Nancy E. Hudgins

Nancy Hudgins has specialized in civil litigation for 29 years, including trying more than 25 jury trials to verdict and prosecuting or defending thousands of lawsuits. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury, medical malpractice, elder abuse and product liability lawsuits. One of ten lawyers nationwide serving on the national trial team of a former Fortune 500 company, Ms. Hudgins has provided expert analysis and advice regarding pre-trial and trial strategies.

Trial Experience

Ms. Hudgins' representative trial experience includes:

  • successfully defending an internist who allegedly failed to prevent a stroke in a 37 year old male patient who sustained a bilateral visual field defect, involving sub rosa investigation and videotape evidence
  • successfully defending a nursing home accused of tying down and drugging an elderly resident, allegedly resulting in a fall and death from a subdural hematoma
  • successfully defending a surgeon who allegedly performed unnecessary chest surgery for lung cancer, involving informed consent issues
  • successfully defending a lawyer who was sued for alleged legal malpractice, with two underlying cases, legal malpractice and divorce, involving complex subchapter S corporations and hidden assets
  • successfully defending a nurse at an administrative trial against a lifetime ban from working in assisted living facilities

Professional Activities

Judge, pro tem, San Francisco Consolidated Courts, 1992-present
Court-appointed Arbitrator, San Francisco Consolidated Courts, 1987-present
Member, Defense Research Institute
Member, American Association for Justice

Civic Activities

Member, Board of Directors, Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, 1980's
Member, Board of Directors, Rose Resnick Center for the Blind & Handicapped, 1980's
Volunteer, San Francisco Unified School District
    (Principal-for-a-Day and
    Adopt-A-School Program), 1990's
Member, Board of Directors, American Correctional Health Services Association, 2000's
Recipient, ACHSA Distinguished Service Award, 2005
Participant, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, 26.2 miles, 2003-2007

Lectures and Seminars

Ms. Hudgins has spoken at national conferences, including the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) and the American Correctional Health Services Association (ACHSA). She has also presented at many regional conferences, including California Medical Association/Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California, California/Nevada chapter of ACHSA, and Norcap. She has given scores of seminars to physicians and in-services to nurses on risk management, response to adverse events, medical-legal issues, documentation, etc.

Publications

Moore, Jacqueline, ed., Managment and Administration of Correctional Health Care (2003), Civic Research Institute, chapter on the legal perspective.

Selected Appellate Decisions

Truman v. Thomas (1980) 27 Cal.3d 285, informed refusal to consent
Clarke v. Hoek (1985) 174 Cal.App.3d 208, proctor not liable for malpractice
ARA Living Centers-Pacific, Inc., v. Superior Court (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 1556,
applicability of enhanced remedies in Elder Abuse statute

Education

University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1978
  (Member, Lile Moot Court Board)
Boston University, B.A., magna cum laude, History and Political Science, 1975
Attendee at the International Association of Defense Counsel's Trial Academy, Boulder, CO, 1983.

Bar and Court Admissions

State Bar of California
American Bar Association (member, Section on Litigation)
Bar Association of San Francisco
United States District Court, Northern District of California
United States District Court, Eastern District of California
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Life Beyond the Law

Ms. Hudgins enjoys soccer (watching), tennis, squash, golf, sailing, walking and parenting (not necessarily in that order). If there were enough hours in the day she would write children's books and trek the Himalayas.

Critic's Corner

Litigation movie picks:

Adam's Rib
Twelve Angry Men
My Cousin Vinny

Litigation book picks:

James W. McElhaney, Litigation
David Ball, Theater Tips & Strategies for Jury Trials
John Grisham, A Time to Kill