Ralph Pittle
Part of the reason Mr. Pittle is so effective in pharmaceutical litigation can be attributed to the fact that Ralph actually began his career as a pharmacist. Born in Newark and raised in South Orange, NJ, he chose to go to the University of Michigan to earn a degree in pharmacy. While there, he took a six-month sabbatical to work in an Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory at Hoffman La Roche Pharmaceutical Company. He served as a research assistant to Dr. Leo Sternbach, the man who invented Valium. After those six months, he returned to the University of Michigan to complete his pharmacy degree. On finishing college, he moved back home to work in the pharmacy at Newark’s Presbyterian Medical Center, where he became a Registered Pharmacist.
It was at Presbyterian Medical that he first thought of using his knowledge of drugs in law, so he enrolled at the American University Washington College of Law in our nation’s capital. To earn money while in law school, Ralph worked for the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists creating drug monographs. This experience gave him keen insights about how to read and understand the industry’s own documents for the drugs they create and prescribe, a skill shared by very few other lawyers in the country. He earned a law degree with honors, and American University specially cited Ralph for serving as director of the American University Legal Aid Services Program.
After law school, Ralph moved to the West Coast to serve as law clerk for then Chief Justice Orris Hamilton of the Washington State Supreme Court. Next Ralph joined Daniel Sullivan, one of Washington’s top plaintiff’s attorneys in medical malpractice cases. Sullivan was founder and president of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Ralph became a member of that group, as well as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Seattle-King County Bar Association, and the Washington State Bar Association. Ralph established his own practice, while also teaching Pharmacy Law at the University of Washington College of Pharmacy. Ralph represented the Washington State Pharmacy Association.
Ralph’s legal career has focused on medical and medical manufacturer malpractice. In 1975, Ralph accepted his first Dalkon Shield case against the A.H. Robins Company and eventually went on to become the State of Washington’s first attorney to win a Dalkon Shield trial with a record setting jury verdict of $650,000 in compensatory damages. The size was even more notable since Washington was one of only five states that did not allow punitive damages.
Eventually his firm served as counsel for more than 1200 Dalkon Shield victims with claims against the Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust. During the A.H. Robins Bankruptcy Proceedings, Ralph served as legal counsel for the International Dalkon Shield Victims Educations Association (IDEA). His efforts were chronicled in the critically acclaimed book by Richard Sobol, “Bending the Law: The Story of the Dalkon Shield Bankruptcy.”
With over 40 years of experience, Ralph has represented thousands of clients with cases involving medical malpractice, drug and device product liability, and personal injury litigation. His cases have included breast implants, penile implants, Dalkon Shield IUDs, Copper 7 IUDs, Norplant contraceptive systems and various neuroleptic drugs including, Haldol, Thorazine, Melleril, and Reglan. Ralph will use all of this experience for your benefit. Lift some of your stress and let Ralph take on the burden of your battle, Ralph Pittle will fight for you.
Christopher K. Steuart
Christopher K. Steuart is a practicing attorney engaged in general litigation since 1995. Since 2013 he has been principally involved as a plaintiff’s attorney in pharmaceutical and medical malpractice litigation. He is licensed in the State of Washington and before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has successfully argued before the Washington Court of Appeals for the reversal of a Superior Court order directing the use of unproven technology in a family law case. He represented the Plaintiff in a suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act and as co-counsel (with Lonnie Davis) effected reversal by the United States Court of Appeals of a District Court order granting summary judgment dismissing all claims; together they achieved a satisfactory settlement for their client.
Mr. Steuart, in addition to 8 years investigative experience and experience in Information Systems Security for a Fortune 50 Company, was an Sensitive Compartmented Information Billet Manager, Electronic Warfare (EW) Officer, Special Security Officer (SSO) and Eyes Only Control Officer and COMSEC Officer in the United States Army and the United States Army Reserve.
He has presented numerous classes and seminars and continuing legal education programs on physical security of information systems, investigation of criminal misuse of information systems, workplace privacy issues. These presentations have been in regional, national and international forums including the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), Agora, Northwest Computer Technology Crime Analysis Seminar (NCT), Computer Technology Investigators Network (CTIN) and he has been an adjunct faculty member of City University and an instructor in the University of Washington Adult Education Computer Forensics Program. He is a co-author (with H. William “Bill” Nelson and Amelia Phillips) of Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations (Editions 1-5), published by Cengage Learning. He is a co-author with Amelia Phillips, Ron Godfrey and Chris Brown of E-Discovery: An Introduction to Digital Evidence, also published by Cengage. He is co-author with David C. Eisler of The Digital Forensic Expert’s-Guide to Success in Cross-Examination-Kindle, published by IT Forensics, Inc.
He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and of Drake University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.
A native of Washington State and a long-time resident living in West Seattle with his wife; he has been active in Boy Scouts as a troop committee chairman and scoutmaster.
Contact Mr. Steuart by email at chris@mlcofwa.com or his direct phone at 206-293-4377.