Biography

Karen Woodward is a trial attorney who focuses her practice on the defense of complex products liability and business litigation matters.  Ms. Woodward is a mass torts specialist and has extensive experience coordinating national and statewide litigation against medical device, food, pharmaceutical, and tobacco product manufacturers, as well as defending these entities and other product manufacturers in individual products liability actions involving catastrophic injuries. She co-chairs Sedgwick’s Drug & Medical Device Practice Group and is active in Sedgwick’s Class Action Task Force. She also co-chairs the firm’s Food & Nutritional Supplement Task Force.

Ms. Woodward works in collaboration with her clients to serve their business and strategic objectives.  It is her professional mission to provide legal services that are value-based.  To this end, Ms. Woodward’s case management practices are specifically tailored to the demands of a particular action, in conjunction with her client’s needs, and with an emphasis on forward thinking and efficiency at all times.   

Litigation Matters

Ms. Woodward’s litigation experience includes:

• Coordinating statewide pharmaceutical litigation involving over 4000 plaintiffs and a defense team of over 40 individuals, including development of case management guidelines and court orders, direction of case-specific discovery, expert preparation, depositions of plaintiffs and treating physicians, as well as pre-trial preparation.   
• Serving as California lead counsel in multiple pharmaceutical mass tort actions.
• Defending a food manufacturer in a series of high profile cases alleging neonatal meningitis resulting from intrinsic food contamination.
• Representing food and pharmaceutical companies in statutory penalty class actions arising from alleged violations of consumer protection statutes.
• Obtaining Summary Judgment in favor of food manufacturer in action involving catastrophic injury to newborn infant. 
• Obtaining Summary Judgment in favor of product manufacturer on high profile, statewide consumer fraud class action involving claims of deceptive practices and conspiracy and seeking disgorgement of profits and restitution. Summary judgment was obtained after the class had been certified, all discovery (including all experts’ depositions) had been completed, and just prior to commencement of trial.
• Obtaining Judgment on the Pleadings of consumer fraud claims against commercial lending entity, saving the client from production of information relating to its other customers and what would have been massive discovery relating to those customers.
• Prevailing on Motion to Strike wage and hour class action allegations within two months of the case being filed.
• Obtaining nominal settlement against director in breach of contract case on the eve of trial.
• Successfully resolving broker-dealer actions after aggressive motion practice.
• Handling matters relating to attorney breaches of loyalty, fiduciary duty, and other acts of alleged negligence.

She has also procured favorable results for her clients — from negotiating early settlement to prevailing on dispositive motions to obtaining defense verdicts at trial — in numerous individual products liability and general liability actions.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Ms. Woodward is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, having served as State Chairperson for California and on the Program Committee.  In this capacity, Ms. Woodward worked with other committee members to develop a “Trial Practices” program that has been offered throughout the country. She also participates on the ABA Food & Dietary Supplements Subcommittee and is the current Co-chair of the ABA Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Subcommittee.

As the Vice Chairperson of Sedgwick’s Women's Forum, she is dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of female attorneys.  She has facilitated and/or presented a variety of programs aimed at serving this constituency, including career advancement, business development, and networking seminars.

While attending law school, Ms. Woodward was one of three 3L’s inducted into the exclusive Order of the Barristers and was voted Outstanding 3L Advocate by her peers.  She also participated on ten state and national mock trial and moot court teams. 

Presentations & Publications

• Speaker, “A Look Behind the Curtain: Anatomy of a Mass Tort,” Environmental, Mass Torts & Products Liability Committees’ Joint CLE Seminar Steamboat Springs, CO (January 31, 2013).
• Panelist, "Managing Mediations in Mass Tort Actions: Perspectives from the Insured, Insurer and Defense Counsel," Claims and Litigation Management Alliance's Annual Conference (March 28, 2012).
• Interview, "Get to Know...Karen Woodward, Partner, Sedgwick LLP," Litigation Management Magazine (Winter 2012).
• Co-author, "Release of One is Release of All, But Not For Much Longer," The Daily Journal (October 17, 2011).
• Featured, "A Test for Generic Drug Suits: Only in California can Brand-Name Drugmakers be Sued over Generic Woes," The Daily Journal (September 7, 2011).
• Panelist, “Successful Strategies for Managing Mass Torts,” Council on Litigation Management's Annual Conference (March 23, 2011).
• Panelist, “What To Do When Your Case Becomes a Mass Tort,” American Bar Association's Environmental, Mass Torts & Products Liability Committees Joint CLE Seminar (January 29, 2011).
• Panelist, “Navigating the Fall-Out from Preemption: Preserving the Defense in Your Device Cases and Developing Strategies for FDA Testimony in Drug Litigation,” American Conference Institute’s 15th Anniversary Drug and Medical Device Litigation (December 7-9, 2010).
• Panelist, “How to Value a Case,” Council on Litigation Management Annual Conference (March 24, 2010);
• Speaker, “Legal Ethics for the Modern Lawyer,” co-presented at the offices of a Sedgwick client (October 29, 2009);
• Speaker, “Tales From the Trenches - Lessons Learned from Broker Dealer Trials,” co-presented at the offices of a Sedgwick client (August 26, 2009);
• Co-author, Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Trade Practices Statutes chapter; Iowa Consumer Fraud Act chapter, 50 State Survey of Consumer Fraud Law, American Bar Association, (Fall 2009).
• Speaker, “Creative and Strategic Use of Written Discovery,” Sedgwick U. (February 18, 2009).
• Moderator, “Help Us Help You: The Medical Device Case from an Expert’s Perspective,” ABA Medical Device Conference, Fort Worth, Texas (October 7, 2008).