Diane K. Watkins
Partner
Phone Number: 816.701.1140
Email: dwatkins@wcllp.com
4740 Grand Avenue Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64112
In Brief
Tried cases to verdict on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants
Argued before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and Eighth Circuit, as well as the Missouri Court of Appeals
Recognized by her peers as a Missouri and Kansas Rising Star in litigation for seven years
Currently serves as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, Deposition Committee, and Document Review Committee for In Re: Abbott Laboratories Preterm Infant Nutrition Product Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3072)
Served as Co-Chair of the Privilege Log/Confidentiality Order Task Force and a member of the Third-Party Discovery Task Force in the In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2327)
Represented States in consumer protection litigation against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon, Inc. pertaining to their marketing of transvaginal mesh products
Diane K. Watkins devotes 100% of her law practice to the representation of injured parties in complex litigation, including cases against manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, infant formulas, hair relaxers, and other products.
Diane has extensive experience handling complex product liability cases in the following litigations:
- In Re: Abbott Laboratories Preterm Infant Nutrition Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3026 (Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, Deposition Committee, and Document Review Committee);
- In Re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3060;
- In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327 (Co-Chair of Privilege Log/Confidentiality Order Task Force and Third-Party Discovery Task Force);
- In Re: Juul Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2913 (Co-Lead of Regulatory Expert Team);
- In Re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2885;
- In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2738;
- In Re: Incretin-Based Therapies Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2452;
- In Re: Gilead Tenofovir Cases, JCCP No. 5043; and
- In Re: Infusion Pump Cases, JCCP No. 4615.
Diane has also successfully represented parties in consumer protection, medical malpractice, business litigation, and environmental actions. This representation has involved all aspects of litigation, up to, and including, jury verdict. Additionally, Diane has extensive experience in motions practice, brief writing, and oral argument, including at the appellate level in both federal and state courts. She also has represented indigent parties involved in family court matters on a pro bono basis.
She is a member of the American Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City.
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In Re: Ethicon, Inc., MDL No.2327
Wagstaff & Cartmell is heavily involved in this MDL. Tom Cartmell has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the four Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation MDLs in the Southern District of West Virginia in front of the Honorable Joseph R. Goodwin. He is Co-Lead Counsel for the Ethicon MDL. Jeff Kuntz is currently the head of the Expert Committee and Bellwether Trial Co
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$10 Million Settlement – Environmental Property Damage
Wagstaff & Cartmell reached a $10 million class action settlement with an engineering firm on behalf of a class of Northwest Missouri landowners. The case involved allegations that a tannery distributed tannery sludge containing hexavalent chromium to landowners to use as fertilizer in four Missouri counties from 1983 to 2009. The defendant, an engineering firm, provided consulting services to
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$3.02 Million Verdict – Novagradac v. Beverly Manor et al.
Received one of the top-five plaintiffs’ verdicts in the State of Missouri in 2007 – $3.02 million verdict in Platte County, Missouri, while representing a plaintiff in a nursing home abuse action.
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Defense Verdict – Alleged Failure to Timely Diagnose Stroke
Wagstaff & Cartmell attorney, Diane Watkins, successfully defended a physician and a nurse in a jury trial in which the plaintiff alleged that the clients failed to timely diagnose a stroke.
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Defense Verdict – Lawsuit Involving Brachial Plexus Injury
Wagstaff & Cartmell attorney, Diane Watkins, successfully defended an OB/GYN in a jury trial involving a brachial plexus injury at birth, which was recognized as one of the top defense verdicts in 2007 by Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly.
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Product Liability – Pain Pump Catheter Medical Device
Wagstaff & Cartmell attorney, Diane Watkins, represented injured parties in product liability litigation against certain medical device manufacturers after numerous patients developed chondrolysis following the placement of a pain pump catheter at the conclusion of shoulder surgery.
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Product Liability – SSRIs and Diabetes Drug
Wagstaff & Cartmell attorney, Diane Watkins, represented parties injured by antidepressants in the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) class, such as Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro. She currently represents parties who have suffered injuries, including pancreatic diseases, due to certain diabetes medications, such as Byetta.
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Substantial Settlement – Breach of Trust
As counsel for an elderly beneficiary of a revocable trust, Diane K. Watkins obtained a substantial settlement in a lawsuit involving claims for breach of trust and negligence against a large financial institution after the trust was substantially depleted by the beneficiary’s adult son.
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Pelvic Mesh Repair System Products Liability Litigation (S.D.W.V.)
In 2012, thousands of lawsuits filed nationwide against several manufacturers of transvaginal mesh products. These cases were consolidated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) into several MDLs before the Honorable Joseph R. Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia. Among the dozens of lawyers who applied for leadership positions, Judge Goodwin selected Tom Cartmell as
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Practice Areas
- Mass Actions & Personal Injury
- Class Actions & Commercial Litigation
- Healthcare and Professional Liability
Other Practice Areas
- Drug and Medical Devices
- Product Liability
- Business Disputes
- Toxic Torts
Prior Work
Counsel to the Clerk, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Staff Attorney, Kansas Court of Appeals
Education
- J.D., University of Kansas School of Law, 2000
- B.A., Kansas State University, 1997
Admissions
Colorado
Kansas
Missouri
U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Honors + Awards
Rising Star, Kansas City Star Magazine, 2010 – 2016