Partner
Kathryn M. Forgie began her career as an assistant attorney general in the Territory of Guam. There, in addition to beginning her lifelong love of scuba diving, she prosecuted numerous felonies including the double homicide of two police officers. Seeking a slightly expanded jurisdiction, she moved to London to practice tax and international law which she enjoyed for two years. The desire to be closer to family finally brought her to California, where she began her 30-year involvement in the field of pharmaceutical and medical device litigation.
For twenty years, Kathryn served as lead and co-lead national counsel and regional counsel in various large, complex litigations including lead national counsel for Bayer Aspirin in the Reyes Syndrome litigation. Her area of interest and expertise developed into running medical, scientific and regulatory experts on a national, regional and local level for the defense bar. Kathryn organized nationwide seminars to teach local and regional lawyers’ various aspects of whatever litigation she was supervising. She was a member of both DRI and IADC and spoke at booth IADC and California Defense Bar conferences.
Kathryn saw the light, left the defense bar, and started her own plaintiff-oriented firm, The Law Office of Kathryn M. Forgie. There she again coordinated all aspects concerning the experts nationally for the AMO acanthamoeba litigation and the California JCCP. Kathryn has handled pain pump cases as local counsel and on individual basis for larger cases in the California JCCP. In 2013, Kathryn was honored to join the Andrus Wagstaff firm, where she is now a Partner managing Andrus Wagstaff’s California office. Kathryn is licensed to practice law in all state and federal courts of California.
Practice Areas
Pharmaceuticals
People depend on prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs to treat sickness and injury on an everyday basis. People may rely on them to help enhance their quality of life. However, drug companies place drugs on the market without adequate research and monitoring trials, which can lead to inaccurate information provided to patients and health care providers about the severe risks and side effects that are linked to their drugs.
Patients suffer when pharmaceutical companies attempt to cover up the possible side effects or fail to advise of the potential risks involved. Let one of our experienced attorneys help if you or a loved one have been hurt by a harmful drug. Andrus Wagstaff, PC, can work with you to ensure the drug manufacturers are held accountable.
Medical Devices, Implants & Products
When patients receive a medical device, implant or product, they hope it will improve their life in a positive type of way. Unfortunately, many patients end up experiencing unforeseen and painful side effects from these medical devices.
Let one of our experienced attorneys help if you or a loved one have been hurt or injured by a faulty device. Andrus Wagstaff, PC, can work with you to ensure the device manufacturers are held accountable.
Consumer Products
State law provides special protections for consumers against a variety of unfair and predatory business practices. Andrus Wagstaff, PC, works vigorously to protect the rights of everyday consumers. Consumer cases can encompass a variety of unfair, deceptive and harmful business practices; including deceiving consumer credit lending practices, abusive mortgage lending practices, market timing violations relating to the sale of variable annuities, and business practices that threaten the environment and/or public health.
Andrus Wagstaff, PC, attorneys have successfully represented individuals and classes of individuals who have been harmed by unfair and deceptive trade practices. To report an unfair or unlawful business practice, or to request more information regarding consumer protection matters and/or current litigation, please click the following links.
Andrus Wagstaff, PC, is currently reviewing the following consumer product lawsuits:
Catastrophic Personal Injury
As members of our communities, individuals and corporations are obligated to obey the law and abide by certain standards of care to ensure the safety and well-being of others. When these obligations are breached and an injury results, the injured party may be entitled to compensation for physical and/or emotional injury, or for damage to property.
A catastrophic injury can necessitate a lifetime of medical care, or repeated reconstructive surgeries. Injuries that require significant medical treatment or long-term or lifetime permanent disfigurement, impairment or disability can be considered catastrophic personal injuries. Injuries this severe cause permanent disability, significant suffering, and substantially shorten an injured person’s lifespan up to and including premature death of the victim.
Employment – Equal Pay, Gender Discrimination
Under most states laws, employees are entitled to overtime pay at a rate of one and a half times their hourly rate when working more than 40 hours per week. Employees are also entitled to meals and rest breaks and must be properly paid for attending meetings and other off-the-clock tasks required by their employer.
Pathway Leasing
Discrimination on the basis of age, disability, equal pay/compensation, genetic information, harassment, national origin, pregnancy, race/color, religion, retaliation, sex, or sexual harassment is illegal. Unlawful workplace discrimination can include receiving inferior job assignments, being passed over for promotion or enduring demeaning comments or offensive materials in the workplace. Every employer has the duty to prevent a hostile work environment under both state and federal law.
