Ricardo Echeverria

Ricardo Echeverria is a trial attorney with the law firm of Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP where he handles both insurance bad faith and catastrophic personal injury cases.

Mr. Echeverria’s trial record is distinguished by impressive victories including a $25.7 million (net) jury verdict in a catastrophic personal injury case (Elkins v. Murchison); a $15 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case involving a mother of two killed in a hit-and-run accident (Paregien v Perez dba E&M Trucking); a $7.2 million unanimous jury verdict against an insurance company for its failure to settle a claim within policy limits on behalf of its insured in Minnesota Federal Court (George Martin Co. v. Royal Insurance); a $5.1 million jury verdict against an insurance company for low-balling victims of the October 2003 California Wildfires (Stone v. Fidelity National); a $3.6 million jury verdict against an insurance company for its failure to pay on a $75,000 water loss claim under a homeowner’s insurance policy (Colombero v. USAA); a $3.3 million jury verdict against an insurance company for mishandling a fire claim for victims of the 2007 San Diego wildfires (Van Zee v. Homesite Insurance); a $3.2 million jury verdict in a wrongful death and personal injury trial (Rojas v HFS Enterprises); a $2.3 million jury verdict against an insurance agent in an agent negligence case (Fulton Santa Rosa v Sullivan Curtis Monroe Insurance Services); a $2 million jury verdict against an oil refinery in a breach of employment contract case (George Sturges, Jr. vs. Kern Fuels Research, LLC, et al.); a $1.9 million verdict on behalf of the City of Long Beach against its insurer in a coverage dispute (City of Long Beach v. AIG); a $1.8 million jury verdict for a computer software developer (Nunn v. Cigna); a $1.8 million verdict against the State of California in a wrongful death action (Musharbash v. State of California); a $1.2 million jury verdict in a personal injury matter (Berry v. Hicks); a $1 million jury verdict for a commercial property owner against a tenant for negligently causing a fire (Ramos-Lovato v. Community Bank); and a $500,000 jury verdict in a personal injury and premises liability action (Smith v. Margaritaville, Inc.).

Mr. Echeverria was named the 2010 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. Prior to that he had been nominated for the award in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. He has also been a finalist for the Consumer Attorney of California’s Consumer Lawyer of the Year in 2007 and 2009. Mr. Echeverria was presented the 2011 – 2012 Jennifer Brooks Lawyer of the Year Award by the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association. In 2012, he received an Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. After being chosen as a “Rising Star” in 2004 by Super Lawyers Magazine, he has been a Super Lawyer every year since 2005. He was named a “Best Lawyer” by the Best Lawyers in America publication in 2014.

He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and has been recognized as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in the State of California by The National Trial Lawyers Association. In 2014, Mr. Echeverria was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, which recognizes the top one percent of total trial attorneys in the country.

A frequent lecturer on insurance bad faith and managed care liability, Mr. Echeverria has been a featured speaker for the American Association for Justice, formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of the Inland Empire, National Health Lawyers Association, Montana Trial Lawyers Association, Whittier Law School, Santa Clara University School of Law, The University of La Verne College of Law, Practicing Bar Institute, American Conference Institute, and Mealey’s. He is a member of the State Bar of California, American Bar Association, Riverside County Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys Association of California, Consumer Attorneys of the Inland Empire, and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles as a member of the Board of Governors since 2003.

He has co-authored numerous articles, including “Litigating an HMO Bad Faith Case from the Plaintiff’s Perspective,” “The Erosion of ERISA Preemption of Bad Faith Liability Actions,” “Punitive Damages in Insurance Bad Faith Cases,” “HMOs: Delay of Treatment” and “Holocaust Insurance Claims: Getting Justice 50 years Later.” Mr. Echeverria has also written several articles for Mealey’s Publications, including “Goodrich v. Aetna: A $120.5 million Commentary.”

Mr. Echeverria received his B.S., magna cum laude, from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1990, and his J.D. from Santa Clara University in 1993.

Areas of PracticeLOTY_2014_for_brochure

Insurance Bad Faith
Liability Insurance
Property Insurance
Catastrophic Personal Injury
HMO Cases
Wrongful Death
Professional Negligence
(100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation)

Bar Admissions

California, 1993
U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1993
U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1993
U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1993
U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1993
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1993
Education

Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California, 1993; J.D.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, 1990; B.S.
Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Published Works

Litigating an HMO Bad Faith Case from the Plaintiff’s Perspective (Co-Author)
The Erosion of ERISA Preemption of Bad Faith Liability Actions (Co-Author)
Punitive Damages in Insurance Bad Faith Cases (Co-Author)
HMOs: Delay of Treatment (Co-Author)
Holocaust Insurance Claims: Getting Justice 50 years Later (Co-Author)
Goodrich v. Aetna: A $120.5 million Commentary, Mealey Publications
Bad Faith Action from the Duty to Settle, The Advocate
Handling Under-Insurance Cases, The Advocate (Author)
Effective Presentation of Non-Economic Damages at Trial, The Advocate (Author)
Trying an Insurance Bad Faith Case from A to Z, The Advocate (Author)
Classes/Seminars Taught

Frequent Lecturer, Insurance Bad Faith and Managed Care Liability
Featured Speaker, The Rutter Group, Shernoff Bad Faith Insurance Seminar
Featured Speaker, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
Featured Speaker, Consumer Attorneys of California
Featured Speaker, Consumer Attorneys of the Inland Empire
Featured Speaker, Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Featured Speaker, National Health Lawyers Association
Featured Speaker, Montana Trial Lawyers Association
Featured Speaker, Whittier Law School
Featured Speaker, Santa Clara University School of Law
Featured Speaker, University of La Verne, College of Law
Featured Speaker, Practicing Bar Institute
Featured Speaker, American Conference Institute
Featured Speaker, Lexington Insurance Seminar
Featured Speaker, Mealey’s Insurance Seminar
Featured Speaker, Riverside County Bar Association
Featured Speaker, Los Angeles, County Bar Association
Professional Associations and Memberships

American Bar Association
State Bar of California
Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) Executive Committee 2012 – Secretary
CAALA Board Member
CAALA Educational Committee Member
American Board of Trial Advocates
Consumer Attorneys of California
Los Angeles County Bar Association
Riverside County Bar Association
Consumer Attorneys of the Inland Empire