Edward Comitz

Edward Comitz heads the healthcare and disability insurance practice of Comitz | Beethe, earning a national reputation for prosecuting disability insurance claims on behalf of individuals based on bad faith and unfair business practices.  He has built one of the largest and most successful practices in the country, tirelessly representing aggrieved policyholders on the most difficult cases.  Ed Comitz optimizes outcomes.  He is an unrelenting litigator and keen strategist with a thorough understanding of the disability insurance industry and its nuances.  Experience, hard work and a successful track record, including the return of tens of millions of dollars to his clients, have earned Mr. Comitz well-deserved respect in the disability insurance industry. 

Mr. Comitz has vast experience in disability insurance litigation, representing physicians, dentists, attorneys, CEOs and other corporate executives, professional athletes, engineers, architects, and other professionals in reversing denials of their disability insurance claims.   He has also represented professional and institutional clients in complex litigation matters involving unfair business practices, business torts, class actions, fraud and securities matters.  He is widely recognized as a leader in defending the rights of victims of corporate and other large-scale wrongdoing.

Mr. Comitz has served as lead or co-lead counsel and on litigation teams on several high-profile consumer protection cases, including, among many others, Grant v. Arthur Andersen, L.L.P. et al., the securities fraud and consumer class action arising out of the breakdown of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona (BFA). In those proceedings, class counsel and others reached settlements totaling $238 million, including a $217 million settlement with Arthur Andersen relating to its role as auditor for BFA. The $217 million settlement with Arthur Andersen is the largest settlement amount ever paid by a Big Five accounting firm not associated with the savings and loan crisis, and two times the settlement amount Arthur Andersen has ever agreed to in settlement of an auditing claim. In addition, while associated with the international law firm, Squire Sanders & Dempsey, L.L.P., Mr. Comitz served on trial teams in multi-billion dollar antitrust litigation involving key participants in the satellite communications industry.

Mr. Comitz has earned an AV-rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.  In addition, Mr. Comitz was named a Southwest Super Lawyer by Law and Politics in its inaugural edition. Mr. Comitz and his law firm are the only attorneys affiliated with and endorsed by healthcare associations including the Arizona Dental Association and the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association.

Mr. Comitz is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the Maricopa County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to his pro hac vice appearances throughout the country, Mr. Comitz is admitted to practice in the State of Arizona and the U.S. District Court, Districts of Arizona and Colorado.

Mr. Comitz’s work has been published in numerous national healthcare publications, including Physician’s Money Digest, Anesthesiology News, The Journal of Medical Practice Management, Physicians Practice and Ophthalmology Management. His article “The 10 Biggest Legal Mistakes Physicians Make When Filing a Claim for Disability” was included in the SEAK, Inc. compilation The Biggest Legal Mistakes Physicians Make and How to Avoid Them.

Mr. Comitz is a respected source of information on disability insurance and other legal topics. He was invited to present his paper “Broadening Actions Under State Consumer Fraud Statutes” at the ALI-ABA Conference on Life and Health Insurance Litigation in Washington, D.C. He has served as a guest lecturer on pre-trial and trial topics for the University of Arizona College of Law.  He is also regular speaker for healthcare professional groups and associations, medical and dental practices and investment groups.

Mr. Comitz received his B.A. in journalism, magna cum laude, from Creighton University and his J.D., cum laude, from Seattle University. During law school, he excelled as a Merit Scholar and, through his academic achievement and legal scholarship, earned a position as Associate Editor of the Law Review. Today, Mr. Comitz continues his enthusiasm for the legal profession as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University College of Law and Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court.