Patricia Noyes-Corrigan

Patricia Noyes-Corrigan concentrates her practice on complex civil litigation, including general liability, business, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, products liability, insurance coverage disputes and subrogation matters. She has extensive experience representing businesses and individuals operating in highly regulated industries, primarily in the area of healthcare.

Since joining Gargiulo/Rudnick more than three decades ago, Ms. Corrigan has maintained an active, successful trial practice in the Superior Courts and the US District Court in Massachusetts. As sole trial counsel in a contract dispute, she obtained one of the top jury verdicts in Massachusetts for the year. When this case was appealed to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, she subsequently prevailed when a three-judge panel affirmed the jury verdict, as well as an award on a judgment for contempt, including attorneys’ fees and costs. In addition to her extensive trial experience, Ms. Corrigan is well-versed in resolving matters through negotiations prior to the initiation of litigation, as well as by alternative dispute resolution following the commencement of litigation. Effective utilization of motions for summary judgment has resulted in outright dismissal or in extremely favorable settlement terms. In addition to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, she has successfully brought matters before the Supreme Judicial Court. She also has substantial experience addressing government investigations, managing large-scale electronic discovery productions, and establishing effective working relationships with scientific and economic experts from diverse disciplines on complex matters.

Significant Verdicts, Rulings and Decisions:

Secured a Jury Verdict for the Defendant in a Motor Vehicle-Bicycle Collision
Ms. Corrigan obtained a Defendant’s verdict on behalf of her client in a motor vehicle bicycle collision where the Plaintiff claimed he had suffered a traumatic brain injury with ongoing and worsening symptoms, including but not limited to memory loss and neurocognitive impairment, as well as a fractured clavicle. Witness testimony at trial corroborated Defendant’s claim that Plaintiff rode his bicycle into the middle of the road and hit her car. Of note, is that the trial judge ruled in pre-trial motions that evidence that Plaintiff was not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision was admissible on the question of whether he had failed to mitigate his own damages. The trial judge gave the jury specific instructions on this issue, as well as an instruction on the sudden emergency doctrine. Defendant’s expert neurologist testified Plaintiff had a pre-existing neurological condition which along with other co-morbid conditions, had caused Plaintiff’s neurocognitive impairment, not the collision. The jury of 6, with 2 alternates who participated in deliberations, returned a verdict for the Defendant. Kevin Wilson and Anne Wilson v. Nicole M. Swain, Plymouth Superior Court No. 1883CV00601 before The Honorable Joseph F. Leighton, Jr. on November 15, 2022 – November 18, 2022.

Successfully Defended Against a Motion for Summary Judgment Resulting in Favorable Settlement
• Representing the Plaintiff, Ms. Corrigan successfully defended against a Motion for Summary Judgment (Docs 90 and 91, denied in part and allowed in part), as well as a Motion in Limine to Exclude Plaintiff’s Expert Opinion Evidence (Doc 92, denied) in a United States District Court products liability subrogation action involving an alleged faulty vent damper which had been installed in a decade old heating system. Plaintiff alleged the heating system shut down because of the vent damper which then caused the pipes in the home to freeze and burst with resulting water damage to the property. The Court found that genuine issues of material fact existed as to both the negligence and breach of warranty claims as to whether the product was defective and unreasonably dangerous based, upon among other things, its expert’s opinion that the alleged manufacturer’s defect existed when the product left the Defendants’ facilities and that it had not been improperly handled by the homeowner or other intermediaries in the ten years between the date of manufacture and the failure of the heating system. In particular, in denying Defendant’s Motion in Limine, the Court ruled that Plaintiff’s expert’s opinion evidence met the requirements of Fed. R. of Evid. 104 and 702 and demonstrated genuine issues of material facts for trial. The parties settled the matter in Plaintiff’s favor by agreement shortly thereafter prior to trial. Arbella Mutual Insurance Company a/s/o Kathleen Chapin and Timothy Chapin v. Field Controls, LLC, 1:16-cv-10656-LTS (Docs. 90, 91 and 92) (The Honorable Leo T. Sorokin) (4/5/2019) Decision on Summary Judgment

Obtained Summary Judgment – David Goff et al v. Jeoung F. Kim et al
• Ms. Corrigan secured Summary Judgment on behalf of the Defendant in a negligence action based upon the principles of res judicata and collateral estoppel. Plaintiff in that case had alleged the Defendant had negligently struck and injured him causing serious traumatic brain injury. In a separate Declaratory Judgment action in the Plymouth Superior Court, brought by the Defendant’s insurer, however, the Court in that case specifically found following a trial that Defendant’s conduct was intentional. The Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed the Superior Court’s findings in the Declaratory Judgment action. In the separate negligence action, Judge Mark Gildea of the Superior Court then found on Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment that he was entitled to the preclusive effect of this decision as a matter of law under the doctrine of collateral estoppel; that is, Plaintiff was collaterally estopped from re-litigating the facts in the personal injury action as to the Defendant’s negligence. In that a finding of intentional conduct precludes a finding that the same conduct can also be found to be negligent under Waters v. Blackshear, 412 Mass. 589, 590 (1992) and Sabatinelli v. Butler, 313 Mass. 565, 567 (1973), the Defendant could not be found to be negligent in this case as a matter of law. Judgment entered in Defendant’s favor. David Goff et al v. Jeoung F. Kim et al, Plymouth Superior Court Civil Action No. 1283CV00666 (The Honorable Mark C. Gildea, Justice of the Superior Court) (7/31/2017) See Memorandum and Order allowing Defendant, Jeoung F. Kim’s, Motion for Summary Judgment.

Secured Dismissal of Allegations on Trade Infringement, violations of the Lanham Act and
False Light Advertising as a result of 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss
• Ms. Corrigan obtained dismissal of allegations of trade infringement, violation of the Lanham Act and False Light Advertising on behalf of the Defendant in a matter in which Plaintiff had alleged a cause of action sounding in defamation and commercial disparagement based upon a negative review of services published on the internet. Defendant initially succeeded in preventing a Preliminary Injunction from issuing based upon First Amendment grounds in that to grant such an order would constitute a prior restraint of free speech which violated both US and State Constitutions. The Defendant then filed a Motion to Dismiss under Mass. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) which was allowed in part and denied in part by Judge Robert C. Cosgrove of the Plymouth Superior Court. Following Defendant’s request for a Rule 16 conference and the appointment by Order of the Court on October 6, 2017 of a Special Discovery Master, Sharon Lalli, Assistant Clerk of the Superior Court, the parties agreed to a Stipulation of Dismissal of the action with prejudice, filed on November 13, 2017. See, Memorandum and Order on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss and Plaintiff’s Motion to Amend, Plymouth Superior Court Civil Action No. 1783CV00077. (The Honorable Robert C. Cosgrove, Justice of the Superior Court) (May 10, 2017.)

Other Significant Representations Include:
• Secured favorable result protecting insured defendant in a claim for a traumatic brain injury over and above the policy limit expressly based upon fact and expert opinion evidence developed to dispute Plaintiffs’ claims for damages.
• In multiple products liability subrogation matters, obtained favorable settlements on behalf of Plaintiffs.
• In 2018, in a matter filed with MCAD, secured allowance of Motion to Dismiss in discrimination and retaliation claims in healthcare setting.
• As post-verdict counsel for defendant in a First Amendment claim in US District Court matter, obtained Court order of dismissal with prejudice to vacate the judgment as to significant punitive damages award with the assent of the Plaintiffs in 2016.
• In 2014 prevailed on an interlocutory appeal before the Massachusetts Appeals Court which upheld the trial court’s protective order in a guardianship proceeding.
• Obtained one of the top 2011 Massachusetts jury verdicts in a matter involving a contract dispute regarding an estate, for which she served as sole trial counsel. Affirmed on appeal. Nichols v. Pritzker, 84 Mass.App.Ct. 1106 (2012) (Rule 1:28 decision) The Supreme Judicial Court then denied further appellate review. The judgment was then satisfied in full, as well as the contempt award of attorneys’ fees and costs and accrued interest.
• As lead counsel working in a multi-firm defense team, secured a judgment of dismissal on summary judgment rulings in a professional malpractice action in the Suffolk Superior Court Business Litigation Session.
• Co-tried a month long trial of a catastrophically injured client and obtained a favorable outcome while the jury was in its third day of deliberations.
• Secured a significant settlement in an action with major insurance coverage issues for a hit and run victim following a multi-day mediation session.
• Resolved multiple major wrongful death claims in favor of estates and families.
• Prevailed in obtaining denial of issuance of a preliminary injunction in dispute between business entities operating a medical practice.
• Obtained partial summary judgment on a claim by a minority stockholder against her client, and also obtained dismissal of remaining claims prior to trial.
• Prior to the initiation of litigation, negotiated successful resolution of a dispute between members of a closely held corporation.

Ms. Corrigan is a member of the Boston Bar Association. As a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, she served on the Civil Litigation Section Council and the Automobile Insurance Reform Committee. She also served as editor of the Civil Litigation Section Council Newsletter.

In 2020, 2017 and in 2014, Ms. Corrigan edited and authored Post-Acute Care: Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, Hospice and Home Health section in the MCLE Massachusetts Health and Hospital Law Manual, 2nd edition. In particular, most recently, she addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities, as well as the evolution of the Affordable Care Act since its inception along with subsequent changes in the law relative to federal and state regulatory oversight, compliance and reimbursement systems.

In addition to her law practice, Ms. Corrigan has served in leadership roles on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations, including as past president. She currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors as past president of the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay (NABB), as well as a member of the Architecture Committee, in Boston. Additionally, as a member of NABB’s Homelessness Task Force, she works on education and policy advocacy, as well as fundraising, to address this complex social issue. Ms. Corrigan has been active as a volunteer in diverse educational communities. Over the past decade, Ms. Corrigan has served as a Mock Trial Judge for the American Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition and the Yale University Mock Trial Tournament. She has developed and presented materials for a seminar on the American judicial system for high school seniors entitled, “The Anatomy of a Civil Lawsuit”. She has served on the boards of the Wellesley High School Parent-Teacher-Student Organization, the Belmont Hill School Parent Council, and the St. John’s School Council. She also initiated, developed, and implemented the St. John’s School Enrichment Program.