Attorney

Meaghan M. Driscoll

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Meaghan Driscoll’s practice focuses on a broad range of civil litigation; including cases involving complex personal injuries, civil rights, police misconduct, sex abuse, government liability, and employment discrimination. Meaghan holds her B.A. from Seattle University, and received her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Meaghan served as a judicial extern to Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary E. Fairhurst and Chief Judge Rosanna M. Peterson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. In addition, she worked as a law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office and a civil rights and personal injury attorney in Spokane. As a law student, Meaghan received the prominent Thomas More Scholarship for her commitment to public interest law. She also served as the Vesting Editor of the Gonzaga Law Review and competed as a national finalist in National Moot Court, an appellate advocacy competition. Prior to law school, Meaghan served for two years as an AmeriCorps and Jesuit Volunteer with a civil legal aid organization and as a social worker for homeless women and children.

Practice Areas

Wrongful death, police misconduct, domestic violence, government liability, jail deaths, child sex abuse, complex personal injuries, medical malpractice, and employment discrimination.

Awards & Recognition

  • Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ): 2018 New Lawyer Award "Ready to Soar"
  • Washington Rising Star (2020-2025) recognized as a top new attorney in Washington as published in the Seattle Met
  • Irish Legal 100 (2022)
  • Community Service Award from the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2017
  • Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers (2025)

Education

  • Gonzaga University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, May 2015
  • Law Clerk Extern to Hon. Rosanna M. Peterson, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 2015
  • Law Clerk Extern to Justice Mary Fairhurst, Washington State Supreme Court, 2014
  • Seattle University, B.A., English Literature and Philosophy, cum laude, June 2010

Licensure & Admissions

  • Washington State Courts, WSBA No. 49863 (2015)
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (2015)
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (2015)

Memberships & Activities

  • Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ)
    • EAGLE Member (2015 – Present)
    • Legislative Advocacy Committee, Board Member (2020)
    • New Member Committee, Board Member (2016-2019)
    • Awards Committee Member, 2024-present
  • Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association (TPCBA)
    • Active Member (2015 – Present)
    • Young Lawyers Section, Board of Trustees (2016 - 2019)
    • Past President, Young Lawyers Section (2018)
  • Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Foundation
    • Board of Directors (2015 – Present)
  • Campaign for Equal Justice, 2022-Present
    • Board Member
    • Co-Chair, Associates Campaign (2025)

Publications

  • Driscoll, M. & Roberts, N., Successfully Including Ancient Acts in a Hostile Work Environment Claim, Trial News (May 2016)
  • Driscoll, M. & Roberts, N., Trial Strategy: Making Physical Evidence the Best Witness in Your Case, Trial News (July 2017)
  • Driscoll, M. & Roberts, N., Holding DCYF Accountable for Harms in Unsupervised Placements, WSAJ Trial News, (July 2024)
  • Driscoll, M. & Pahlke, J., Strangers in a Strange Land: Maximizing Statutory Caps and Insurance Limits with “Per Occurrence” Language in Sexual Abuse Cases, WSAJ Trial News (Nov. 2022)
  • Driscoll, M. & Daheim, S., When Jails Try to Play the Blame Game, WSAJ Trial News (Dec. 2022)

Reported Cases

  • Child Sex Abuse Cases: Holding the State of Washington Accountable for Failing to Protect Abused Children
    • C.G. v. State of Washington, Department of Children, Youth and Families, $10.8 million jury trial verdict (2024)
    • C.W. v. State of Washington, $3.5 million settlement.
    • M.E. & J.E. v. State, DSHS - $2.65 million settlement.
    • S.I.T., S.G.T., et al v. State of Washington, $2 million settlement.
  • Police Misconduct Cases: Holding Law Enforcement Agencies Accountable for Actions which Kill and Endanger the Community
    • Thomas et al. v. City of Lakewood et al., (W.D. Wash) – represented Estate of African American man shot and killed by law enforcement, obtained $15.135 million total jury verdict.
    • Estate of Benjamin Lee Grosser v. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, represented Estate of a young husband and father who was shot and killed by a neighbor following law enforcement’s failure to arrest the neighbor and escalating the situation, obtained $7.5 million settlement.
    • Estate of Jessica Ortega v. Pierce County Sheriff’s Department – Represented estate of woman shot and killed by ex boyfriend after seeking police protection from domestic violence in a police negligence case, obtained $7.8 million settlement.
    • Estate of Regina Annas et al v. Pierce County, represented deceased domestic violence victim and others in case arising from law enforcement arming a domestic violence abuser while serving a domestic violence protection order, leading to the abuser returning hours later to murder his victim and seriously injure victim's friend; obtained $3 million settlement.
    • Said Joquin v. Lakewood Police Department, obtained $8 million settlement for family of young black man who was killed by an officer during a routine traffic stop.
    • Bishop v. Buckley Police Department, obtained $3 million settlement for family where law enforcement shot and killed man outside his home
    • Beltran-Serrano v. Tacoma Police Department, secured ruling from the Washington State Supreme Court recognizing a cause of action for police negligence under Washington State law, obtained $6 million settlement.
    • Statler v. Spokane County, 2015 WL 9907276 (E.D. Wash.) – represented three men who served 4 ½ years in jail for crimes of which they were wrongfully convicted and actually innocent, obtained $2.225 million settlement.
  • Wrongful Death Cases: Holding Negligent Companies and Individuals Accountable
    • Foster v. North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, 2017 WL 2600580 (Wash.Super.) – represented widow and family of 48-year-old man killed in motorcycle collision with fire truck, obtained $9.5 million jury verdict.
    • Estate of A.J. v. Apartment Complex, $3.95 million settlement for family of two-year-old child who was killed in the parking lot of apartment complex.
    • Estate of Bailey v. City of Kent, $2.5 million for family of 28-year-old who died in custody
    • DeMoor et al v. Northwest Pole Structures et al, 2019 WL 7944391 (Wash.Super.), represented deceased young mother and her surviving child in case arising from catastrophic motor vehicle collision where a piece of heavy machinery was negligently loaded onto a trailer, causing it to fall directly into oncoming traffic and creating an unpreventable lethal collision; obtained $3.85 million global settlement.
  • Employment Discrimination and Retaliation Cases: Holding Employers Accountable for Unlawful Misconduct
    • Vanscoy v. Pierce County, secured $3.9 million jury verdict and judgment for former Pierce County prosecutor
    • Carol Mitchell v. Pierce County, $1.7 million settlement
    • C.G. v. Confidential, $1.5 million settlement
    • M.B. v. Confidential, $1 million settlement
    • Maldonado v. State, Dep’t of Corrections, $650,000 settlement