Katherine S. Strawbridge

Partner

T: 317.453.8688 | Mobile: 317.441.5174
F: 317.630.2790
E: kstrawbridge@lewiswagner.com

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Legal Assistant

Claudia Estrada

T: 317.237.0500
E: cestrada@lewiswagner.com

Biography

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Katie is a member of Lewis Wagner’s Transportation Practice Group where she devotes a substantial amount of her practice to representing commercial carriers and drivers in litigation involving wrongful death, catastrophic injury and property damage claims. She frequently litigates in both state and federal court and also assists clients in pre-suit investigation, including 24/7 state-wide emergency accident investigation. Katie is actively involved in all phases of the litigation process to protect the interests of motor carriers and their drivers; she zealously advocates on their behalf to reach the best possible outcome, whether it be through alternative dispute resolution or trial. Katie employs a professional, common-sense approach to litigation which results in favorable results for her clients and respect from her peers in the legal community on both sides of the bar.

The transportation industry is ever-changing, and Katie stays up-to-date on new developments as an active member of several transportation-related associations including ALFA International’s Transportation Practice Group, the Trucking Industry Defense Association (“TIDA”), and the Defense Research Institute (“DRI”) Trucking Law Committee, where she serves as the Public Service Liaison.

Experience

Representative Cases:

Defense of trespass, conversion and fraud claims against utility company regarding scope of utility easements

Plaintiff is the owner of property subject to two utility easements held by defendant Utility Company. Utility Company contracted with defendant Tree Company to trim and remove trees on Plaintiff’s property that were interfering with the electrical lines. After several trees were trimmed and/or removed, Plaintiff filed this lawsuit alleging trespass, conversion and fraud on the part of the defendants as a result of the work performed on the property. Plaintiff argued the Defendants’ actions were done without Plaintiff’s consent and exceeded the authority granted by the easements.

Lewis Wagner, LLP represented both Defendants and moved for summary judgment, contending that the Defendants had the legal right to maintain the electrical line on Plaintiff’s property pursuant to the easements. The defense further maintained that Plaintiff’s consent was not required for the services performed on his property. The Court agreed, and found that the Defendants had lawfully entered Plaintiff’s property and acted in accordance with the easements in performing tree maintenance for the preservation of the electrical line. The Court granted summary judgment for the Defendants as to all Counts of Plaintiff’s Complaint. Plaintiff did not appeal.

Obtained summary judgment on behalf of private landowner following allegations from a neighboring property owner.
The plaintiff owned property across the street and downhill from our client’s property in Danville, IN. Our client undertook construction activities on his property, including the addition of commercial buildings and paved parking lots. Sometime after construction began, the plaintiff alleged that her property began to flood when it rained and that the flooding caused structural damage to her home. Plaintiff attributed this flooding and the resulting damage to her property, in part, to our client’s construction, and argued that he was liable under a theory of negligence. On summary judgment, we argued that the common enemy doctrine, which protects those who erect obstructions that affect surface water, precluded the plaintiff’s claims. Plaintiff responded by filing her own motion for summary judgment, alleging a series of purported issues of fact. Following oral arguments, the Court agreed that the common enemy doctrine applied. In doing so, the Court denied plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, and granted summary judgment for our client.

Honors & Awards

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent
Rising Stars, Indiana Super Lawyers®, 2014-2019
Indiana Intern of the Year, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, 2007

Representative Cases

Williams v. Wal-Mart Stores East, LP, 2017 WL 6997731 (S.D. Ind. 2017) (summary judgment for premises owner in slip and fall lawsuit)
Hollis v. Metropolitan School Dist. Of Pike Township, 2013 WL 5656088 (S.D. Ind. 2013) (summary judgment on Indiana Crime Victim’s Relief Act claims)
Huntine v. Whitley County Sheriff’s Department et al. (Whitley County Circuit Court, 2013) (summary judgment for defendants on claims involving alleged wrongful arrest)
Gillock v. City of New Castle, 999 N.E.2d 1043 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013) (affirming award of attorney fees against Plaintiffs)

Presentations

The Reptile Theory in Trucking Cases, ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Regional Seminar (Atlanta, GA), August 15, 2018.
The Mediation Process: What Happens in the Other Room? ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Regional Seminar (St. Louis, MO), February 21, 2018.
Beyond the Numbers: A Discussion on the Finer Points of Mediation, Indianapolis Bar Association (Indianapolis, IN), July 25, 2017.
Defending the Traumatic Brain Injury, ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Regional Seminar (St. Louis, MO), February 18, 2017.

Professional Associations

ALFA International
- Transportation Practice Group
Defense Research Institute
- Trucking Law Committee, Public Service Committee Liaison, 2015-2018
Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana
Indianapolis Bar Association
- Legal Lines Volunteer
Sagamore Inn of Court
- Associate Member, 2016-2018

In The News

Bar Admissions

State of Indiana, 2011

Courts of Practice

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, 2011
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, 2011

Education

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, J.D. , 2011
- Order of the Barristers
- Executive Board for the Honorable Robert H. Staton Moot Court Competition
- Executive Board, Dean’s Tutorial Society
- Benjamin F. Small Scholarship Recipient, 2010-2011
Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Bloomington, B.S., 2008
- Dean's List

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