Ryan H. Opgenorth

Ryan H. Opgenorth

Ryan H. Opgenorth, Partner

Phone: (415) 433-8000
Fax: (415) 433-4816

Mr. Opgenorth is an insurance coverage and bad faith specialist. He represents policyholders and corporations to ensure that they receive maximum compensation for their insurance claims. He has obtained favorable judgments in both state and federal court including the many published decisions noted below. He has recovered well over one hundred million dollars from insurance companies on behalf of his clients. Mr. Opgenorth was born and raised in Sacramento before relocating to San Francisco for his law practice. He is a member of the American College of Coverage Counsel. Mr. Opgenorth has also been selected by his peers in the legal community as a Super Lawyer “Rising Star” from 2013 to 2021 and was elevated to the status of a Super Lawyer in 2022.

Areas of Practice

  • Insurance Bad Faith
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Commercial General Liability Insurance
  • Cyber Errors & Omissions Insurance
  • Employment Practices Liability Insurance
  • Property Insurance
  • Directors & Officers Insurance
  • Business Interruption Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Care Insurance

Education

  • B.A. University of California, Los Angeles, 2003
    • Graduated magna cum laude
  • J.D. University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 2007
    • Interdisciplinary Law Journal

Representative Matters

Recovered $40,000,000 for a client who suffered a fire loss to its resort where the carrier denied coverage claiming insufficient policy limits.

Recovered $35,000,000 for a client who was severely injured while working and the carrier refused to defend the action.

Recovered $11,000,000 for a client who was severely injured by a gunshot where the carrier refused to defend the action.

Recovered $9,000,000 for a client who was abandoned by his insurance carrier when the carrier refused to provide a defense.

Recovered $6,000,000 for a client who suffered from a debilitating illness that required long-term care.

Recovered $5,000,000 for a hotel owner that was forced to delay opening due to a continuing and progressive water loss during construction.

Recovered $5,000,000 for a client who suffered losses stemming from a cyber insurance incident.

Recovered $3,000,000 for a client under a pollution insurance policy.

Recovered $1,500,000 for a client whose home was severely damaged in the Napa County wildfires.

Published Cases

  • Tucker v. The Travelers Indemnity Co. of Conn., et al. (N.D. Cal.) 2017 WL 10456186
  • Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Chang (N.D. Cal.) 2016 WL 6778664
  • Sequeira v. Lincoln National Life Ins. Co. (2015) 239 Cal.App.4th 1438
  • Evans v. Poms & Associates Ins. Brokers, Inc. (C.D. Cal.) 2015 WL 857464
  • Cadenasso v. Unum Group, et al. (N.D. Cal.) 2014 WL 12703565
  • Rader v. Sun Life Assur. Co. of Canada (N.D. Cal. 2013) 941 F.Supp.2d 1191
  • Ruiz Food Products, Inc. v. Catlin Underwriting U.S., Inc. (E.D. Cal.) 2012 WL 4050001

Admissions

  • United States District Court, Northern District of California
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of California
  • United States District Court, Central District of California
  • United States District Court, Southern District of California
  • All California State Courts

Professional Affiliations

  • Board Member of San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
  • Consumer Attorneys of California
  • American Association for Justice
  • Asian American Bar Association

Articles & Presentations

  • The impact of Crawford v. Weather Shield MFG., Inc. on contractual indemnity provisions – 2009
  • Summary of workers’ compensation bad faith cases – “The Domino Effect” Seminar, September 2014
  • Insurance coverage issues in personal injury cases – San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, September 2015
  • Deposing insurance company personnel: lessons learned – Advocate Magazine, September 2018
  • Managing COVID-19 business interruption claims – Camps Seminar, April 2020
  • Surviving COVID-19: best practices for your business interruption claim – SFTLA Magazine, May 2020
  • Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith During COVID-19 – San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, August 2020