Cassidy Davenport is an appellate specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, and a partner at Cole Pedroza LLP, where she has practiced since 2008.
Cassidy has devoted her career to the defense of California health care providers — hospitals, health systems, physicians, medical groups, and medical executive committees — in the trial courts, the Courts of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court. Her appellate work spans the full life of a case: writ petitions challenging pretrial rulings, briefing and oral argument on appeal, petitions for review, and amicus curiae briefs on issues of statewide importance to the health care industry. That work includes matters resulting in published opinions that have shaped California law on medical negligence, elder abuse, MICRA, and punitive damages.
She regularly serves as appellate counsel to trial teams in high-exposure matters, including drafting and arguing dispositive motions, shaping motions in limine, and advising on instructional and verdict strategy. She also handles post-trial motions targeting excessive compensatory and punitive damages awards.
Cassidy’s health care practice extends to employment disputes in state and federal courts and before arbitrators and mediators, where she has defended employers against claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, failure to accommodate, wrongful termination, breach of contract, and defamation. She also counsels medical executive committees, hospitals, and health systems on medical staff matters, including peer review, disciplinary proceedings, privacy issues, Medical Board reporting, and the denial or loss of medical staff privileges.
Professional Expertise:
Appeals and Writs
Post-Trial Motions
Medical Negligence
Elder Abuse and Neglect
Medical Staff Privileges
Payor-Provider Disputes
Employment Law
Civil Litigation
Arbitration
Representative Cases Resulting in Published Opinions:
Charlie L. v. Kangavari (2025) 107 Cal.App.5th 1117 (amicus) (applying stricter qualifications requirement for expert witnesses in actions against on-call physicians who consult on emergency patients); McCurry v. Singh (2024) 104 Cal.App.5th 1170 (holding that no physician-patient relationship existed where on-call interventional cardiologist refused to accept patient’s transfer from another hospital); Dominguez v. Bonta (2022) 87 Cal.App.5th 389 (amicus) (upholding the constitutionality of the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act’s noneconomic damages cap and attorneys’ fee structure); Kruthanooch v. Glendale Adventist Med. Ctr. (2022) 83 Cal.App.5th 1109 (limiting the scope of the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act in the context of acute hospital care); Winn v. Pioneer Medical Group, Inc. (2016) 63 Cal.4th 148 (limiting the scope of the Elder Abuse Act with respect to health care providers rendering professional services); Chan v. Curran (2015) 237 Cal.App.4th 601 (upholding the constitutionality of MICRA’s noneconomic damages cap); Montague v. AMN Healthcare, Inc. (2014) 223 Cal.App.4th 1515 (affirming summary judgment for defendant health care staffing company where employee’s actions were outside the course and scope of employment); Leal v. Mansour, M.D. (2013) 221 Cal.App.4th 638 (affirming judgment for defendant physician on causation defense); Corenbaum v. Lampkin (2013) 215 Cal.App.4th 1308 (amicus) (limiting admission of evidence to support recovery of past and future medical expenses, and noneconomic damages); Sargon Enterprises, Inc. v. University of Southern Cal. (2012) 55 Cal.4th 747 (amicus) (limiting the admission of expert testimony on future damages); Villano v. Waterman Conv. Hosp., Inc. (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 1189 (affirming judgment for health care provider defendant where plaintiff patient failed to demonstrate prejudicial error).
Bar Admissions:
State Bar of California
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States District Courts for the Southern, Central, and Northern Districts of California
Professional Associations:
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Appellate Courts Section
Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
California Society for Healthcare Attorneys
Southern California Association for Healthcare Risk Management
Accolades:
Southern California Super Lawyers — Rising Star (2013–2023)