Travis M. Corby

Travis M. Corby is a trial lawyer specializing in insurance bad faith at Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP. With more than a decade of experience, he has successfully handled cases involving insurance bad faith, health insurance delay and catastrophic personal litigation. Since joining the firm in 2009, he has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements. In recognition of his work, Corby was named one of California’s Top 40 under 40 Lawyers by the Daily Journal in 2019.

One case where Corby served as lead counsel was for a woman who alleged that Health Net’s actions led to her addiction to opiate pain medication. Elaine Courtney v. Health Net. 18STCV05327 (L.A. Sup. Ct., filed Nov. 16, 2018). A jury ordered Health Net to pay $14.42 million.

“The Courtney v. Health Net case was important for the health insurance industry, especially Medi-Cal recipients,” he said. “For too long, health insurance companies have stood by, complacent that their insureds are prescribed dangerously addictive pain medication while waiting through managed care delays and access to timely specialist care. In Ms. Courtney’s case, she cried out for help to Health Net that the pain medication would not fix her problem, begging for Health Net to permit her to timely see the proper specialists. But Health Net did nothing to help her, and unfortunately, she is now another victim of the opioid epidemic. But it did not need to happen if Health Net had just delivered on the obligations it had in its contract.”

“The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2010, and the Health & Human Services department reported 10 million people misused opioids in 2019 alone,” Corby continued. “Tens of billions of dollars in fines and verdicts have been levied against pharmaceutical companies and even retail chains, but little attention has been paid to the tragic role health insurance companies have played in this crisis.”

Corby actively participates in various professional associations, including the Insurance Bad Faith Trial Lawyers Association, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, American Association for Justice, American Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association and Beverly Hills Bar Association.