As one of the Founding Partners of Owen, Patterson & Owen, Mr. Patterson has represented the interests of accident victims for over 33 years. He has represented clients all over the United States and in several foreign countries. His cases include serious motor vehicle accidents including, train, airplane, automobile, truck, motorcycle, motor-home and bicycle accidents. His efforts have resulted in several multi-million dollar recoveries for his clients.
Rick currently represents victims of one of the most tragic railroad accidents in California history: The Metro-Link crash in Chatsworth, California. In that accident, 25 people lost their lives because of a head-on collision between two trains. He is also one of the lead attorneys representing patients who were recently subjected to massive radiation overdoses in hospitals in California and Alabama.
Thousands of clients have benefited from his representation. He is committed to pursuing fair and complete recoveries for his clients. Rick is a member of the American Bar Association and serves on the ABA Attorney Advisory Panel. He is licensed to practice in California and before the U.S. Supreme Court.
During the past 10 years, Rick has been instrumental in the fight against major pharmaceutical companies, that were forced to take dangerous medications off the market, including the popular drug Vioxx. Owen Patterson & Owen filed the first lawsuit against Merck and Company regarding Vioxx in July of 2001. After 6 years, litigation led to a successful $4.85 billion dollar settlement. Litigation over another widely used drug were resolved for $68 million.
In 2007, Rick was honored by The Santa Clarita Valley Bar Association with its Memorial Award for outstanding legal pursuit of a self-proclaimed pedophile, which resulted in permanent restraining orders, effectively barring, the defendant, Jack McClellan from the State of California. The defendant had repeatedly posted pictures, of little girls on his website, with instructions and details to pedophiles on the locations where they were photographed. McClellan appealed based on the claim that the orders were unconstitutional. The appellate Court denied the appeal and upheld the order. After receiving recognition from his peers in the legal community, Mr. Patterson worked closely with Assemblyman Cameron Smyth on Assembly Bill 534, which was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2008. Thus, the protections for children which were won in the courtroom became state law.
Rick continues to work hard to build Santa Clarita into a place where its residents, young and old, can enjoy the protections and benefits of the law. Over 20 years ago, he founded Valencia National Bank, meeting the needs of small business owners of this Los Angeles County, community. Since 1979, he has served as a panel attorney for the California Association of Realtors. Since 1998, he has served as president of the Santa Clarita Valley Facilities Foundation, a non-profit public benefit corporation, which has been instrumental in developing school sites for public schools and generating $25 million dollars in assets for the benefit of local schools. Mr. Patterson also serves as the 2009 president of his favorite charity, the Santa Clarita Valley Committee on Aging, which serves the needs of senior citizens. He enjoys serving the community in which he lives. In 2008 Rick Patterson and Owen Patterson & Owen were voted the Best Personal Injury Attorneys of the Santa Clarita Valley. Rick's extensive background and experience has provided him with an advantage when cutting through the defenses of insurance companies that refuse to fairly compensate their victims.
Rick married his college sweetheart, Ann, and they enjoy their home in Valencia where they have raised their 8 children and now enjoy their 11 grandchildren. Ann, a special needs educator, shares Rick's passion for philanthropic activities.
