David S. Woodruff
Partner
Practice Areas:
Nationally Recognized Medical Malpractice Lawyer
David S. Woodruff is an experienced and award-winning Colorado attorney specializing in medical malpractice, product liability, and other complex cases involving catastrophic injury and death. Listed in “Best Lawyers in America,” Mr. Woodruff is nationally recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiff’s medical malpractice attorneys. He has been repeatedly named a “Colorado Super Lawyer,” was named 2014 Best Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice Lawyer by Law Week Colorado, and appears consistently in 5280 Magazine’s annual list of “Top Lawyers in Denver.”
Mr. Woodruff has recovered over $140 million for his clients with record-setting settlements and jury verdicts involving medical malpractice, hospital errors, and defective and dangerous products. His trial practice today focuses largely on helping injured children and their families. He has handled some of the largest and most complex child and birth injury cases in the nation, and has received national recognition for his ground-breaking work in representing babies who have been injured or killed during the labor/delivery process. Some of his notable achievements include a $22.5 million settlement for a brain-injured child that is the largest known medical malpractice settlement in Colorado (2016); a $7 million recovery after jury verdict for a child injured during birth in Colorado Springs (2017); a $5 million defective product settlement for a young lady injured by an exploding “Whipped Cream Dispenser” kitchen product (2017); a $15 million jury verdict in Colorado Springs, the largest medical malpractice verdict in Colorado history at the time, for a young man who suffered permanent spinal cord injury due to an emergency department misdiagnosis (2013); and a $4 million recovery after jury verdict in a case involving a misdiagnosed stroke (2012). He also has the distinction of having obtained the largest known medical malpractice arbitration award in U.S. history ( $70 million) in a birth injury case in California. For his success in that landmark case, he received the prestigious “Case of the Year” award from the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association in 2012.Mr. Woodruff is a former Assistant Attorney General of Texas. He was raised in a family of physicians, attended college at Southern Methodist University, and received his Masters degree from the University of Southern California. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a Presidential Scholar and mock trial champion. He spent many years defending doctors and hospitals in medical negligence claims, but realized that he believed strongly in helping victims. For more than a decade, Mr. Woodruff has devoted himself exclusively to representing injured individuals and families in catastrophic injury cases. As a father of four children himself, Mr. Woodruff believes deeply in fighting for children who have been injured.Mr. Woodruff serves on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and is a long-time member of the American Association for Justice. He has also served on the Board of Governors for the Colorado Bar Association. In 2015 he was inducted into the exclusive American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”) for his excellence and devotion to the art of trial advocacy. He is an avid skier, cyclist, and competitive triathlete and spent many years coaching kids teams, including girls soccer and boys little league baseball.
Education
Although he was raised in a family of physicians, Attorney Woodruff decided to pursue law. After attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he obtained his Masters degree from the University of Southern California. After that, he earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. During his time in law school, Attorney Woodruff was a mock trial champion and Presidential Scholar. Due to his skill in appellate advocacy and trial, Attorney Woodruff was inducted into the exclusive Order of Barristers.
Previous Experience
Prior to joining the team at Denver Trial Lawyers, Attorney Woodruff served as the Assistant Attorney General of Texas. He also spent a number of years with a multinational law firm and a mid-sized Colorado insurance defense firm, representing a variety of health care professionals and organizations in various healthcare-related claims.
Today, Attorney Woodruff’s practice is wholly devoted to representing the injured and their loved ones in catastrophic injury cases. He has handled a wide range of medical cases involving complex injuries.
Past Employment Positions
- Attorney General of Texas, Assistant Attorney General, 1997 – 1999
- Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP, Associate, Complex Litigation, 1999 – 2001
- Kennedy & Christophe, P.C., Denver, Colorado, 2001 – 2005
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 2005 – 2010, Board of Directors
- Colorado Bar Association, Board of Governors
- Denver Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Director
- American Association for Justice
Pro Bono Activities
- Board of Directors for the Colorado Trial Lawyers
- Coaches a 5-Year Old Girls’ Soccer Team, the “Lady Bugs”
Fraternity Affiliation
- Sigma Chi
Personal Life
In his spare time, Attorney Woodruff is a competitive triathlete, cyclist, and avid skier. He and his wife have four children.
Awards & Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America® since 2014 - Medical Malpractice Litigation Plaintiffs
- Colorado Super Lawyers from 2014 - 2017
- Law Week Colorado, “Barristers Best 2014,” Best Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice Lawyer
- 5280 Magazine, "Top Lawyers - Plaintiffs Medical Malpractice" 2016, 2017 & 2018
5280 Magazine recently released its annual list of the very best attorneys in the Denver
metro area. We’re proud to announce that our own
Stephen Wahlberg and David Woodruff have been included. The magazine invited practicing
attorneys in the Denver metro area to vote for the colleagues and contemporaries
they respect most in 49 different legal specialties. David was recognized
for his work in the medical malpractice field, while Stephen was acknowledged
for his personal injury work.
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$22,300,000
Medical Malpractice
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$5,000,000
Defective Products
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$300,000
Consumer Protection
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$700,000
Dangerous Drug
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$240,000
Consumer Protection
-
$70,000,000
Medical Malpractice
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$15,000,000
Medical Malpractice
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$3,900,000
Medical Malpractice
-
$1,300,000
Defective Products
-
$450,000
Consumer Protection
-
$1,100,000
Defective Products
-
$400,000
Medical Malpractice
-
$450,000
Defective Products
-
$900,000
Medical Malpractice
-
$425,000
Defective Products
-
$200,000
Medical Malpractice
-
$650,000
Medical Malpractice
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$950,000
Dangerous Drug
-
$500,000
Car Accident
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$300,000
Car Accident
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$1,500,000
Medical Malpractice
-
$4,000,000
Defective Products
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