Maggie Diefenbach

Maggie began her legal career as litigation counsel for an insurance company over 18 years ago. She has been litigating personal injury and property damage claims ever since, serving as counsel to insurance companies, individuals and businesses. Maggie defends lawsuits involving motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, products liability, employment issues, workplace injuries, retail and hospitality, and first-party insurance disputes.

Over the course of her career, Maggie has litigated over 1,000 cases and strives to resolve cases in a strategic and efficient manner. When settlement is not an option, Maggie fiercely advocates for her clients at trial. She has successfully tried jury cases throughout Washington State and has obtained a defense verdict or bested her client’s last pre-trial settlement offer in her last five jury trials.

Maggie defended a client tavern owner from the beginning of the case through the appeal. The plaintiff became a quadriplegic due to injuries in a motor vehicle accident. The plaintiff sued the tavern and two other bars that served the driver alcohol, declaring that the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of service. Maggie successfully barred hearsay evidence and prevailed on summary judgment and prevailed again on appeal. Plaintiff’s petition to the Washington Supreme Court was denied. Ensley v. Mollmann, 155 Wn. App. 744 (2010)

In a wrongful death action arising out of a bar fight, Maggie defended the owner of a Seattle nightclub. The deceased’s estate and surviving child sued the nightclub and its security company, claiming that the security company neglected to intervene and secure a weapon in a bar brawl in which a patron died. The trial court dismissed the liability claim against the nightclub, holding that it was not vicariously liable for the security company’s acts or omissions because it was an independent contractor, not the nightclubs’ agent, as argued by the plaintiffs.

EDUCATION

J.D., University of Southern California School of Law, 2000
B.A., Pacific Lutheran University, 1997
magna cum laude

JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

Washington State Bar, 2001
United States District Court, Western District of Washington

PROFESSIONAL & BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS

Washington State Bar Association
King County Bar Association
Washington Women Lawyers
Defense Research Institute
Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
National Diversity Council

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 2001-2003
Cozen O’Connor, 2003-2010
Betts Patterson & Mines, 2010-2015
Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP, 2015-present
Chair, GTH Defense Litigation Group
Member, GTH Board of Directors, 2018

HONORS & AWARDS

Recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Mentor Award by the King County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

ARTICLES & PRESENTATIONS

Defending Washington Auto Claims A-Z, Client Seminar, 2012
Defending Washington Insurance Claims, Client Seminar, 2014
Defending Washington Auto Claims, Client Seminar, 2016
National Diversity Council Seattle Women in Leadership Symposium, 2017