David Beninger’s legal skill and tenacity has generated more than 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million, including the largest results in the state for wrongful death, nursing home negligence, maritime injury, bicycle accident, electrical brain injury, post-concussive syndrome, injury to spousal relations/consortium, and three of the five largest insurance bad faith outcomes in Washington. Beyond the numbers, Beninger’s work has contributed to changes that protect the public through pipeline safety laws, domestic violence laws, and numerous company and industry-wide changes in insurance and construction.
Some of his notable cases include claims that arose from the Washington D.C. Sniper shootings; Tacoma Police Chief David Brame’s domestic violence murder-suicide; the Olympic pipeline explosion that killed two 10-year-old boys; and two Anacortes refinery explosions that claimed the lives of 12 workers. Most recently, David and Patricia Anderson obtained a $150 million jury verdict that included two families who lost loved ones in the deadly 2019 crane collapse in Seattle’s South Lake Union. Throughout the legal process, which concluded with a six-week trial, David and Patricia served as counsel for the family of victim Alan Justad. Of the $150 million, about $52 was awarded to the Justad family.
Beninger is a member of the Damage Attorneys Round Table (DART), an invitation-only group comprised of the top five percent of trial attorneys in Washington representing injured people. He is also a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ) Amicus Committee, and a senior member of the WSAJ Judicial Selection committee. He was also the 2017 WSAJ Tom Chambers Trial Lawyer of the Year; learn more about that honor here. He was listed among U.S.News‘ Best Lawyers in America in 2024.
Beninger has also been selected as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics in each of its annual editions. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Washington, Beninger earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Washington School of Law. He often teaches, lectures and writes on trial advocacy and legal issues. He is also a participating faculty member for the International Justice Advocacy Africa trial training program for African lawyers.
