Ms. Beavan is a partner with the firm. Before entering the private practice of law, Ms. Beavan was a law clerk to the Honorable Edward B. Davis of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and a law clerk with the United States Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, in Washington, D.C.
Since entering private practice in 1986, Ms. Beavan's work has focused on pharmaceutical, product liability and professional malpractice defense. She defends her clients against claims of negligence, regulatory non-compliance, fraud, and alleged failures to adequately test, manufacture, design and warn about products and prescription drugs. Ms. Beavan represents manufacturers, hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers and companies in local, federal and multidistrict litigation. Her practice encompasses all phases of the litigation process, including pre-trial, trial and appellate representation.
Ms. Beavan's medical device and pharmaceutical work has focused on the representation of corporations and manufacturers in individual lawsuits, multidistrict suits, and class actions. Her responsibilities have included the defense of suits alleging autoimmune disease, heart damage, cancer, neurological deficits and other personal injuries as a result of exposure to silicone gel-filled breast implants, latex gloves, diet drugs, hormone replacement medications, thimerosal and other products and prescription medications. She has also counseled clients concerning alleged failures to comply with regulatory reporting and submission requirements.
Ms. Beavan's medical malpractice trial work has involved multiple areas of medicine, including cardiology, hematology, neurosurgery, general surgery, internal medicine, infectious diseases, pathology, obstetrics, gynecology, emergency medicine, radiology, neurology, psychiatry and family practice medicine.
Ms. Beavan, a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), taught at the IADC Trial Academy and has been a guest lecturer before epidemiologists and biostatisticians on Daubert and the use of epidemiology in court.
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University of Maryland (B.A., summa cum laude, 1982)
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., cum laude, 1985)
Editor, American Criminal Law Review (1984-1985).
Member, Trial Clinic (1984-1985).
Author, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO), 22 Am. Crim. L. Rev. 401 (1985) (white collar crime update concerning the penal and remedial provisions of the RICO Act).
Co-Chairman, Environmental Law Forum (1985).
Honors
Provost's Scholar; Honor Society memberships include Phi Beta Kappa; Omicron Delta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Alpha Phi Sigma; Psi Chi; Alpha Lambda Delta; and Phi Eta Sigma.
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Moore v. Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, 236 F. Supp. 2d 509 (D. Md. 2002) Prescription Diet Drug Litigation: On removal of a state-court-filed action against a diet drug manufacturer and a pharmacy, the federal district court confirmed that a defendant who is fraudulently joined to a lawsuit does not need to consent to removal of the action from state court to federal court. The federal district court granted the client’s (defendant manufacturer’s) motion to defer ruling on plaintiffs’ motion to remand and granted client’s motion to stay pretrial proceedings pending transfer of the action to the multidistrict litigation court.
Farwell v. Un, 902 F.2d 282 (4th Cir. 1990). Medical Malpractice Action: Appellate court affirmed trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of client, a psychiatrist, whose patient committed suicide the day after an office visit.
Sims v. Litofsky, Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland (1991). Defense verdict for client, a neurosurgeon, accused of medical malpractice resulting in plaintiff’s permanent paralysis.
Liverpool v. Georgetown University Hospital, et al., Superior Court of the District of Columbia (1992). Medical Malpractice Action: Trial court granted defendants’ (clients’) motion for summary judgment and request for dismissal based upon lack of sufficient expert testimony and plaintiffs’ discovery failures.
Turner v. Forestvilla, Inc., et al., Superior Court of the District of Columbia (1993). Negligence and Negligent Supervision Action: Trial court granted client’s motion to dismiss on the grounds of lack of personal jurisdiction and forum non conveniens. Suit was later refiled in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, where all claims against GDLD’s client were also dismissed.
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1985 Court of Appeals of Maryland
1987 U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
1988 Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
1989 U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
1991 U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
2000 United States Supreme Court
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- International Association of Defense Counsel; Trial Academy Faculty Member (1997)
- The Defense Research Institute
- Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc.; Professional Malpractice Committee (1992)
- Maryland Society for Healthcare Risk Management
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Maryland State Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Baltimore City Bar Association
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Mock Trial Judge (1986-1990) - Georgetown University Law Center (provided critiques and instruction to J.D. candidates on methods of persuasion and oral argument of motions and appeals)
Faculty Member (1997) - International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy (provided demonstration and instruction to practicing attorneys on the methods of trial advocacy)
Lecturer (1986-present) - Before groups of healthcare and other professionals. Lectures include medical malpractice litigation concepts, case management issues, and instructions on the use of the scientific method in the courtroom. Ms. Beavan's teaching activities include the following: Invited faculty member for the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions-sponsored program "Principles & Practice of Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging", Marco Island, Florida, 1998, presentation entitled "Legal Issues in MRI"; Invited speaker for Educational Session entitled "Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer: The Legal Perspective" at the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) 46th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. (June, 2001); Invited faculty member to address the use of Epidemiology in the Judicial Setting for the Graduate Summer Program, Institute of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland (2001); Invited speaker for Education Session entitled "Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery (VBAC): The Legal Perspective" at the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) 47th Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia (May 2002); Invited faculty member for MICPEL course on Deposition Practice and Procedure in Baltimore, Maryland (December 2006).
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