Our Team

Attorney Thomas B. Vertetis is a trial lawyer with a passionate commitment to assisting victims and 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, Tom served as a Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor successfully prosecuting hundreds of criminal matters on behalf of injured victims.

As a trial lawyer Tom has tried in excess of 40 cases to juries.  He has obtained multiple verdicts in excess of a million dollars for clients and has recovered millions of dollars in settlements for them.  Tom is heavily involved with the local community.  He sits as a Board Member of the 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 WSBA; the coveted “Boss of the Year” by the Pierce County National Association of Legal Professionals; and the “Pro Bono Award” by the Pierce County Bar Foundation. Recently, Tom was nominated into the prestigious “Top 40 Under 40 of Washington” by the National Trial Lawyers Association. Since 2001, Tom has been continuously listed as a “Rising Star” by Washington Law & Politics, a recognition bestowed on only 2.5% of eligible attorneys each year.

Tom is an advocate for children’s education currently serving on the Board of the Academy for Precision Learning in Seattle and is also a champion for children with disabilities.  Specifically, Tom supports Autism awareness and educational programs.  He is a regular emcee for the University of Washington Experimental Education Unit’s annual auction and recently argued a case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals en banc for a child inflicted with Autism whose civil rights were infringed by the school district.

Tom married his college sweetheart, Jennifer, and has three children: Peter, Mary and Glorian.

Corey v. Pierce County, et al.

King County Cause No.: 06-2-14647-6 KNT
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.
See the Special Verdict Form

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.

Cogger v. Blakeney

Pierce County Cause No.: 06-2-12810-4
Co-counsel to a $1 million jury verdict in Pierce County for a medical malpractice claim 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.

Pacific County Cause No.: 03-2-80472-5
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.

Estate of Haresnape v. Multicare Health System Inc., et als.

Pierce County Cause No.: 09-2-02766-2
Recovered a $400,000 medical malpractice verdict in Pierce County on behalf of a wife and children as a result of the health care provider’s failure to properly diagnose and treat their husband/father’s stage IV mucinous cancer. The defendant’s negligence deprived the family of aggressive chemotherapy options and approximately 3-18 months of future life expectancy.

Quincy Reynolds v. Franciscan Health Systems-West, et als.

Pierce County Cause No.: 09-2-12719-6
Represented an eighty-four (84) year old woman left with paraplegia and a resulting grade IV decubitus ulcer following post-operative complications and hypovolemic shock.  The matter reached settlement for a confidential amount.

Schimpf v Alderwood Manor

Spokane County Cause No.: 08-2-02988-8
Represented the estate of a seventy-four (74) year old woman in a wrongful death action stemming from nursing home neglect.  The matter was appealed to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Div III and subsequently settled for a confidential amount.

Figuration v. Hyder et als.

Pierce County Cause No.: 04-2-08394-5
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.

Harris v. Buttorff

Pierce County Cause No.: 05-2-04327-5
Recovered a confidential settlement in Pierce County against a vascular surgeon arising from surgery that resulted in client suffering partial permanent paralysis.

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 the dental anesthetic, Septocaine.

Estate of Yvonne Sanford v. UWMC

Pierce County Cause No.: 05-2-05069-7
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.

Purdy Cost Less v. Hansen, et al.

Pierce County Cause No.: 05-2-04327-5
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.

Estate of Nadia Van Rosendael v. Puyallup School District

Pierce County Cause No.: 03-2-80472-5
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.

Estate of O’Neill v. Franciscan Health Systems

Pierce County Cause No.: 99-2-08048-9
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.

Kitsap County Cause No.: 06-2-02064-4
Recovered a confidential settlement in Kitsap County for toxic exposure of hydrochloric and hydroflouric acid to clients which caused serious physical and cognitive impairments.