Katherine is a litigation lawyer based in Melbourne. Katherine has over 23 years’ litigation and dispute resolution experience, with expertise in general and professional liability, personal injury, and product liability.
Katherine has acted for Commonwealth and State government departments, Australian insurers and London underwriters and multinational companies in defence of general and professional liability claims including personal injury/product liability claims.
In addition to litigated claims work, Katherine regularly represents clients in Coronial investigations and inquests and advises in relation to contractual interpretation, statutory interpretation, and indemnity issues.
Katherine has litigated matters in VCAT, the Magistrates’, County and Supreme Courts, including the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Australia.
Experience
- Acting for the public sector including Victoria Police and other entities (hoteliers, water authorities) in coronial inquests. A significant portion of those inquests have included matters involving concerns about the client’s failure to exercise statutory powers appropriately. Some of the notable inquests included the Bourke Street massacre; St Basil’s; Tanya Day; and Taniela Ahokava.
- Acting for medical indemnity insurers in respect of various medical malpractice claims involving alleged failures to diagnose; alleged negligent treatment and allegedly negligent prescribing. For example a general pracitioner who was sued after prescribing a weight loss drug which was later linked in cardiac events. The plaintiff suffered a hypoxic brain injury after suffering a cardiac event. Damages were agreed at several million dollars but the claim was successfully defended on liability.
- Acting for various government departments (eg Housing, Education, Transport, Justice) in relation to public liability/personal injury claims involving various alleged causes including slips/trips; student to student injuries; failure to supervise; and failure to maintain.
- Acting for various insurers and companies in relation to personal injury claims and/or wrongful death claims arising out of circumstances included alleged sexual harassment; rape; racial vilification; assault; retaliation against whistleblowers; suicide allegedly caused by workplace bullying; and a fall causing catastrophic injuries in an area owned and operated by the local First Nations community.
Awards and Recognition
The Best Lawyers in Australia 2024
Personal Injury Litigation