Consumer Attorneys of the Year 2015

Personal Injury Attorneys Greg Rizio and Darren M. Pirozzi Named
California’s 2015 Consumer Attorneys of the Year

This weekend, Rizio Lipinsky Heiting’s personal injury attorneys Greg Rizio and Darren Pirozzi were named the State of California’s 2015 Consumer Attorneys of the Year at the Consumer Attorneys of California’s (CAOC) 54th Annual convention held in San Francisco.

Consumer Attorneys of California is a professional organization of plaintiffs’ attorneys representing consumers seeking accountability against wrongdoers in cases involving personal injury, product liability, environmental degradation and other causes. According to the press release from CAOC:

“Consumer Attorney of the Year is awarded to a CAOC member or members who significantly advanced the rights or safety of California consumers by achieving a noteworthy result in a case…

…In Herman v. Cardiel, Rizio and Pirozzi represented Tim Herman, a 21-year-old student who suffered a massive brain injury and was left unable to move or speak after a car knocked him off an elevated section of Interstate 15 in Riverside County. Tim spent more than a year in a hospital and nursing home after the injury before being moved back home where his parents care for him. Even though Tim’s medical expenses totaled more than $1 million, his mother Lisa twice offered to accept the $15,000 policy limit of the other driver’s insurance policy, as she hoped to use the money to buy a comfortable van to take Tim to his numerous medical appointments.

After Farmers Insurance turned down both offers, she sought help from Rizio, who agreed to take the case without expectation of payment. The attorneys discovered Farmers had failed to read their own policy language which required it to settle the case when Ms. Herman submitted her offers. The case was tried in front of a Riverside County Superior Court jury that awarded $57,947,402 in damages to help compensate Tim for his life-changing injuries.  A confidential settlement was ultimately reached on appeal.”

The case currently stands as the largest ever plaintiff’s personal injury verdict in Riverside County. It was also the highest verdict in the State of California for 2014, and the 2nd largest personal injury verdict nationally that year.

According to Greg, “The recognition is certainly flattering, and Darren and I were both surprised by the award, but awards are not the reason we do what we do. We practice personal injury law to provide a voice for those who have nowhere else to turn. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, their lives have been at minimum disrupted, and in far too many cases destroyed as a result of traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, or suffering the wrongful death of a loved one.”

This is the primary reason we are so involved in CAOC. The membership includes our peers who are driven by the same desire to help those who need help the most. Being in the company of some of the hardest working, dedicated, and successful personal injury attorneys in California is a constant inspiration, reminding us every day to do the absolute best we can for our clients.”

Rizio Lipinsky Heiting’s personal injury lawyers are experienced, awarded, and highly regarded –and often referred- by their peers due to their unmatched advocacy and litigation skills, their involvement and investment in raising the bar of excellence in the Southern California legal community, and the incredible verdicts and settlements they have obtained over the past two decades. Visit www.riziolawfirm.com, follow us on Facebook, call us at call 888-292-8888, or contact us by email.