David D. Karr
Biography
Dave is an exceptional lawyer who has dedicated the majority of his career to the defense of health care providers in courts across this state. Dave welcomes the opportunity to represent health care providers in all medical specialties.
Dave was born in Denver, Colorado on September 3, 1953. Dave graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1975 and Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans in 1979. He returned to Denver and has practiced with the attorneys at PJCKN for the entirety of his career. Dave is a member of the Denver, Arapahoe County, Colorado, and American Bar Associations, the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Colorado/Denver Medical Societies as a Member of the Interprofessional Committee. He was also bestowed a membership with ABOTA, the American Board of Trial Advocates, which is dedicated to the preservation of the civil jury trial, a right guaranteed to all citizens under the Seventh Amendment.
Dave has been a guest lecturer at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center on medico-legal issues and a Lead Attorney with the ABA Post Conviction Death Penalty Project. Dave practices in the areas of civil trial practice, professional medical malpractice defense, federal and state court tort and trial practice, health law and personal injury defense.
Verdicts
Court
Adams County District Court
Client
Obstetrician / Gynecologist
Issues
The Plaintiffs brought a wrongful death action against the ob-gyn for the wrongful death of their one day old newborn of an overdose of benzathine penicillin given to treat syphilis. Plaintiffs claimed the ob-gyn failed to properly evaluate, monitor and treat the mother’s syphilitic condition during the pregnancy and the failure to do so required the baby to receive the fatal medication. The jury returned a verdict in spite of the highly emotional nature of the case.
Court
Boulder County District Court
Client
General Surgeon
Issues
Plaintiff sued this general surgeon for alleged negligence in the surgical treatment of symptomatic varicose veins. Despite experiencing severe bleeding which led to a perforation of her common femoral vein and a life threatening bleed, Pryor Johnson Carney Karr Nixon presented medical records, literature and experts to establish that the care was appropriate. The jury returned a defense verdict in relatively short order.
Court
El Paso County District Court
Client
Obstetrician
Issues
An eight year old with substantial brain damage and cerebral palsy claimed that our client provided substandard obsetrical care to his mother during the pregnancy resulting in severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Through his parents, the child claimed ceonomic damages in excess of $14 million, $12 million more than the physician's liability coverage. Mr. Drew and Mr. Karr presented an impressive set of experts to address each of the issues raised, including the world's leading expert on hypertension in pregnancy, with over 300 peer reviewed articles, book chapters and publications in the medical literature. The jury returned a defense verdict after three weeks of evidence.
Court
Pueblo County District Court
Client
General Surgeons and Anesthesiologist
Issues
The family of a 55 year old woman sued two general surgeons and an anesthesiologist for alleged negligence resulting in death following parathyroid surgery for hypercalcemia. Prior to surgery, the decedent received methylene blue dye in order to identify the parathyroid adenoma which was to be removed. Following surgery, the decedent experienced serotonin syndrome as a result of a rare reaction of the methylene blue dye in conjunction with anti-depressant medications which the decedent had been taking prior to the time of surgery. During the immediate post op period, the decedent developed mental status changes and significant hyperthermia which lead to disseminated intravascular coagulation as a result of hyperthermia. After a three week trial to a jury, the jury returned a verdict in favor of all three defendants in less then ninety minutes.
