Bernard R. Rizza

After a medical incident in which I was assured by Mr. Rizza that he felt he had a strong case of malpractice, I was strung along for a little over a year, all the while assuring me (via email) he had a case, while at one point, he told me that he had more important cases and would have to put mine o...n a back-burner, until recently, he finally gave up. Of course he told me that he would give me plenty of time to give another lawyer an attempt to win my case, but waited until I only had four months - before I can no longer file - with an explanation that was medically nonsensical (in my opinion). He insists on meeting all of his "vetted" medical (professional) witnesses in person, and this last winter was harsh - so when he was supposed to meet with one in NYC, it was put off month after month after month. I would wait each month for the date he said he had set up with a particular specialist and a few days to a week later, he would say he hadn't met with that particular specialist yet. In the end, after having my case for over a year and meeting with me once, he ended up with only two opinions from two different doctors that didn't even agree with what the other said and came up with even more issues in my malpractice suit. Unfortunately, the first time I met him, he mentioned my doctor's (the one that messed up in my surgery) personal nick-name and went so far as to mention how much this doctor liked to participate in his particular hobby - yes, Mr. Rizza knew the surgeon that messed up my life, personally. I should have withdrawn from this particular lawyer and his firm at that point, but I have never dealt with any sort of lawsuit before, so I didn't know what else I could do, and I also assumed that many people were aware of my particular surgeon. That's my bad, and now it's even harder to find a lawyer because most won't even consider me since I've already had one that had my case for so long - without even looking at my case itself. I hope this warning helps other people out there looking for justice. I kept every single email and communication with Mr. Rizza and his associate. Reading over them again, I'm amazed at the lack of empathy or kindness Mr. Rizza and his associate treated me with. Frankly, I don't even know why they took my case in the first place - they never showed any interest after the very first meeting in person.