Seattle Insurance Defense Attorney

Phone: 206.621.3480 Toll Free: 877.624.7990 Fax: 206.624.5944 Eml: keh@leesmart.com

Mr. Hepworth is a shareholder at Lee Smart. His practice emphasizes insurance defense litigation in the areas of premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, construction defect, and professional malpractice.

Mr. Hepworth graduated from Western Washington University in 1985 with a B.A. in Psychology. He was awarded his J.D. degree from the University of Puget Sound School of Law in 1990, where he was the associate editor of the Law Review. He is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the King County Bar Association. The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory conferred a "BV" rating on Mr. Hepworth.

Representative Cases

Leland Hyatt Construction v. Port of Sunnyside v. Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District – Defense of excavation contractor, Leland Hyatt Construction, from claim that it negligently backfilled open ditch resulting in damage to several sections of steel drainpipe. Result: jury verdict in favor Leland Hyatt Construction.
Reinas v. Triad Service Electric, Inc. – Defense of heating and plumbing contractor from claim that repairs it made to furnace caused a fire resulting in major damage to the plaintiff’s residence. Result: summary judgment of dismissal.
Mombasa Coffee Company Ltd. v. Olympic Springs, Inc. – Defense of contractor from claim that negligent installation of water purification system resulted in sudden failure of compression valve, causing major water damage to building and inventory. Result: summary judgment of dismissal of all claims.
Derek Henley v. Terrance Steffe, et al. – Defense of commercial driver from claim that he was negligent when he swerved into the outside lane to avoid colliding with third party that had crossed the centerline and was momentarily in his lane, resulting in a collision with the plaintiff’s car. Result: defense verdict at arbitration.
Randall Carey d/b/a Carey’s Rockeries v. David Flake; et al. – Defense of excavation/rockery contractor from various construction defect claims. The case was tried before the Honorable Thomas Wynne without a jury. Result: Defense verdict on all claims.
Guy Beckett v. Christopher Demopolis – Defense of attorney from claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and professional negligence. Result: summary judgment of dismissal of all claims.
Sellen Construction v. National Glass & Glazing; Amerisure Companies – Represented Sellen Construction in lawsuit arising out of the improper installation of a storefront window system in a seven-story commercial building located at Carillon Point in Kirkland, Washington. Sellen sought indemnification from window subcontractor for the repair costs and damages from the subcontractor’s carrier for bad faith, as Sellen was an additional insured under the subcontractor’s policy. Result: case settled shortly after Ken deposed representatives of window subcontractor and insurance company, with both contributing substantial funds toward the settlement.
Hall v. Process Engineering, Inc., et al. – Defense of mechanical engineer that designed the water heating system at Highline Community College . Plaintiffs were seriously burned when a rubber connector on the water heating system failed. Plaintiffs alleged that the mechanical engineer negligently designed the water heating system. Result: summary judgment of dismissal of all claims.
Mr. Hepworth has also litigated appeals to the Washington Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. Reported appellate decisions include:
Mendoza v. Neudorfer Engineers, Inc. - 145 Wn. App. 146, 185 P.3d 1204 (2008).

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