Personal Injury & Insurance Attorney

Experienced and Effective Insurance, Personal Injury & Sexual Harassment Attorney, representing clients in the Portland Metro Area of Oregon.

Richard Rizk is an Oregon Attorney who knows how to effectively resolve insurance, injury and property claims. Because… for over a decade, Richard represented the other side. That is, insurers and civil defendants-- litigating and appealing injury claims in Oregon and managing high exposure environmental claims across the U.S.

Mr. Rizk began his insurance career in 1988 at State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF), Portland, Oregon. From 1989-90, he associated with the Portland law firm of Vick & Gutzler, where he authored pleadings and motions in disability contexts to the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court. He then served as legal counsel to Wausau Insurance Company, representing policyholders in injury litigation. Later, in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Rizk developed litigation strategies for The Nationwide Insurance Group. In this role, Mr. Rizk successfully resolved and directed high exposure, complex environmental insurance litigations on a national basis.

Armed with this experience, Mr. Rizk returned to Portland, Oregon to work with insurer law firms such as Bullivant, Houser, Bailey, PC and Abbott Davis Rothwell et. al. He has advised and defended many well known insurance companies.

In 2001, Mr. Rizk formed his own law firm in Washington County, Oregon. Since then, Mr. Rizk represents individuals and companies up against inhospitable insurers. He also pursues claims on behalf of employees subjected to employment discrimination and sexual harassment. Let Richard Rizk's understanding of the other side, work for you.

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Education-

1988: NORTHWESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW; Portland, OR
Lewis & Clark College: JD
1985: SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY; Dallas, TX
BA, Political Science; BFA, Advertising
1981: CULVER MILITARY ACADEMY; Culver, IN
Class of 1981

Oregon Supremes Undermine PIP Insurers
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009, 5:52 pm
by Richard Rizk

After an auto accident, you happily learn that Oregonians have at least $15,000 of no fault medical coverage under one’s own auto insurance policy. This coverage is known as "PIP" or personal injury protection. This coverage lasts for one year after the accident and allows reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the car accident.

Then, the dreaded letter arrives. Your insurance company requires you to attend a so called, “Independent Medical Exam" or "IME.” After about 2 minutes in an unfamiliar doctor’s office, you realize this is no independent exam. You are being set up by your own insurance company.

About two weeks after your “Independent” exam, the “IME” report arrives. Is this the same exam you attended? The report skews every fact in favor of your insurance company. Three days later, your insurance company writes you… “too bad, so sorry”. Based on the Independent Exam, your insurer plans to cut off your PIP medical benefits.

A 2007 Oregon Supreme Court decision known as Grisby v. Progressive, puts a wrench in insurers efforts to arbitrarily reduce or cut off medical or chiropractic bills submitted to PIP. Because, under Grisby ,PIP insurers who accept coverage but refuse to pay some bills as unrelated to the accident, may be required to pay attorney fees. See, ORS 742.061. In general, under that statute where an insured sues its own insurer and recovers more than was offered in settlement, the insured may recover reasonable attorney fees. Since few insurers want to risk having to pay attorney fees, Grisby provides great disincentive to insurers to deny legitimate PIP claims. Contact Richard Rizk if you believe your PIP carrier has unreasonably denied health care related to your car accident.