Maria Wusinich McCarthy, Esq. specializes in litigating serious injury, wrongful death, and insurance coverage matters on behalf of individuals and families throughout California. She is honored to represent clients from all walks of life – many of whom have encountered tremendous disruptions to their lives as a result of suffering catastrophic personal injuries or due to the tragic death of a close family member. Ms. McCarthy also represents clients who are facing a health insurance company’s improper denial of necessary health insurance benefits.
Ms. McCarthy has practiced at Hiepler & Hiepler since 2008. She worked on behalf of victims of the tragic 2008 train collision in Chatsworth, California, serving on the court-appointed steering committee for all plaintiffs bringing actions. Ms. McCarthy was part of the legislative effort to repeal the federal law that placed a cap on damages in passenger railway accident cases without regard for the severity of injuries sustained and the loss of life involved. The effort led to proposed legislation and congressional hearings that would be the precursor to federal legislation ultimately enacted years later substantially increasing the cap for the benefit of future railway accident victims.
Ms. McCarthy was born and raised in the greater Philadelphia area where she, along with her five sisters, attended high school at Villa Maria Academy. Ms. McCarthy attained her B.A. in Political Science from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She received her Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2005 and served on the editorial board of the Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal. Prior to attending law school, Ms. McCarthy was employed in Washington D.C. on the legislative staff of U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, author of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 [Pub. L. 108-105].
Ms. McCarthy was inspired to pro-life activity in her youth by witnessing the work of her father, Joseph F. Wusinich III, a Vietnam veteran and Philadelphia area attorney who provided representation to individuals facing legal actions in the 1980’s as a result of their advocacy for the unborn.
Ms. McCarthy is honored to join Life Legal in 2023.