Blue, Timothy D.

Current Employment Position(s)

Of Counsel, since 1982

Lawyer Overview

Tim Blue is a trial lawyer in the Seattle office of Williams Kastner.  He has practiced law for 30 years. He has tried more than 50 cases to juries, judges and arbitrators, including 29 jury trials. He has represented parties in hundreds of diverse litigation matters in both State and Federal Court. He has represented individuals and major companies in cases throughout the Pacific Northwest, and has served as “National Coordinating Counsel” in defending major product liability litigation. Mr. Blue has been “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 1991, its “preeminent” status. He is a member, and has served on the National Board of Directors, of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”), and on the Executive Committee of the ABOTA State of Washington Chapter (President, 2008). He has been named to the Super Lawyers list by Washington Law & Politics magazine, in its annual surveys of the state’s best lawyers, in 2001 and every year since. Mr. Blue was one of only sixteen civil defense lawyers from the state of Washington to be recognized in the August 2008 Corporate Counsel edition of Super Lawyers magazine. He has also been recognized by the Seattle Met magazine as a “Top Lawyer” in Litigation for 2010, a designation based upon Martindale-Hubbell's ranking of those practitioners in King County who have been judged by their peers to be “AV Preeminent”—the highest peer-review rating available.

Several years ago the State of Washington Attorney General's Office selected Mr. Blue to defend the State, and individually named State juvenile workers, against the claims of a former juvenile detainee dating to the mid-1960's. The plaintiff claimed negligence and violation of Section 1983 Constitutional Rights stemming from being permitted to purchase and smoke cigarettes at State juvenile facilities in violation of a Washington statute. Plaintiff claimed damages resulting from lung cancer, brain cancer and multiple hospitalizations and health care following diagnosis in the late 1990s. The case potentially had implications for other prospective plaintiffs, as well as other prospective defendants, including different types of governmental agencies, school districts, and others. Mr. Blue tried the case to a defense jury verdict in May 2002.

During his career, Mr. Blue has defended hundreds of health care providers (doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, nurses, dentists and others) in malpractice cases and disciplinary proceedings. He has defended virtually every specialty and type of claim confronted in this area of practice, including major cases involving permanent paralysis, other catastrophic personal injury or wrongful death. He has represented most every surgical specialty against claims of surgical complication, and has defended damaged infant obstetrical cases, representing both obstetrical practitioners and hospital labor and delivery nurses.

He has defended many cases involving claims of failure to timely diagnose some form of cancer. He has defended claims of negligent addiction to narcotic medication, as well as claims of sexual impropriety or intentional tort. There is almost no type of health care provider or claim that Mr. Blue has not defended. He has represented one Nobel prize winner, and many other physicians who are considered at the top of their profession.

Mr. Blue has also defended dozens of lawyers in professional liability litigation and disciplinary proceedings relating to the handling of family law matters, other litigation matters, failure to perfect security interests, failure to comply with the statute of limitations, various failures in the drafting of contracts and other legal documents. He has represented one former State Bar Association President, and other lawyers highly respected among their peers.

He has represented major manufacturers in product liability cases, including defense of orthopedic appliances, contraceptive foam, intrauterine contraceptive devices, oral contraceptives, other prescription and over-the-counter medications, medical/surgical equipment, home appliances, and fire suppression systems. Mr. Blue has served clients in these cases throughout the state, the Pacific Northwest and as National Coordinating Counsel. He has also served as National Trial Counsel in defending asbestos cases and other product liability cases.

He has defended employers against claims of wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, retaliatory firing, age discrimination and marital discrimination.

He has represented civil defendants in a variety of other cases involving tort claims (both intentional and unintentional), including cases involving physical and sexual abuse, cases involving negligent or intentional transmission of the HIV virus, as well as claims involving multi-million dollar property damage associated with fire, flooding.

Mr. Blue has represented parties in real estate disputes and in other commercial litigation. He also has experience resolving insurance and securities disputes through arbitration and mediation.

Areas of Practice

• Product Liability
• Professional Liability
• Mass Torts
• Litigation - Commercial
• Litigation - General
• Asbestos

Representative Cases

• Ehlers v. Ken Martin, M.D. , (King County Superior Court 1983)
• Harmon v. AH Robins Company , (King County Superior Court 1984)
• Bryson v. AH Robins Company , (King County Superior Court 1985)
• Bison v. AH Robins Company , (King County Superior Court 1985)
• Stevens v. Stevens Memorial Hospital, Snohomish County Superior Court (1986)
• Redwine v. Harborview Medical Center and Robert Veith, M.D. , (King County Superior Court 1987)
• Cena v. John Anderson, M.D., et al. , (King County Superior Court 1988)
• Garcia v. Providence Hospital, et al. , (King County Superior Court 1989)
• Petrich v. Ed Hoffer d/b/a Northlake Truck & Auto Repair and Pacific Delivery Co., King County Superior Court (1989)
• Currah v. University Hospital, Anthony Russell, M.D., David Figge, M.D. , (King County Superior Court 1990)
• French v. Robert Warwick, M.D., Alan L.W. Gunsul, M.D., et al. , (King County Superior Court 1991)
• Wright v. Robert Myall, M.D., Gregory Chew, M.D., Providence Family Dentistry, et al. , (King County Superior Court 1992)
• Garcia v. Providence Hospital , (King County Superior Court 1993)
• Kimball v. Enumclaw Medical Center and Paul Gunderson, M.D. , (King County Superior Court 1993)
• Taylor v. Harborview Medical Center, Stephen Benirschke, M.D., et al. , (King County Superior Court 1994)
• Dossey v. The Everett Clinic, et al. , (Snohomish County Superior Court 1994)
• Lloyd v. The Everett Clinic, Robert McKnight, M.D., Diane Quammen, M.D. , (Snohomish County Superior Court 1994)
• Hendricks v. The Everett Clinic, Robert Jacobson, M.D., Ruben Contreras, M.D. , (Snohomish County Superior Court 1996)
• Fisher v. The Everett Clinic, and Providence General Medical Center , (Snohomish County Superior Court 1996)
• Hayward v. Sigvard T. Hansen, Jr., M.D. , (King County Superior Court 1997)
• Quinlan v. Jeffrey P. Remington, M.D. and Stevens , (Snohomish County Superior Court 1997)
• Van Houten v. State of Washington, et al. , (King County Superior Court 2002)
• Hines v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., et al. , (San Francisco County (CA) Superior Court 2005)
• Nurriddin v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., et al. , (San Francisco County (CA) Superior Court 2005)
• Thompson v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., et al. , (King County Superior Court 2006)
• Salama v. Overlake Hospital, et al. , (King County Superior Court 2009)

West Practice Categories

Products Liability Law, Professional Malpractice Law, Professional Responsibility, Class Actions, Personal Injury -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Toxic Torts, Litigation & Appeals, Business & Commercial Law, Asbestos

Bar Admissions

• Washington, 1983
• Indiana, 1979
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington
• U.S. District Court Western District of Washington

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Seattle-King County Bar Association (Member)
• American Arbitration Association (Member)
• American Bar Association (Member, Tort, Trial & Insurance Section)
• Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association, 1992 - 1995 (Member, Board of Trustees)
• Defense Research Institute (Member)
• King County Mandatory Arbitration Program (Member, Panel of Arbitrators)
• American Board of Trial Advocates (National Board Member)
• American Board of Trial Advocates (Secretary, State of Washington Cahpater ''Executive Committee')
• American Bar Association (Member, Litigation Section, Professional Liability Committee)
• American Bar Association (Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Responsibility)
• American Bar Association (Member, Tort & Insurance Practice Section, Products Liability Committe)
• Washington Health Care Risk Management, 1998 - 1999 (Board of Directors)
• National Association of Securities Dealer
• Indiana School of Law Alumni Association (Board of Trustees)
• Indiana University School of Law Alumni Association, 1994 - 2005 (Ex-Officio Member, Board of Trustees)
• Trial Lawyer Participant, Masters in Trial Program, American Board of Trial Advocates
• National Association of Securities Dealers
• American Board of Trial Advocates, 2008 - Present (National Board of Directors, International Issues Committee, Co- Chair)
• American Board of Trial Advocates, 2009 - Present (National Board of Directors, Appointed by ABOTA National President)
• Washington State Bar Association, 1986 - 1988 (Editorial Advisory Board)

Honors and Awards

• Super Lawyers (Washington Law & Politics magazine), 2001 - Present

Past Employment Positions

• Rasor, Harris, Lemon & Reed, Associate, 1979 - 1982
• Ice, Miller, Donadio & Ryan, Summer Associate

Education

• Indiana University at Bloomington School of Law, Bloomington, Indiana, 1979
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
  Honors: cum laude
  Law Review: Note Editor, Indiana Law Journal, 1978 - 1979
• Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana, 1976
  B.S., Bachelor of Science
  Honors: With Distinction
  Major: Economics and Business
• Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, 1973

Published Works

• "Ten Tips for Avoiding Legal Malpractice", Washington Journal, August 16, 1993

Address

Two Union Square
601 Union Street, Suite 4100
Seattle, WA 98101-2380

Phones

(206) 628-2406

Faxes

(206) 628-6611

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.williamskastner.com