JOHN L. SUPPLE
JOHN L. SUPPLE is the owner of the law firm J Supple Law PC. Mr. Supple graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law where he was the Publications Editor for the Pepperdine Law Review. He has devoted his entire 40+ year legal career to the defenses of healthcare industry. He is licensed to practice in California and Nevada. He is a member of DRI, Northern California Association of Defense Counsel and California Medical Legal Committee. He has received the coveted AV 15 year rating from Martindale-Hubbell as well as the Super Lawyers Distinction in the field of Healthcare. He is frequently a featured speaker on defending elder abuse and medical malpractice issues for a number of professional organizations including The Rutter Group, DRI and Consumer Attorneys of California. Mr. Supple has successfully defended numerous elder abuse and medical malpractice trials and returned a defense verdict on behalf of Covenant Care Inc. in the landmark California Supreme Court case of Covenant Care vs. Superior Court (Inclan).
ROBERT DEERING
ROBERT DEERING is a Partner of J Supple Law, PC. Mr. Deering received his law degree from the University of San Diego. He comes from a long line of attorneys and physicians and is passionate about healthcare defense. Mr. Deering has successfully defended hospitals, physicians and staff in matters involving a variety of allegations, including birth injuries, failure to diagnose, EMTALA violations and lack of informed consent. As a member of the firm, Mr. Deering has broadened his practice to include all aspects of professional liability defense, including the representation of long-term care facilities and mental health professionals.
JODIE C. FEUSNER
JODIE FEUSNER is a Partner of J Supple Law, PC (formerly Supple & Canvel LLP) since 2011. From 2005 to 2011, Ms. Feusner was an associate in the Gordon & Rees San Francisco Health Care Practice Group that was led by John Supple. Ms. Feusner specializes in defending alleged elder abuse and medical malpractice actions. Before Gordon & Rees, Ms. Feusner worked as a litigator at Galloway, Lucchesse, Everson & Picchi, a medical malpractice defense firm where she assisted trial attorneys in representing healthcare providers such as physicians, hospitals and nurses. Her passion for defending healthcare providers comes from growing up surrounded by hard-working physicians including her father, two siblings and two grandparents. Ms. Feusner received her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2003, where she was a recipient of a Merit scholarship. During law school, she received a Public Interest Law Scholar Award, was the Coordinator of Volunteers and Steering Committee Member of “Law In Motion” (Public Interest Group), Administrative Chair of the Employment Law Group, and Articles Editor and Administrative Editor of the Journal of Social and Legal Challenges. Ms. Feusner obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from University of Washington in Seattle, where she received University Dean’s list awards. While completing her undergraduate work, Ms. Feusner was an Intern Investigator with a Non Profit Public Defenders Office, contributing opinion editor for the University paper, was an active member of the Phi Alpha Delta pre-law society, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and interned with the Washington State Public Interest Research Group.
SHELLEY L. SMITH
SHELLEY L. SMITH is a Partner at J Supple Law, PC. For over twenty years, Ms. Smith has devoted her legal practice to defending health care professionals, organizations and facilities in medical malpractice litigation as well as before various administrative and licensing boards. Ms. Smith’s focus is on matters involving catastrophic injuries, failure to diagnose and birth injuries. As a former Shareholder with the Bay Area firm of Galloway, Lucchese, Everson & Picchi, Ms. Smith has successfully managed all aspects of litigation and co-tried multiple matters to verdict. She has been acknowledged by her peers in Super Lawyers® for multiple years and selected as one of Super Lawyers® Top Women Attorneys in Northern California in 2017. Ms. Smith obtained her law degree from the University of California Davis School of Law and is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the United States District Court for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts.
CYRUS A. TABARI
CYRUS A. TABARI joined J Supple Law, PC in 2023. He has been handling medical malpractice and elder abuse cases in the Northern California for over 20 years. He has tried cases in Marin County, San Francisco County, Alameda County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, San Joaquin County, and San Luis Obispo County. His experience runs the gamut of licensed health care, including acute hospital care, skilled nursing care, in-patient psychiatric care, and office based practices. His jury trials have included cases dealing with birth injuries, cosmetic surgery, EMTALA, alleged physician sexual assault, vascular surgery, wrongful life, and wrongful death. While most of his cases are in the San Francisco Bay Area counties, he has also handled cases in the Northern California, Central Coast and Central California Counties. His clients include hospitals, physicians, and other licensed healthcare providers. He also handles administrative actions for licensed healthcare providers, including doctors, nurses and hospitals. While he spends most of his time handling medical malpractice and elder abuse cases, over the years Mr. Tabari has also handled business litigation matters for healthcare and non-healthcare clients. He is AV rated by Martindale and Hubbell, recognized as a California Super Lawyer every year since 2005, a member of the American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA) and was President of the California Medical Legal Committee, the only association of medical malpractice lawyers in California.
KAT TODD
KAT TODD grew up in Edmonton, Canada and obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Bishops University in Lennoxville, Quebec. She then enrolled at the University of Alberta, obtaining her law degree in 1999. After graduating from law school, Kat then clerked for one year (per Canadian requirements) for an insurance defense law firm in Edmonton, Bryan & Company, before being admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2000. From 1996 to 2002, Kat was an elite rugby player, representing Canada in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Amsterdam, Holland in 1998, followed by the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Barcelona, Spain in 2002 (where she concurrently studied for the California Bar!). When Kat emigrated to the USA in 2001 to join family in Sonoma County, she joined the All Blues Women’s Rugby Club in Berkeley, California assisting the team in winning the USA Women’s National Club Championships in 2002 and 2003.
Kat was admitted to the California Bar in December 2002 and then joined a healthcare defense firm in Sacramento, Dummit Briegleb, where she practiced as an associate until 2007. In 2007, she joined prominent Sacramento healthcare defense firm, Schuering Zimmerman & Doyle (SZD. Kat practiced at SZD from 2007 and was promoted to the SZD partnership in 2011. In 2024, Kat moved to Sonoma County to join her significant other. As of May 1, 2024, she joined J Supple Law as a partner.
Kat specializes in healthcare defense, including medical malpractice defense in civil litigation cases and healthcare licensing defense in Board investigations. She has tried multiple cases to verdict including cases involving Interventional Cardiology, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics, Oncology, Orthopedics and Podiatry. Kat has also represented large academic institutions at trial, representing multiple different specialties in one trial.
Kat retired from playing elite rugby after the USA Women’s National Club Championships in 2003, and then transitioned to match officiating. Kat officiated rugby until 2011 and then coached rugby match officials through to 2017, including having international appointments with World Rugby at the Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2014 and 2017. Now retired from all team sports, Kat cycles and travels with her significant other.
Kat presents frequently on medical-legal topics to large medical groups and will act as a guest lecturer to medical residents. She has also served as a Community Member on the UC Davis Medical Center Bioethics Committee, consulting in patient care issues involving difficult topics such as differing goals of care and patients without decisional capacity. Kat has also volunteered as Temporary Small Claims Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court.
Kat is a member of the Marin, Sonoma and Sacramento County Bar Associations. She is also a member of the Association of Defense Counsel, California Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the California Medical-Legal Committee. Last, she was a Rising Star in 2009 and 2013 and has been nominated annually to be a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyer Magazine since 2019.
MATTHEW SCHROEDER
MATTHEW SCHROEDER is an associate at J Supple Law PC. Mr. Schroeder received his law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California where he served as Notes & Comments Editor for the Southwestern Journal of International Law and was a member of Moot Court. In 2009, Matthew served as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable S. James Otero of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He then practiced at Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O’Keefe & Nichols, a premier Los Angeles medical malpractice defense firm, where he successfully defended hospitals, physicians, and dental practitioners in matters involving a variety of allegations, including medical negligence, dependent adult abuse, and statutory/regulatory violations. As an associate with J Supple Law PC, Matthew has broadened his practice to include representation of long-term care facilities in civil and regulatory matters. Matthew is admitted to practice in all California state courts and in the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of California. Since 2020, Matthew has been selected every year as a “Rising Star” for the Northern California Super Lawyers® list.
FAITH WOLINSKY
FAITH WOLINSKY is a senior associate with J Supple Law PC. Ms. Wolinsky received her law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2003. Prior to law school Ms. Wolinsky was employed as a research assistant on several epidemiological studies at the University of California, San Francisco. While earning her law degree, she edited a three-book treatise on scientific evidence for judges and was a Judicial Extern to The Honorable Timothy Reardon (retired) at the California Court of Appeal. Ms. Wolinsky’s recent legal practice has focused on defending health care professionals and entities, and long-term care facilities, in professional liability matters, as well as defending physicians in administrative matters involving licensing by the Medical Board of California. She is admitted to practice in all California state courts and in the United States District Court for the Central District.
PETER F. FINN
PETER F. FINN joined J Supple Law, PC in 2023. His legal practice includes advising dentists and physicians on employment and Internet-related issues, and representing dentists and physicians in malpractice actions and matters before the Dental and Medical Boards of California. Mr. Finn obtained his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science in 2006 from the University of Denver, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was named to Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended the University of San Francisco School of Law, obtaining his legal degree in 2009. During law school, Mr. Finn interned for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), part of the U.S. Department of Labor and also clerked for the Bradley, Curley law firm, with a focus on employment law matters. He became licensed to practice law in California in December of 2009 and began working at Bradley, Curley that same month. His article, “What to do About that Negative Online Review,” was published in the February 2021 issue of the California Dental Association Journal. More recently, he was featured in June 2022 Journal of Clinical Orthodontics in the article, “Ask the Expert: Employment Law Ramifications of Monetary Bonuses and Gifts.”
SUSAN K. RIGGIO
SUSAN K. RIGGIO is a Senior Associate at J Supple Law, PC. Ms. Riggio has over 20 years of experience defending health care professionals and entities in medical malpractice litigation, including cases involving birth injuries, brain injuries, the performance of surgery, and various other types of injuries and claims. Ms. Riggio obtained her law degree in 2002 from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, and she is licensed to practice law in the State of California, the United States District Court in the Eastern and Northern Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit. Prior to law school, Ms. Riggio obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree and worked as a Program Evaluator with the U. S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), (formerly the General Accounting Office), conducting Congressional oversight of government programs and policies, including health issues pertaining to children in foster care.
LORIE A. KRUSE
LORIE A. KRUSE has a diverse legal background as a litigator in both state and federal courts and is licensed to practice law in California and Hawaii. Since 1993, her career in litigation has focused on the defense of medical malpractice actions on behalf of hospitals, physicians, and chiropractors in wide variety of settings including catastrophic damage cases involving traumatic brain injuries and birth injury suits, as well as the defense of claims of alleged inappropriate sexual misconduct and privacy breaches. However, Ms. Kruse also has experience both in the prosecution and defense of claims in a wide variety of practice areas including personal injury, legal malpractice, product liability, breach of contract, construction defect, maritime law, administrative actions, employment law, civil rights, and elder abuse. She has performed public entity defense work for municipalities, counties, school districts, district hospitals and police departments.
AARON T. SCHULTZ
AARON T. SCHULTZ joined J Supple Law, PC in 2024. He received his law degree in 2002 from University of California, Davis College of the Law. After beginning his career working in insurance coverage, Mr. Schultz has concentrated primarily in the area of professional liability defense involving physicians, hospitals, and long-term care facilities for nearly 20 years. Mr. Schultz has tried and co-tried multiple cases to verdict in various counties throughout California, and has defended physicians, nurses and attorneys in disciplinary matters and at administrative hearings.
GEORGE “JORDY” MORRIS
GEORGE “JORDY” MORRIS is an associate at J Supple Law PC. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from UCLA in 2017, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, College of the Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) in 2023. His career has been focused on both the law and the life sciences, as he worked as a law clerk, a hospital volunteer staff member, a lab assistant and even a “Dairy Technician” prior to starting law school. While in law school, Jordy had the opportunity to intern at the Contra Costa Superior Court, where he drafted rulings for a wide variety of cases and met with judges one-on-one to discuss their decisions. He also participated in the school’s Startup Legal Garage program, where he prepared legal defenses for startup tech companies in the Bay Area to protect their intellectual property. Jordy’s passion for healthcare law comes from his family, as several of his family members are physicians and several more are attorneys.
SUZANNE E. ARRAGG, BSN, RN, CLNC, CDONA/LTC
SUZANNE E. ARRAGG, BSN, RN, CLNC, CDONA/LTC is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Nursing in Los Angeles, California. Since 1985 she has held a wide variety of nursing positions within various healthcare institutions. Her nursing background includes medical-surgical nursing, endocrinology, antepartum care, gynecology oncology, high risk clinic obstetrics, managed care family practice, infection control and long term care. In 1998, while working as a Director of Nursing in a skilled nursing facility, Ms. Arragg obtained National Certification as a Director of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care. In 1999, Ms. Arragg successfully obtained her National Certification as a Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC®). As a long term care provider advocate, she maintains clinical expertise in long term care, both in standards of nursing practice and regulatory requirements. Ms. Arragg holds a Board of Registered Nursing CEP number and provides continuing education in-services to health care providers across the nation. Ms. Arragg is an associate member of the American Health Care Association, the California Association of Healthcare Facilities, and the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants