Kenneth Odza

Ken Odza is a principal in Stoel Rives LLP Litigation practice group and chair of the firm’s product liability initiative.

Ken’s primary focus is on emerging issues in food liability. He has extensive experience with experts and regulators in responding to claims of food-borne illnesses, and he works with nationally and internationally renowned experts in microbiology, epidemiology, nephrology, neuroscience, veterinary medicine and food handling, to name a few. Ken is also involved in public policy issues regarding food. As a litigator, his efforts often involve defending claims by injured plaintiffs and prosecuting third-party claims against suppliers and their insurers. He has also defended and prosecuted a wide range of complex tort, environmental and civil rights cases. His experience includes:

  • Defending claims arising from illnesses caused by newly detected strains of E. coli, such as O121:H19
  • Successfully litigating what are believed to be the first claims filed in the United States arising out of alleged exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease)
  • Leading a pro bono team that handled groundbreaking litigation over religious dietary requirements
  • Counseling clients on issues concerning food recalls and regulatory compliance related to food processing
  • Reviewing insurance, indemnification, client policies and other records with an aim of mitigating and shifting risk of food liability
  • Tracking and writing on newly emerging consumer claims related to organic foods and to diacetyl exposure

Practice Areas

  • Food Liability
  • Insurance Coverage 
  • Environmental Cost Recovery

Professional Associations

  • Member, Food Liability Subcommittee, Section of Litigation, American Bar Association
  • DRI Food Liability Committee 
  • Federal Bar Association Pro Bono Panel

Education

  • J.D. Cornell Law School, cum laude, 1994
  • B.S. University of Rochester, cum laude, 1989

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of Washington
  • State Bar of Alaska
  • State Bar of Colorado
  • State Bar of New York 
  • U.S. District Courts
    • Western and Eastern Districts of Washington
    • District of Alaska
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Ken is very involved in the community, especially in issues related to child advocacy. He has an active pro bono practice. Ken has represented children seeking access to an appropriate public education, institutionalized persons seeking access to a religious diet, and victims of police abuse. He is a board member and immediate past President of TeamChild, a statewide organization that provides civil legal services to children in need.