Mr. Zehnder has a civil litigation practice in Washington, Oregon and Idaho that focuses on solving clients’ problems through litigation in the following areas: personal injury/wrongful death, trucking/automobile accidents, products liability, construction and construction defect (including new and converted condominiums), professional liability (including architects and engineers), municipal liability (including civil rights), corporate (including officer and director liability), business and commercial litigation, contract disputes, general insurance/tort defense, insurance coverage, premises liability, employment, property loss, subrogation, and appeals.

Mr. Zehnder is admitted in both the Federal District and State Courts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has successfully tried numerous jury trials to verdict and has handled countless bench trials, dispositive motions, depositions and mediations.

Mr. Zehnder has spoken to various insurance companies, business and trade groups, and associations on a range of topics, including negotiation strategies, torts and tort damages, insurance, initial claims handling, bad faith, premises liability, joint and several liability, toxic mold claims, indemnity, condominium claims (new and conversions), construction litigation, personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits, and mock juries and focus groups.

Mr. Zehnder is a member of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association (“WDTL”), the King County Bar Association (Seattle, WA), the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (“OADC”) and the Multnomah Bar Association (Portland, OR). He is a member of the Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California State Bars. Mr. Zehnder received his Juris Doctor degree in 1991 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he earned Cum Laude, Order of the Coif and Thurston Society honors. He completed his undergraduate study in 1988 at the University of Washington, where he earned a B.A. degree, with honors, in Political Science.

On the personal side, Mr. Zehnder was born and raised in the State of Washington. He is married and has three daughters. When he is not working or enjoying quality time with his family, his hobbies include spectator sports, playing the guitar, boating/wakeboarding, hunting, target shooting, and building/collecting military models.



REPRESENTATIVE CASES (Washington and Oregon)

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. v. Opus Northwest, LLC, et al., Multnomah, OR, Case No.0902-02547 (pending, representing engineer, involving roof collapse of large distribution facility)

Rite Aid v. R.A. Hoquiam, et al., Grays Harbor, WA (pre-litigation) (pending, representing geotechnical engineer regarding commercial building that is settling into the soil)

Kendrick v. Mori and UPS, Snohomish, WA (pending, representing UPS and its driver in serious personal injury truck v. cyclist accident)

Sabado, et al. v. Gill, Regal Transport, Ltd., Whatcom, WA, Case No. 07-2-01274-1 (pending, representing trucking company and driver, involving wrongful death in motorcycle vs. tractor-trailer accident)

ICBC v. Warren, et al., Snohomish, WA, Case No. 07-2-07018-2 (pending, representing insurer, involving subrogation in automobile vs. bus accident and highway design issues (i.e. defective cable barriers))

The Association of Unit Owners of Four Seasons Condominiums v. Four Seasons Development, LLC, et al., Multnomah, OR, Case No. 0706-06763 (represented developer, involving construction defect and disclosures as to condominium conversion)

Swafford v. Pense, dba Bruce Pense Construction, Inc., Multnomah, OR, Case No. 0412-12582 (represented target subcontractor, involving toxic mold, personal injury and construction defect)

Duncan v. Pacific Rim Transport, Inc., et al., Snohomish, WA, Case No. 05-2-09334-8 (represented trucking company and driver, involved serious personal injury in automobile vs. tractor-trailer accident)

Turner Construction Company v. Continental Casualty Company, et al., King, WA, Case No. 07-2-25261-4 (represented subcontractor, involved personal injury in construction site accident)

Lassiter v. City of Bremerton, et al., U.S. Dist. Court, Western District of WA, Case No. C05-5320 (pending, representing police officers, involving civil rights – unlawful entry, arrest and excessive force)

First Specialty Insurance Corp. v. Grand View Homes, LLC, et al., U.S. Dist. Court, Western District of WA, Case No. C 5 1944 (represented insurer, involved insurance coverage dispute between insurers relating to construction defect lawsuit and settlement)

Trendwest Resorts, Inc., et al. v. Ruggiero, et al., Lincoln, OR, Case No. 055780 (represented target subcontractor, involved construction defects as to seaside resort)

Regata Owners Association v. Regata, LLC, et al., King, WA, Case No. 06-2-19056-4 (represented structural engineer, involving design and construction defects as to new condominium)

Hoai Thanh Nguyen, et al. v. Phat Nguyen, et al., Pierce, WA, Case No. 01-2-09450-1 (represented café owner, involved premises liability for multiple wrongful deaths and injuries in gangland shooting)

McCown v. McKenzie/Taylor, L.L.C., et al., Cowlitz, WA, Case No. 00-2-00601-3 (represented developer/builder, involved geotechnical issues with respect to unstable slope/soils and landslide)



APPELLATE CASES

Lassiter v. City of Bremerton, et al., U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, case No. 07-35848 (pending, defense verdict upheld on appeal in Ninth Circuit, potential Supreme Court petition, defending police officers, involving civil rights issues)

Chadwick Farms Owners Association v. FHC LLC, Washington State Supreme Court, Case No. 80450-8 and 80459-1 (May 2009) (successfully represented subcontractor, involving construction defects and LLC statutes)

Roosevelt, LLC, et al., v. Grateful Siding, Inc., et al., 139 Wash.App. 257 (2007, Div. I) (successfully represented subcontractor, involved breach of contract, indemnity, construction defects and LLC statutes)

Heritage at Deer Creek Associates, LLC v. Kirtley Cole Associates, Inc. et al., 128 Wash.App. 1065 (2005, Div. I, unpub.) (represented developer, involved breach of contract, indemnity and construction defects)