of his firm's clients, a young girl who was given over the counter Children’s Motrin® to treat a mild fever (and her parents, who were also plaintiffs in the case). She developed the side-effects Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) resulting in life-altering injuries including the loss of 90% of her skin, blindness and significant respiratory damage. At the time of ingestion, the label did not identify early symptoms of TEN as it does today. Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary McNeil-PPC, Inc. appealed, and the judgment was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in Reckis v. Johnson & Johnson, 471 Mass. 272 (2015).

Michael Bogdanow also handled the appeal in Commerce Insurance Co. v. Ultimate Livery Service, Inc., 452 Mass. 639 (2008), which established the principle that if a transportation service does not take reasonable steps to help avoid harm caused by its inebriated passengers, the company can be held liable. An intoxicated passenger had been drinking with his friends in a "party limo" for several hours and immediately drove after being dropped off near his car. Minutes later, his erratic driving  killed an off-duty Boston police officer. The Supreme Judicial Court held that when a limousine service allows its passengers to become intoxicated, it has a duty of care to take reasonable steps to transport them to a place of safety, rather than simply dropping them off where they were picked up, particularly if it is foreseeable that they may then drive.

Michael Bogdanow follows two professional passions in life: law and art. He maintains a diverse practice at Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, and also creates paintings and sculptures in his Cambridge studio. While the two enterprises might seem contradictory – the rationality of law vs. the creativity of art – to Bogdanow, they occupy a common ground.

“Certainly art draws from the creative, nonverbal, aesthetic and spiritual part of the brain,” notes Bogdanow. “And law is more analytical, more verbal, more social and more direct. But there still is overlap. As an attorney I often find myself tapping into my skills as an artist. I try to view each case individually and to be as creative as possible in addressing the client’s needs.”

Bogdanow is also a prodigious writer. In 2018, he wrote Massachusetts Personal Injury Litigation, published by Matthew Bender. In 1993, he authored the legal treatise, “Massachusetts Tort Damages,” and in 1999 he wrote the second edition of the treatise, published by Lexis Law Publishing. He updates each of these treatises annually. He has also contributed to many other books, and has published numerous articles on tort and insurance law.

A native of Houston, Bogdanow has practiced law in Boston since his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1984. Like others at the firm, Bogdanow manages to make time to participate in bar activities. He has served as Chairperson of the Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments, and Co-Chair of the Boston Bar Association Litigation Section and Co-Chair of its Tort Committee. He has also served as President of the Massachusetts chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Read more on firm website
  • Education
  • Bar Admissions
  • Affiliations
  • Award List
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge

Education:

  • Columbia University, MFA, graduated 1979
  • Brandeis University, BA, graduated 1976

Bar Admissions:

  • Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bar Association

Affiliations:

  • American Association for Justice - Member of Committees: Law Schools and Stalwarts/Hall of Fame
  • Cambridge Art Association - Member, Board of Directors
  • Injury Board - Member, Executive Committee
  • Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys - Member
  • Massachusetts Bar Association - Member

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for:

  • Appellate Practice, Boston (2020)
  • Appellate Practice, Boston (2017)
  • Appellate Practice, Boston (2015)
 

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

  • Appellate Practice
 

Lawyer Client Comments

Firm Details

Image for Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C. View Firm Profile
Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C.
http://www.meehanboyle.com
 
Headquarters
Two Center Plaza, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 523.8300

News & Media

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Lawyer Case History

Del Valle v. Bechtel et als (the "Big Dig" tunnel collapse wrongful death action)

$28 million settlement in case involving the tragic death of Milena Del Valle, who died when a three-ton ceiling panel collapsed on top of her car while she and her husband were driving through Boston’s Interstate 90 Connector Tunnel on July 10, 2006. Milena was crushed to death as her husband, just inches away in the driver’s seat, struggled in vain for control of the car. The tunnel was part of the $14 billion “Big Dig” project. A year-long investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board resulted in a finding that the epoxy anchors used to suspend the “drop ceiling” were inappropriate for use in a long term, overhead application. The plaintiffs’ suit named sixteen defendants, including Bechtel Corp., the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and other companies responsible for the management design, construction and inspection of the tunnel, as well as the manufacturers and distributors of the epoxy used to hang the “drop ceiling” that collapsed onto the Del Valles’ car.

Reckis v. Johnson & Johnson & McNeil-PPC, Inc.

Successfully handled Reckis v. Johnson & Johnson, 471 Mass. 272 (2015), the Supreme Judicial Court appeal of our firm's $63 million jury verdict against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary McNeil-PPC, Inc. after a young girl was given over the counter Children’s Motrin® to treat a mild fever.  She developed the side-effects Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).  The little girl suffered life-altering injuries including the loss of 90% of her skin, blindness and significant respiratory damage.  At the time of ingestion, the label did not list early symptoms of TEN as it does today. The child was awarded $50,000,000 in compensatory damages, and each of her parents was awarded $6,500,000 for the loss of her consortium. 

Santos v. Chrysler Corp.

Was involved in the appellate proceedings in our firm's $26 million judgment against Chrysler Corporation in a case involving its poorly designed brake system in the early “mini vans” released into the market. The faulty braking system led to a tragic accident and the deaths of the plaintiff’s wife and three children. Santos v. Chrysler Corp., 430 Mass. 198 (1999). 

Commerce Insurance Co. v. Ultimate Livery Service, Inc

Commerce Insurance Co. v. Ultimate Livery Service, Inc., 452 Mass. 639 (2008) established the principle that if a transportation service does not take reasonable steps to help avoid harm caused by its inebriated passengers, the company can be held liable. An intoxicated passenger had been drinking with his friends in a "party limo" for several hours and immediately drove after being dropped off near his car. Minutes later, his erratic driving  killed an off-duty Boston police officer. The Supreme Judicial Court held that when a limousine service allows its passengers to become intoxicated, it has a duty of care to take reasonable steps to transport them to a place of safety, rather than simply dropping them off where they were picked up, particularly if it is foreseeable that they may then drive.
 
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