KATHRYN (KAYTI) M. KNUDSEN (SHE/HER/HERS), ATTORNEY
Kayti Knudsen is passionate about justice and holding wrongdoers accountable. Kayti’s practice focuses primarily on policyholder insurance bad faith, serious injury, and representing victims of discrimination and harassment. She has experience representing insureds in cases ranging from single-family homeowner disputes to complex class action claims. Kayti’s tenacity and experience litigating against some of the largest corporations in America get results for her clients both in and out of the courtroom.
Kayti is a Pacific Northwest native. A second-generation attorney, Kayti became inspired by the law as a young girl watching her father from the back of wood-paneled court rooms. After studying civil rights and the criminal justice system as an undergraduate, Kayti knew law school was the next step to building a career advocating for those who need help navigating our justice system.
Away from the office, Kayti is active in the Seattle arts community and spends her free time with her family skiing, hiking, and enjoying the cultural diversity our area has to offer. Always up for a challenge, Kayti channels her competitive spirit as an annual participant in Whatcom County’s Ski-to-Sea race.
Notable Cases
Gamble v. State Farm (U.S. District Court underinsured motorist insurance, bad faith, verdict in favor of client)
Bagley v. Travelers (U.S. District Court first party property insurance bad faith)
Spaulding v. State Farm (U.S. District Court underinsured motorist insurance bad faith)
Kaiser v. CSL Plasma (King County discrimination against transgender customer)
Merriman v. American Guarantee (Yakima County first IFCA class action against insurer following fire at storage facility).
Freeman v. Amtrak (U.S. District Court personal injury arising from Amtrak Derailment)
Wang v. Comcast (Employment arbitration, race discrimination)
Prior Employment
Keller Rohrback L.L.P., Associate Attorney
Halverson Northwest Law Group, Associate Attorney
Washington State Court of Appeals, Hon. David Armstrong, Judicial Law Clerk
Education
University of Washington, B.A. Law, Societies, and Justice, 2004
Seattle University School of Law, Juris Doctor, cum laude, Lead Article Editor, Seattle University Law Review
Bar Court Admissions
2009, Washington
2009, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
2009, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Recognitions
Super Lawyers, 2022, 2023
Super Lawyers Rising Star, Washington, 2016–2021
Washington State Bar Association Supreme Court Pro Bono Publico Honor Roll, 2016
WSAJ Eagle Member
Professional & Civic Involvement
Washington State Bar Association, Member
Washington State Association for Justice, Board of Governors 2022
King County Bar Association, Member
American Bar Association, The Woman Advocate Committee, Insurance Subcommittee Chair, 2020
Washington State Association for Justice, Board of Governors, 2023
Washington State Association for Justice, Co-Chair Insurance Committee, 2019–2020 & 2021–2023
ArtsFund, Associate Board Member, Visionaries Culture Council, 2014–2022
Friends of CASA, Board of Directors, 2015
Allied Arts of Yakima, Board of Directors Nominating Committee, 2012–2013
Publications and Presentations
Speaker, “Social Inflation,” Limits-Demands, and Consent Judgment Settlements, The Seminar Group, Seattle, WA (November 2023)
Speaker, Panel: Preparing Your Bad Faith Case from Start to Finish, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA (July 2023)
Speaker, Public Adjusters, Friend or Foe?, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2023)
Speaker, IFCA Update, Washington State Association for Justice Annual Convention (September 2021)
Speaker, Conflicts, Cash, and Coverage: Ethics in Insurance Litigation, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2021)
Speaker, The Floor is Lava! Insurer Bad Faith in Residential Environmental Claims, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Seminar, American Bar Association (March 2021)
Kathryn M. Knudsen, How to Make the Most out of a Rule 30(b)(6) Deposition, The Woman Advocate Practice Points, American Bar Association (November 2020).
Speaker, Insurance Broker Liability, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2020).
Kathryn M. Knudsen, Aggressive Discovery Produces Results in Employment Arbitration, Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2020).
Speaker, Blast From the Past: Lost Policies and Long-Tail Environmental/Asbestos Claims from the Pre-Absolute Exclusion Era, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Seminar, American Bar Association (Tucson, AZ 2020)
Author, Third-Party Adjuster Liability After Keodalah, Trial News, vol. 55, n. 3, Washington State Associate for Justice (November 2019).
Speaker, 10 Things We Can All do to Help Insurance Policyholders, Building Industry Association of Whatcom County (Bellingham, WA) 2019.
Speaker, Personal Injury from A to Z, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA 2018).
CLE Faculty, Effective Motion Practice in Civil Litigation, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA 2017).
Speaker, 10 Things Every Lawyer Needs to Know about Washington Insurance Law, Construction Defect & Dispute Conference (Seattle, WA 2016).
Author, Obtaining Benefits Under A Lapsed Life Insurance Policy, Trial News, vol. 52 n. 5, Washington State Association for Justice (January 2016).
Speaker, Insurance Discovery Privileges: Views from the Offensive and Defensive Lines, The Women of the Section of Litigation Conference Networking Roundtable Luncheon, American Bar Association (Chicago, IL 2015).
Author, The Dos and Don’ts of Beginning your Trial Practice, Trial News, vol. 50 n. 10, Washington State Association for Justice (June 2015).
Author, Hidden Risks in Insurance Appraisal Clauses, Trial News, vol. 50 n. 9, Washington State Association for Justice (May 2015).
Speaker, Duty or No Duty (Concerning the Duty to Defend in Liability Insurance Policies), Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, American Bar Association (Tucson, AZ 2015).