Bocketti, Phillip A

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.