Under ORS §742.061 insurance companies are required to pay their insured’s attorneys fees if, in the insured’s lawsuit against the insurer, the insured obtains a “recovery” that exceeds the amount of any tender made by the insured within six months from the date that the insured first filed a proof of loss. In Long v. Farmers Insurance Company of Oregon, 360 Or. 791, 388 P.3d 312 (2017), the Oregon Supreme Court held that when an insured files an action against an insurer to recover sums owing on the insurance policy and the insurer subsequently pays the insured more than the amount of any tender made within six months from the insured’s proof of loss, the insured obtains a “recovery” that entitles the insured to an award of reasonable attorney’s fees notwithstanding the voluntary nature of the insurance company’s payment. In essence, the court found that the term “recovery” included any kind of restoration of the loss, including a voluntary payment of a claim made after an action on the insurance policy had been filed. In determining whether a qualifying “recovery” has taken place for purposes of ORS §742.061, all that matters is that, after filing an action on an insurance policy, the insured obtains more from the insurer-irrespective of whether through judgment, settlement, voluntary payment or some other means-than the insurer tendered in the first six months after proof of loss, an award of attorney’s fees is appropriate under the statute. The Court found that in the context of the statute, “recovery” was not limited to a money judgment rendered in the action in which attorney’s fees were sought. The insured was not required to obtain a money judgment that exceeded any tender within the first six months after the insured submitted the proof of loss.
