Patricia S. Johnson is an experienced trial attorney. “Going into law, like many students, I thought that legal battles took the form of dramatic court trials. Now, years later, although I enjoy trying cases, I know success depends on careful investigation, sound strategy, diligent preparation, and skillful negotiations in order to champion my clients’ interests. I enjoy using my knowledge and experience to create satisfying results for my clients.”
Pat’s areas of practice
Pat has been dedicated to representing healthcare and property and casualty subrogation clients since 2007. Prior to 2007, she spent many years practicing insurance defense.
Some examples of her Property & Casualty Subrogation work:
Our client sought reimbursement for payments it made to its apartment owner insured stemming from a fire that occurred on move-in day. We alleged that the moving company performed its work negligently by improperly stacking moving boxes near and on the kitchen stove. The moving company vehemently denied that it had placed boxes on or near the stove, denied that the stove was functioning, and denied any responsibility for causing the fire. They offered only 10% of the claim to settle the matter. Pat conducted a thorough investigation and was able to track down a former employee of the moving company who corroborated our allegations on how the boxes were stacked. As a result of Pat’s relentless pursuit of the witness, the case settled for 80% of the claim.
Our client paid for damages to an insured’s home caused by a power surge. The utility company had been notified of a downed power line during an ice storm, but went to the wrong address. We filed suit against the utility company for damages caused by the power surge. The utility company denied liability and asserted multiple legal and factual defenses. We tried the liability portion of the claim to a jury and prevailed. This allowed us to settle the claim for 90% of the claim.
Our client insured a recycling center that was destroyed by a fire. Our investigation revealed that the sprinkler system repair contractor hired by our insured failed to promptly notify the insured and the local fire department that an air compressor component of the sprinkler system was in need of repair which rendered the sprinkler system inoperable. We filed suit against the sprinkler contractor alleging failure to report the sprinkler system impairment; thus preventing our insured from taking additional protective measures while the sprinkler system was down. The sprinkler contractor denied liability and claimed to have reported the inoperable sprinkler system and that any failure on their part would not have changed the outcome of the fire. One again, through careful investigation and persistence, Pat was able to track down a former maintenance employee of the recycling center who had even left the country. She secured his extremely favorable testimony regarding his observations of the sprinkler contractor’s actions and statements. His testimony was so helpful the case soon settled for close to the defendant’s policy limits.