Daniel Nigh is currently the national Co-Lead Counsel for the Valsartan multi-district litigation and has focused his efforts in overseeing the science and experts committee and the bellwether committee. In addition, he is also on the Zantac Plaintiffs Steering Committee for the multi-district litigation and he was appointed by the Court to chair the science and experts committee.
Previously, Daniel was integrally involved with starting the Benicar litigation and he jointly filed the first lawsuit in the nation with Rayna Kessler. He also chaired the discovery committee. Ultimately, the Benicar litigation resulted in a $358 million global settlement. Daniel was also on the DePuy ASR science and experts committee. In addition, Daniel also co-chaired the third-party discovery committee and was a member of the bellwether committee for the Bair Hugger litigation. Daniel was also actively involved in deposition defense witnesses in the Abilify and Vaginal Mesh litigations. In addition, Daniel has also worked on settlements for the DePuy Attune and DePuy Pinnacle litigations.
Daniel was born in Los Angeles, California and lived in Santa Ana, California for the first five years of his life. Thereafter, he was raised in a small town of Polk City, Florida (located between Tampa and Orlando). Both of his parents were music teachers and his dad worked in the Osceola County public libraries and his mom worked as a teacher at Polk City Elementary School. Daniel graduated fourth in his class at Auburndale High School and played varsity soccer and tennis. He was also an avid chess player and won multiple county, regional and state chess championships. He also beat Hikaru Nakamura in the 1996 US Open.
Daniel then attended Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. While at Florida Southern College, he was president of the psychology honor society, Psi Chi, treasurer of the music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha, and member of the fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors of science in psychology and minors in business admistration and math. Daniel also toured the country and performed with the Florida Southern Choir and Ensemble. In addition, Daniel starred in a play at Florida Southern College regarding persecuting a German general for war crimes committed during the Holocaust.
During high school and college, Daniel was the lead singer and keyboard player of Final Kry, a christian rock alternative band. For nearly a year, Daniel played with Final Kry interim band members Deon Rexroat (bassist) and Nathan Young (drummer). Deon Rexroat and Nathan Young went on to form the world-renowned rock band, Anberlin. Also, while in college, Daniel was a youth minister at Central Baptist Community Ministries in Lakeland, Florida. He has also been a praise and worship leader at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida.
Next, Daniel attended Stetson Law School in Gulfport, Florida (next to St. Petersburg, FL). Daniel graduated magna cum laude from Stetson Law School. While in law school, Daniel worked as a law clerk at Brasfield, Fuller, Freeman & O'Hern. His team was also runner up in Stetson Law School's football and champions of the dodgeball intramural leagues.
