Ryan H. Opgenorth
Ryan H. Opgenorth, Partner | Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Litigation
Pillsbury & Coleman, LLP · San Francisco, California
Phone: (866) 968-3884 | Fax: (415) 433-4816
Experience at a Glance
$200M+ recovered for policyholders | $40M largest single recovery | 7 published decisions | 14 consecutive years of Super Lawyers honors
- Partner at Pillsbury & Coleman, LLP, exclusively representing policyholders against insurance companies
- Litigating complex insurance coverage and bad faith disputes since 2007
- Favorable judgments and rulings in California state and federal courts
- Super Lawyers, 2022–2026; Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2013–2021
- Member, American College of Coverage Counsel
- Board Member and Diversity Committee Member, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
- Admitted to all California state courts and all four U.S. District Courts in California
Overview
Ryan H. Opgenorth is a partner at Pillsbury & Coleman, LLP, where he exclusively represents policyholders in high-stakes insurance coverage and bad faith litigation against major national insurers. Over a career spanning nearly two decades, he has recovered well over $200 million for businesses, property owners, professionals, and individuals whose insurance companies wrongfully denied, delayed, or underpaid legitimate claims, or abandoned them when they needed a defense most.
Since beginning his legal career in 2007, Mr. Opgenorth has built a practice spanning the full range of commercial and personal insurance lines, including cyber, business interruption, property and wildfire losses, directors and officers (D&O), employment practices liability, commercial general liability, pollution, life, disability, and long-term care coverage. His cases frequently turn on intricate policy language and complex claims-handling conduct, and he routinely confronts the tactics insurers use to avoid their obligations: strained readings of coverage provisions, refusals to defend, and attempts to rescind policies after a claim has been made.
Mr. Opgenorth has obtained favorable rulings in both state and federal courts, including seven published decisions. In Sequeira v. Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. (2015) 239 Cal.App.4th 1438, the California Court of Appeal reversed a judgment in the insurer’s favor, holding that an ambiguous “active work” provision could be read in favor of coverage and that the insured’s widow was entitled to life insurance benefits. In Tucker v. The Travelers Indemnity Co. of Connecticut, the court ruled that Travelers breached its duty to defend its insured. His representative recoveries include $40 million for a resort owner following a fire loss and $35 million in a matter where the insurer refused to defend.
His work has earned consistent recognition from his peers. Mr. Opgenorth has been named to the Super Lawyers list each year from 2022 through 2026, after being selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year from 2013 through 2021, a distinction reserved for no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers. He is a member of the American College of Coverage Counsel, a national organization of lawyers concentrating in insurance coverage and bad faith law, and serves on the Board of Directors and the Diversity Committee of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. A regular contributor to The Trial Lawyer magazine and a frequent speaker, he has written and presented on deposing insurance company personnel, insurance coverage in personal injury cases, and business interruption claims.
Mr. Opgenorth earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he was a member of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles. Born and raised in Sacramento, he relocated to San Francisco for his law practice.
Areas of Practice
- Insurance Bad Faith
- Insurance Coverage
- Business Interruption Insurance
- Property Insurance
- Cyber Errors & Omissions Insurance
- Directors & Officers Insurance
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance
- Commercial General Liability Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Long-Term Care Insurance
Representative Matters
Mr. Opgenorth’s representative recoveries on behalf of policyholders include the following. These nine matters alone total more than $115 million.
| Recovery | Claim Type | Matter |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000,000 | Property / Fire Loss | Recovered for a client that suffered a fire loss to its resort after the insurer denied coverage, claiming insufficient policy limits. |
| $35,000,000 | Duty to Defend | Recovered for a client who was severely injured while working, in a matter where the insurer refused to defend the action. |
| $11,000,000 | Duty to Defend | Recovered for a client who was severely injured by a gunshot, in a matter where the insurer refused to defend the action. |
| $9,000,000 | Duty to Defend | Recovered for a client who was abandoned by his insurance carrier when it refused to provide a defense. |
| $6,000,000 | Long-Term Care | Recovered for a client who suffered from a debilitating illness that required long-term care. |
| $5,000,000 | Property / Delay | Recovered for a hotel owner forced to delay its opening due to a continuing and progressive water loss during construction. |
| $5,000,000 | Cyber Insurance | Recovered for a client that suffered losses stemming from a cyber insurance incident. |
| $3,000,000 | Pollution Insurance | Recovered for a client under a pollution insurance policy. |
| $1,500,000 | Homeowners / Wildfire | Recovered for a client whose home was severely damaged in the Napa County wildfires. |
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts and applicable law.
Published Decisions
- National Foam, Inc. v. Zurich American Ins. Co. (N.D. Cal. 2025) 768 F.Supp.3d 1009 — Court held commercial general liability insurers must defend a firefighting-foam manufacturer against a PFAS exposure suit brought by nineteen firefighters, ruling that the pollution exclusion did not apply to those claims.
- Bennett v. Ohio National Life Assurance Corp. (2023) 92 Cal.App.5th 723 — Court of Appeal reversed summary judgment for a disability insurer, holding the insured’s breach of contract and bad faith claims did not accrue until the insurer stopped paying benefits and were therefore timely; the California Supreme Court denied review.
- Tucker v. The Travelers Indemnity Co. of Conn., et al. (N.D. Cal.) 2017 WL 10456186 — Court ruled that Travelers breached its duty to defend its insured after a construction-site injury.
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Chang (N.D. Cal.) 2016 WL 6778664 — Insurer’s federal lawsuit seeking to rescind a long-term care policy after the insured made a claim was dismissed.
- Sequeira v. Lincoln National Life Ins. Co. (2015) 239 Cal.App.4th 1438 — Court of Appeal reversed judgment for the insurer, holding an ambiguous “active work” provision did not bar the widow’s life insurance benefits.
- Evans v. Poms & Associates Ins. Brokers, Inc. (C.D. Cal.) 2015 WL 857464 — Court granted the plaintiff’s motion to remand, rejecting an insurance broker’s argument that ERISA preempted a widow’s claims arising from its failure to maintain her late husband’s life insurance.
- Rader v. Sun Life Assur. Co. of Canada (N.D. Cal. 2013) 941 F.Supp.2d 1191 — Court granted the policyholder’s motion to remand a disability insurance dispute to state court.
- Ruiz Food Products, Inc. v. Catlin Underwriting U.S., Inc. (E.D. Cal.) 2012 WL 4050001 — Coverage ruling on cross-motions for summary judgment under a product contamination insurance policy arising from a Salmonella-related ingredient recall.
Professional Affiliations
- American College of Coverage Counsel, Member
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Diversity Committee Member
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- American Association for Justice
- Asian American Bar Association
Articles & Presentations
Mr. Opgenorth is a regular contributor to The Trial Lawyer, the magazine of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. Selected articles and presentations include:
- “Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith During COVID-19” — Presentation, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, August 2020
- “Surviving COVID-19: Best Practices for Your Business Interruption Claim” — The Trial Lawyer, May 2020
- “Managing COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims” — Presentation, Camps Seminar, April 2020
- “Deposing Insurance Company Personnel: Lessons Learned” — Advocate Magazine, September 2018 (co-authored with Terrence J. Coleman)
- “Insurance Coverage Issues in Personal Injury Cases” — Presentation, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, September 2015
- “Summary of Workers’ Compensation Bad Faith Cases” — Presentation, “The Domino Effect” Seminar, September 2014
- “The Impact of Crawford v. Weather Shield Mfg., Inc. on Contractual Indemnity Provisions” — Article, 2009
Education
- J.D., University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 2007
- Member, Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal
- B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 2003
- Magna cum laude
Honors & Recognition
- Super Lawyers, 2022–2026
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2013–2021
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of California, 2007
- All California State Courts
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of insurance disputes does Ryan Opgenorth handle?
Mr. Opgenorth focuses on complex insurance coverage and bad faith disputes across a wide range of policies, including cyber, property, business interruption, directors and officers (D&O), employment practices liability, commercial general liability, pollution, life, disability, and long-term care insurance. He represents policyholders when insurers deny coverage, delay payment, underpay claims, or refuse to defend their insureds, particularly in high-value matters where the insurer is attempting to limit or avoid its obligations under the policy.
How can Ryan Opgenorth help if my insurance company denies my claim?
A denial letter is not necessarily the final word. Mr. Opgenorth reviews the policy language, investigates how the claim was handled, and evaluates whether the denial violates the policy or California insurance law. Insurers frequently deny claims by relying on unduly narrow interpretations of coverage or on improper claims-handling practices. When that happens, he pursues the full benefits owed and, where the insurer’s conduct warrants it, additional damages for bad faith. He has recovered more than $200 million for policyholders by challenging wrongful denials and holding insurance companies accountable.
What is insurance bad faith and when does it occur?
Every insurance policy in California includes an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. An insurer may act in bad faith when it unreasonably denies or delays benefits, fails to conduct a thorough and fair investigation, or unreasonably refuses to defend its policyholder. A policyholder who proves bad faith may be able to recover not only the policy benefits, but also consequential financial losses, attorneys’ fees incurred to obtain the benefits owed, and, where the insurer acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, punitive damages. Mr. Opgenorth represents individuals and businesses when insurers fail to honor these obligations.
What is an insurance company’s duty to defend?
Under California law, a liability insurer’s duty to defend is broader than its duty to pay a judgment or settlement. If a lawsuit against the policyholder raises any potential for coverage under the policy, the insurer generally must provide a defense. An insurer that wrongly refuses can be held responsible for the resulting defense costs and, in many cases, for the settlement or judgment as well. Several of Mr. Opgenorth’s largest recoveries, including results of $35 million, $11 million, and $9 million, arose from insurers’ refusals to defend their insureds.
Does Ryan Opgenorth handle cyber insurance and business interruption claims?
Yes. Cyber insurance and business interruption claims often involve substantial losses, complex loss calculations, and hotly contested policy language. Mr. Opgenorth recovered $5 million for a hotel owner forced to delay its opening due to a progressive water loss during construction, $5 million for a technology company whose losses stemmed from a cyber incident, and $3 million for another client who suffered business income loss from a cyber incident. He has also written and presented on business interruption claims and cyber insurance claims.
What types of clients does Ryan Opgenorth represent?
Mr. Opgenorth represents a wide range of policyholders, including technology companies, construction companies, homeowners associations, property owners, homeowners, professionals, and individuals facing significant insurance disputes. His cases frequently involve commercial insurance policies, business interruption losses, cyber incidents, wildfire and other property losses, disability claims, and long-term care insurance disputes. In every matter, his goal is the same: to make sure the insurance company honors the protection promised in the policy.
How is Ryan Opgenorth recognized by his peers?
Mr. Opgenorth has been selected to Super Lawyers each year from 2022 through 2026, after being named a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year from 2013 through 2021, for 14 consecutive years of recognition. He is a member of the American College of Coverage Counsel and serves on the Board of Directors and the Diversity Committee of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. He is also a regular contributor to The Trial Lawyer, the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association’s magazine.
Where does Ryan Opgenorth practice?
Mr. Opgenorth is based in San Francisco. He is admitted to practice in all California state courts and in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California, allowing him to represent policyholders in state and federal courts throughout California.