OVER TWO DECADES OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE IN BUSINESS AND LITIGATION
Peder Rigsby is a member of Bullivant’s managing Board of Directors. He defends businesses, entities, and individuals facing complex casualty and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts in the Pacific Northwest. He puts himself in his clients’ shoes and develops a strategy to address his clients’ goals in the most cost-effective way. Peder is often brought on for his expertise in successfully handling insurance defense cases. He has built a strong practice defending clients in litigation involving wrongful death and catastrophic injury, professional malpractice, employment issues, products liability and multi-party construction defects.
Before becoming an attorney, Peder spent over a decade with Costco in various management roles. While engaging with attorneys on workers comp claims that went into litigation, he was inspired to pursue a career in law. His time at Costco instilled the importance of the client service experience and shaped his client-centric approach. His later roles as an extern for a state Supreme Court justice and law clerk for two state trial court judges set him up with a foundation and broad range of legal experience.
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Peder is skilled at figuring out the factual and legal issues and getting to the crux of a case. He is straightforward with clients and zeroes in on what needs to be done to resolve a dispute and accomplish his client’s goals, laying out the steps, anticipating risks and getting the right experts involved. Clients can count on him to be responsive and to regularly keep them updated so they can rest assured knowing the case is in the right hands.
PRACTICE AREAS
ADMISSIONS
Bar Admissions
- Oregon, 2010
- Washington, 2011
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
EDUCATION
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School – J.D., magna cum laude, 2010
- Portland State University – B.S. in Business Management, cum laude, with departmental honors, 2006
CLIENT WINS
- Commercial Litigation. Defended large greenhouse manufacturer against contract and warranty claims. Successfully briefed and argued motion for partial summary judgement, resulting in dismissal of $5.4 million lost profit claim.
- Premises Liability. Defended company operating regional gas stations against personal injury claim. Early motion practice resulted in dismissal of lawsuit.
- Insurance Coverage. Defended national insurer in contentious coverage and bad faith UIM claim, resulting in favorable settlement despite opposing counsel’s aggressive litigation tactics.
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- Products Liability & Commercial Litigation. Defended large HVAC manufacturer in state court from various tort and contract claims. Successfully defeated claims alleged at over $6 million at the pleading stage by motion to dismiss.
- Employment. Defended masonry contractor in discrimination and wrongful termination claims. Nominal settlement immediately following the plaintiff’s poor performance during deposition.
- Product Liability & Commercial Litigation. Defended seller of concrete patching repair compound against claims for the defective product, indemnity, breach of contract, and breach of warranties. Successfully briefed and argued a motion to dismiss and a motion for summary judgment, resulting in the dismissal of numerous claims and, ultimately, resulted in a favorable settlement.
- Premises Liability. Defended national clothing retailer in a premises liability matter. The plaintiff alleged significant personal injuries for an alleged slip and fall in the client’s store. Established that there was no evidence of the incident occurring and that the plaintiff’s injuries were unrelated, which resulted in a nominal settlement.
- Property Damage. Successfully defended a towing company in arbitration involving a claim that the tow operator negligently damaged a vehicle during a tow operation.
- Workplace Injury. Represented asbestos remediation company against a claim for negligence and a claim under Oregon’s Employer Liability Law. Persuaded the plaintiff’s counsel to drop the case after filing a motion for summary judgment on the grounds that the claims were barred under Oregon’s workers’ compensation “exclusive remedy” statute.
- Sexual Abuse. Successfully briefed an extensive motion for summary judgment dismissing claims for sexual abuse allegedly committed by the client’s teacher at a private, religious school. The plaintiff was seeking several million dollars, including punitive damages, against Bullivant’s client.
- Commercial Litigation & Consumer Protection. Defended warranty company against claims for fraud, financial abuse of a vulnerable person, and breach of contract. Successfully defeated fraud and financial abuse claims in arbitration, resulting in a modest award against the warranty company, including persuading the arbitration panel to limit the claimant’s fee petition to less than 25 percent of the requested amount.
- Commercial Litigation. Represented Christmas tree seller against buyer involving claims for breach of contract, action to pierce the corporate veil, and unjust enrichment. Successfully briefed and argued motion for sanctions arising out of the defendant committing various discovery violations, resulting in the court striking the defendant’s motion for summary judgment and awarding monetary sanctions in the client’s favor. Successfully assisted with briefing in opposition to the defendant’s petition before the Oregon Supreme Court that challenged the trial court’s ruling.
- Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (Member)
- Panelist, Defense Practice Academy, Deposition Bootcamp, Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (November 2023)
- Moderator, “The Rising Threat of Nuclear Verdicts,” Eagle International Associates Meeting (June 2023)
- Panelist, “Settling Multiple Large Loss Claims with Limited Insurance in an Evolving and High Stakes Environment,” Eagle International Associates Meeting (September 2022)
- Panelist, “Navigating Policy Limits Demands,” Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (October 2020)
- Panelist, “Employer Liability,” Perrin Conferences’ Coverage and Litigation Issues Surrounding Sexual Harassment, Assault and Abuse Claims Conference (January 2020)
- Author, “Limitations in Federal Court on Damages for Claims Involving Cannabis,” Bullivant Houser Advisories & Insights (May 2020)
- Author, “Case Notes: Satisfaction of Judgments/PIP,” Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (OADC), The Verdict (2014)
- Author, “Regulating the Payday Lending Industry: Has Michigan Made a Step in the Right Direction?” 11 T.M. Cooley J. Prac. & Clinical L. 417 (2009)
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© (2024 — Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; 2024 — Product Liability Litigation – Defendants)
- Named as a “Rising Star” in Oregon Super Lawyers (2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016 — Personal Injury Defense: General)
GREAT OUTDOORS ENTHUSIAST
Peder enjoys spending time with his three children. You’ll often find him exploring the outdoor in activities like camping, fishing, and boating.