As a child, Elizabeth Calora learned firsthand the devastating impact of medical negligence when her uncle was paralyzed as a result of a physician’s gross error. When the medical provider failed to accept responsibility, her uncle was forced to hire a medical malpractice attorney who demanded accountability and obtained justice for her uncle. The resulting settlement allowed her uncle to live an independent and meaningful life, with access to adapted vehicles and modification of his home. Elizabeth was struck by how the plaintiff’s attorney leveled the playing field for her uncle against the medical provider and his insurer.
More than 20 years after her uncle was paralyzed, Elizabeth adopts that same approach for her seriously injured clients. Since joining PCVA, Elizabeth has dedicated her practice to helping people who, like her uncle, have suffered catastrophic damages at the hands of others.
She works tirelessly to learn the smallest details about her clients and the complex medical issues of their cases. At trial, Elizabeth can paint a picture of who the client was before an incident and how significantly their life has since changed, in a way that resonates with jurors to yield a positive result.
Elizabeth is not afraid to tackle big cases or go up against heavily funded defendants. Her approach to cases includes accessing all of the facts from the defense side, as well as the plaintiff side, to give her clients the best chance of success. Her peers describe Elizabeth as humble, trustworthy, tenacious, and having one of the best analytical minds.
One of Elizabeth’s particular strengths is securing protection for her clients — at the time and in the future. She makes sure they don’t overpay, their medical bills are handled properly and settlements are structured to provide ongoing financial security. In one case, she was proud to be able to send a client an extra $80,000 that was garnered through careful negotiation of a lien.
Elizabeth volunteers for the University of Puget Sound by participating in admissions events and the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) Network, and as a volunteer judge for mock trials at local law schools. She brings her focus on community service to the firm, where she marshals her colleagues in helping homeless children and providing back-to-school supplies for Tacoma students in need.
When Elizabeth is not advocating for her clients, she is traveling the world to meet her goal of visiting 50 countries before her 50th birthday.
Representative Cases
• $13.95 million medical malpractice jury verdict for a 17-year-old who suffered a catastrophic stroke during an elective cardiac procedure
• $5.425 million auto accident settlement for a client struck by a motor vehicle in a crosswalk who suffered permanent serious injury
• $3.5 million medical malpractice settlement for an 84-year-old woman who suffered severe post-operative complications
• $1.5 million class action settlement for more than 900 restaurant workers wrongfully denied pay for overtime and missed meal and rest breaks, tip pool violations and automatic service charge violations
• $1.3 million personal injury settlement for a client who suffered major burns on 30% of her body when she tripped while carrying a large pot of hot oil
• $1.2 million medical malpractice settlement for a widower whose wife died of a heart attack due to a delayed diagnosis during admission to the hospital
• $1 million medical malpractice settlement for a client who suffered neurological deficits after the failure of a radiologist to diagnose an aneurysm
• $750,000 medical malpractice settlement for a client who suffered partial permanent deficits after complications from a neurosurgical procedure
• $300,000 sexual abuse jury verdict on behalf of a student diagnosed with autism who was aggressively harassed and bullied by fellow high school students, resulting in longstanding psychological trauma
• $105,000 personal injury settlement for a client who suffered a facial injury from a malfunctioning freezer door
Professional Associations
• Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, Member
• King County Bar Association, Member
• Robert J. Bryan Inn of Court, Member
• Washington Women Lawyers, President-Elect, 2020 – 2021; Secretary, 2019 – 2020; Annual Event Chair, 2018 – 2019
• Washington State Association for Justice, Co-Chair, Medical Negligence section, 2020 – 2021; Convention Chair, 2018
• Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers, Past President, 2014 – 2015; Board Member, 2012 – 2015
• University of Puget Sound, Alumni Council
