David P. Moody, a veteran advocate for disabled and incapacitated citizens, recently joined the preeminent class-action and large-scale litigation law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (HBSS). Building on his extensive trial experience and successes - including the largest verdict ever upheld against the State of Washington - Moody will expand HBSS' personal injury practice.

"David Moody's commitment to victims' rights and the betterment of their lives is an ideal fit with HBSS' mission," said Steve Berman, managing partner of HBSS. "His talent and compassion add valuable fuel to our mission to protect the rights of individuals and enact positive change across the public and private sectors."

Moody's cases have shaped laws to better protect and improve the lives of citizens who are overlooked and neglected by the systems designed to help them, especially those in nursing homes, daycare facilities, public schools, and those monitored by government social workers.

His well-known successes include the record $17.8 million jury verdict against the State of Washington for three developmentally disabled men who were neglected and repeatedly abused in a state-licensed facility. In 2000 Moody earned the largest single-plaintiff settlement - $8.8 million - against Washington state's Department of Social and Health Services for failing to investigate and allowing Linda David to be tortured and abused for 12 years in what has been called the worst case of spousal abuse in our nation's history.

"Vulnerable citizens represent a very special segment of our society, one that needs and deserves strong, capable advocates to stand up for their rights," Moody said. "I'm enthusiastic about working with a firm that is this committed to protecting the public. It's refreshing to join a firm like HBSS, which uses its talents and resources to hold organizations, companies and government entities accountable for their actions and negligence."

Moody will build on the history of success in the personal injury practice at HBSS, headed by well-known victims' rights attorney Anthony Shapiro.

Moody currently serves as a vice president of the Arc of Washington State, and is an active member of the Arc of King County, which advocates for the rights of citizens with developmental disabilities. In 2005, the Arc of King County presented Moody with an Award for Exceptional Service on Behalf of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities. Moody is also a part-time lecturer for the University of Washington School of Law's Trial Advocacy Program.

About Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro is a law firm with offices in Seattle, Cambridge, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The firm has developed a nationally recognized practice in class-action litigation. The firm is co-lead counsel in litigation to recover losses from Enron employees' retirement funds and represented Washington and 12 other states in lawsuits against the tobacco industry that resulted in the largest settlement in the history of litigation. The firm also served as counsel in several other high-profile cases including the Washington Public Power Supply litigation, which resulted in a settlement of more than $850 million, and the $92.5 million settlement of The Boeing Company litigation. Other notable cases include litigation involving the Exxon Valdez oil spill; Louisiana Pacific Siding; Morrison Knudsen; Piper Jaffray; Nordstrom; Boston Chicken; Noah's Bagels; TAP Pharmaceutical's Lupron litigation; and SmithKline Beecham's Paxil Litigation.