Richard T. Collins

When the opioid addiction epidemic began to grip America, Rich brought actions under the Drug Dealer Liability Act and common law against those who recklessly and without any medical necessity prescribed, distributed and dispensed prescription drugs in our communities.

As health insurance companies blindly paid claims for the prescription drugs and then denied claims for addiction treatment, Rich represented patients and health care providers against insurance companies for violations of state insurance laws and federal laws, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959 (FEHBA) and others.

When advances in medicine, science and technology make available new treatments for patients that insurance companies believe are too expensive and deny as “investigational” or “experimental,” like proton beam radiation therapy (PBT) for the treatment of cancer, Rich filed class action lawsuits to hold insurance companies accountable and to change their policies and procedures.

Rich has recovered millions of dollars from insurance companies for his clients through verdicts and settlements. He understands the intricacies of insurance cases from both sides of the aisle because he worked for a national insurance company while attending law school at night, and represented insurance companies for the first 10 years of his legal career. With this rare perspective, Rich has an excellent working knowledge of how claims are made, handled and resolved, providing his clients – consumers and businesses, patients and providers – with a wealth of expertise. These are the reasons so many of Rich’s peers have referred clients to him for advice and counsel, and have recognized Rich each year with his selection to the list of Super Lawyers®  and Best Lawyers®

Whether you are a policyholder who has been denied medically necessary treatment, or a health care provider who has been denied payment for services, Rich has the necessary skills, tenacity, and dedication to succeed on behalf of his clients. He represents a wide variety of health care providers and other professionals in matters involving insurance recovery, business litigation, and administrative and regulatory matters. Rich also advises health care professionals and organizations on operations, regulatory compliance, and transactions specific to the health care industry.

Recent Media Coverage

• Rich and his cases involving health care and prescription drugs have been featured in stories by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Star Tribune, NowThis News and many other news sources.

Honors and Awards

• Super Lawyers®
• Best Lawyers®

Professional Associations and Memberships

• State Bar of California
• Orange County Bar Association, Insurance Law Section
• Orange County Bar Association, Health Care Law Section