SIRIANNI YOUTZ SPOONEMORE HAMBURGER
PLLC · Seattle · Since 1981
SYSH
Seattle Litigation Firm · Since 1981

Cutting-edge cases. Lasting change.

We take on innovative, complex cases for patients, workers, consumers, investors and businesses. We are not afraid to challenge powerful interests to win real benefits for our clients and change the law for everyone who follows.

See our impact Discuss a matter

Results that reach beyond the case.

1st
Cases in the country challenging restrictions on curative hepatitis C drugs
$247M
Largest judgment in the history of Section 16(b)
17,000
Former hospital patients whose medical debt was erased
1st
To argue that autism therapy exclusions violate Washington's parity law
50+
Matters tried, with arguments before the Washington Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit
Who We Are

Serious lawyering. Real results.

For more than four decades, we have built our practice on a simple idea: the cases worth bringing are the ones that help our clients and improve the law for everyone else.

Rigorous, complex cases.

We bring rigorous, carefully built cases. Our lawyers have backgrounds in engineering, chemistry, biology, public policy and health advocacy, and we put that training to work.

First of their kind.

Many of our cases rest on new legal theories. The rulings we win set precedent and change how insurers, employers and agencies treat the people they serve.

Unafraid of power.

Insurers, corporations, hospital systems, government agencies. We take them on, and we see cases through trial and appeal when that is what it takes.

Practice

Three practices. One standard.

We are a small firm by design. Clients get senior trial lawyers on every matter, and other lawyers refer their most complex, novel cases to us. Our work falls into three areas.

01

Health Care & Insurance

We have spent three decades suing health insurers and health plans, and winning.

  • Autism & developmental disabilitiesClass actions against Regence, Premera, Group Health, Moda, Boeing, King County and the State ended therapy exclusions. O.S.T. v. Regence BlueShield, 181 Wn.2d 692 (2014).
  • Hepatitis CWith Harvard Law School's Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, we brought the first cases in the country challenging restrictions on curative drugs.
  • Obesity treatmentThree 2026 appellate wins holding that GLP-1 exclusions may be disability discrimination.
  • Hospital charity careA $70 million settlement against Community Health Systems that erased the medical debt of 17,000 former patients in Spokane.
  • ERISA, pension & disabilityFiduciary claims, individual benefit denials, and the $7 billion public pension dispute argued before the Washington Supreme Court.
02

Business & Securities

Complex commercial disputes, for plaintiffs and defendants.

  • Section 16(b)A $247 million judgment, the largest in the statute's history, Dreiling v. Jain, 281 F. Supp. 2d 1234 (W.D. Wash. 2003), plus two of the largest 16(b) settlements ever.
  • Investor fraudJudgments and arbitration awards for defrauded investors, including a $20 million judgment for victims of a Ponzi scheme.
  • DefenseDismissals and summary judgments for the Federal Reserve Bank, Chicago Title, Getty Images, Intuit, law firms and lawyers.
  • Title & lendingTitle insurance coverage and lien priority disputes on major construction and development projects.
  • ArbitrationConfidential arbitrations, from accounting-firm liability in New York to control of a hop-farming operation in Yakima.
03

Consumer & Employment Class Actions

Class cases that deliver real benefits to real people.

  • Live-in caregiversThe Washington Supreme Court held that the Minimum Wage Act's live-in exemption is unconstitutional as applied to caregivers at adult family homes. Bolina v. AssureCare Adult Home, LLC, 6 Wn.3d 737 (2026).
  • Prison collect callsA $45 million settlement for families billed for prison collect calls, after multiple trips to the Washington Supreme Court. More than $13 million in cy pres funds went to the Legal Foundation of Washington.
  • Health insurer class arbitrationA $30 million class recovery against a major health insurer.
  • Health care sharing ministriesClass litigation against Aliera, Trinity, Sharity and Unity/OneShare.
  • Insurers & financial companiesClass judgments and settlements across Washington and nationally.
Featured · 2026

Obesity treatment exclusions may be disability discrimination.

A plan may not decline to treat a disability "for no reason other than because it had always done so."
Washington Court of Appeals, Division One, May 4, 2026
Simonton v. Health Care Authority
No. 86988-4-I · Published
Herzog v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
No. 87256-7-I
Solorio v. Regence BlueShield
No. 87362-8-I
Obesity discrimination litigation →
Groundbreaking Ruling · Washington Supreme Court · 2026

Live-in caregivers can't be excluded from Washington's minimum wage law.

"[L]ive-in caregiving at adult family homes is a dangerous profession requiring workplace safeguards in the form of the [Minimum Wage Act]."
Washington Supreme Court, July 9, 2026
Bolina v. AssureCare Adult Home, LLC
6 Wn.3d 737 · Washington Supreme Court · July 9, 2026
The holding
The Minimum Wage Act's live-in exemption, former RCW 49.46.010(3)(j), violates the privileges and immunities clause of the Washington Constitution as applied to live-in caregivers.
Who it protects
Caregivers at adult family homes who worked from early morning until late at night, some seven days a week, for a flat daily rate with no extra pay for overtime.
Read the opinion →
Impact

What our cases changed.

We measure success by what changes for our clients and the people in their position. Every case is different and no outcome is guaranteed.

Hepatitis C
The first cases in the country challenging restrictions on curative hepatitis C drugs. A federal court ordered Washington Medicaid to cover them.Coverage ordered despite an $800 million price tag · With Harvard Law School's Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation
Health Care
Autism therapy
Class actions that ended exclusions of therapy for children with autism and developmental disabilities across Washington's major health plansO.S.T. v. Regence BlueShield, 181 Wn.2d 692 (2014)
Health Care
Obesity treatment
Three appellate wins holding that blanket exclusions of obesity treatment, including GLP-1 drugs, may be disability discriminationSimonton v. Health Care Auth., No. 86988-4-I (Wash. Ct. App. 2026)
Health Care
Caregiver wages
The Washington Supreme Court held that the Minimum Wage Act's live-in exemption is unconstitutional as applied to caregivers at adult family homes, who had been denied minimum wage and overtimeBolina v. AssureCare Adult Home, LLC, 6 Wn.3d 737 (2026)
Employment
Hospital charity care
Medical debt erased for 17,000 former patients of Spokane hospitals$70 million settlement for 17,000 patients · For Empire Health Foundation, against Community Health Systems (2019)
Health Care
Prison phone calls
Recovery for families billed for prison collect calls, with more than $13 million directed to the Legal Foundation of Washington$45 million settlement for families · Judd v. AT&T
Class Action
Section 16(b)
The largest judgment in the history of Section 16(b), recovering short-swing insider profits for shareholders$247 million judgment · Dreiling v. Jain (W.D. Wash. 2003)
Securities
Every Category of Provider
Enforced Washington's Every Category of Provider law so insureds get coverage for every category of licensed health care provider, as the law requires$40 million+ for Washington insureds · Hoffman v. Regence BlueShield, 140 Wn.2d 121 (2000)
Health Care
Health insurer arbitration
Class arbitration recovery for members of a major health insurer$30 million recovery · Class arbitration
Class Action
Investor fraud
Judgment for investors defrauded in a Ponzi scheme$20 million judgment for investors · Burdick v. Villalba (W.D. Wash. 2010)
Securities
How We Work

Why lawyers refer clients to us.

Much of our work comes from other lawyers, and several of our clients are judges.

We try cases.

Our lawyers have tried more than 50 matters and argued before the Washington Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit.

We assess early.

We evaluate cases at the start, not on the eve of trial, so clients can settle when settling makes sense.

We stay lean.

We keep cases moving and don't overstaff them. Clients pay for results, not headcount.

You get your lawyer.

The lawyer you hire does the work. Your representation is only as good as the attorney handling it.

Attorneys

Our lawyers.

Trial lawyers with backgrounds in engineering, chemistry, biology, public policy and health advocacy.

RS

Richard E. Spoonemore

Co-Managing Partner

Health care, ERISA, securities and commercial litigation. J.D., University of Washington.
EH

Eleanor Hamburger

Co-Managing Partner

Health and disability coverage, insurance discrimination and class actions. J.D., NYU.
CY

Chris R. Youtz

Partner Emeritus

Securities, intellectual property, product liability and class actions. J.D., Virginia.
DG

Daniel Gross

Attorney

Health care, consumer protection, class action and business litigation. J.D., NYU.
JM

Jeremiah Miller

Attorney

Employment, civil rights and appellate advocacy. J.D., University of Washington; Ph.D., Caltech.
AR

Ari Robbins Greene

Of Counsel

Civil rights, workers' rights and health care. J.D., University of Washington.
AM

Ann E. Merryfield

Retired

Business, title insurance, real property and appellate work. J.D., Stanford.
SS

Stephen J. Sirianni

Founding Partner · 1950–2022

Co-founded the firm in 1981. Commercial litigation. J.D., Harvard.
In the News

Recent coverage.

Press coverage of our cases.

Seattle Times · 2026

WA live-in adult family home staff to get minimum wage, high court rules
Spokesman-Review · 2026

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs may soon be covered by health insurance under new Washington court ruling
New York Times · 2020

Christian Health Sharing Group Is Target of Customer Lawsuits
All coverage →
Contact

Discuss a matter.

We welcome referrals from other lawyers and inquiries from individuals and businesses. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please don't send confidential information until we have confirmed that we can take your matter.

Send us a messageDirections & parking
Office
3101 Western Avenue, Suite 350
Seattle, Washington 98121
Phone
206.223.0303
Fax
206.223.0246
Email
info@sylaw.com
© Sirianni Youtz Spoonemore Hamburger PLLC
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This website is attorney advertising.