Thomas Brian Vertetis

Tacoma attorney, Tom Vertetis, is a trial lawyer with a passionate commitment to assisting those in need of help.  Prior to law school, Tom was committed to his community by serving as the Student Body President at the University of San Diego, where he graduated with honors.  He earned his law degree from Villanova University School of Law.  After completing a clerkship with the Honorable Jane B. Cantor of the New Jersey Superior Court, he served as an assistant prosecutor in New Jersey prosecuting hundreds of criminal matters on behalf of injured victims.

Tom represents injured victims in complex personal injury, wrongful death, school liability, medical malpractice and civil rights claims.

As a trial attorney Tom has tried in excess of 40 cases to juries and obtained multiple plaintiff’s verdicts including a $3.075 million jury verdict for the wrongful termination and defamation of a 20-year decorated senior prosecutor, a $1 million medical malpractice verdict against a surgeon for an improper bladder laceration post-hysterectomy, a $1.4 million verdict against the State of Washington for unlawful conduct against a local business and a $776,400 medical malpractice verdict for a nineteen year-old woman who suffered permanent injuries from a mistreated fracture to her right arm. He has also successfully resolved many important lawsuits short of trial including one of the largest dental malpractice settlements in the State of Washington for a client left with partial permanent facial paralysis after an over injection of dental anesthetic and a $3.4 million medical malpractice settlement for a client that suffered a permanent brain injury as a result of a complication during a cardiac catheterization.

Tom has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics, a recognition bestowed upon only 5% of eligible attorneys each year in the state, and has achieved an “AV” peer rating, the highest rating available for legal ability and ethical standards, by Martindale Hubbell. He has been rated as “superb” by .  Recently, Tom was nominated to the “Top 40 under 40 in Washington” by the National Trial Lawyers Association.  He sits as a board member on Washington’s Law Fund and is the immediate past president of the Pierce County Bar Foundation.  He has previously been awarded the “Local Hero Award” by the Washington State Bar Association, the coveted “Boss of the Year” award by the Pierce County National Association of Legal Professionals and the “Pro Bono Award” by the Pierce County Bar Association.

Tom is also a strong advocate and champion for disabled children.  He currently serves on the Board of Ashley House, a South Sound care provider for medically fragile children, and the Academy of Precision Learning, an inclusive Seattle K-10 school which provides educational services to both typical developing and students on the autism spectrum. He also supports Autism awareness and is a regular emcee for the University of Washington Experimental Education Unit’s annual auction. Tom married his college sweetheart, Jennifer, and has three children: Peter, Mary and Glorian.

Representative Cases/Transactions

• Drost v. Group Health Cooperative, et al., Pierce County Cause No.: 07-2-09460-7 -- Recovered a $776,400 medical malpractice jury verdict in Pierce County on behalf of a nineteen year-old woman who suffered permanent and severe injuries from a mistreated distal radius fracture of her right forearm.  The jury returned a verdict finding the medical providers were both negligent in their care and treatment and failed to provide informed consent.
• Corey v. Pierce County, et al. - Co-counsel to a $3.075 million jury verdict in King County for the wrongful termination and defamation of a 20-year decorated senior prosecutor from the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office. The verdict was received after four weeks of trial.
• Cogger v. Blakeney - Co-counsel to a $1 million verdict in Pierce County against an OB/GYN arising from a failure to properly repair a bladder laceration after performing a hysterectomy.
• Northern Oyster v. State of Washington, et al. - Co-counsel to a $1.4 million jury verdict in Pacific County against the State of Washington for unlawful and tortious conduct that interfered with the client's business expectations.
• Evans v. West Isle Air - Represented defendant air carrier in wrongful death action brought by passenger's spouse and children arising from crash of Cessna 172n. The case was tried over a three week period with the plaintiff receiving a jury verdict of less than half of what she asked the jury to award and near defendant's pre-suit settlement offer.
• Purdy Cost Less v. Hansen, et al. - Successfully obtained verdict in Pierce County for local pharmacy against an employee involved in a theft ring designed to convert hundreds of thousands of dollars in pharmaceutical medications.
• Duncan v. Vong & Battle - Represented defendant restaurant in negligence action brought by plaintiff as a result of a fall entering the facility due to a concrete step. The damages included total knee replacement and special damages in excess of $100,000. Tried case to conclusion and obtained a defense verdict.
• Confidential v. Confidential - Recovered one of the largest dental malpractice settlement in Washington on behalf of a client left with partial permanent facial paralysis after receiving an over injection of dental anesthetic.
• Estate of Nadia Van Rosendael v. Puyallup School District - Represented parents and estate of student in wrongful death action brought as a result of failure of school district to enforce transportation policies. The matter reached settlement on the third day of trial for a confidential amount.
• Figuration v. Hyder et als. - Represented a six-year old boy left with permanent bilateral blindness after his pediatrician and ophthalmologist jointly failed to timely identify and treat an intracranial condition that caused optic nerve atrophy. The matter reached settlement for a confidential amount.
• Estate of Yvonne Sanford v. UWMC - Represented the husband and estate in a wrongful death action brought as a result of the hospital's failure to properly monitor patient's blood pressure which lead to an acute intracranial hemorrhage. The matter reached settlement prior to trial for a confidential amount.
• Estate of O'Neill v. Franciscan Health Systems - Represented the wife, son and the estate of the father in a wrongful death action brought as a result of the hospital's failure to properly supervise the patient admitted for psychiatric evaluation. The patient unilaterally left the facility and took his own life. The matter reached settlement for a confidential amount.
• Thomas v. AtBest, et al. - Recovered a confidential settlement in Kitsap County for toxic exposure of hydrochloric and hydroflouric acid to clients which caused serious physical and cognitive impairments.
• Harris v. Buttorff - Recovered a confidential settlement in Pierce County against a vascular surgeon arising from surgery that resulted in client suffering partial permanent paralysis.