Biography
Ryan is a partner in the Firm's Litigation Practice. He represents clients involved in high-stakes litigation and complex, cross-border business disputes at both the trial and appellate levels in state court, federal court, bankruptcy court, and before arbitral tribunals.
Ryan represents individuals, businesses, and sovereigns in complex disputes—including breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, civil RICO, misappropriation of trade secrets, and products liability—across diverse industries such as construction, infrastructure, banking, investment and wealth management, and real estate development, handling matters at every stage of litigation and arbitration, including trial and final arbitration hearings.
Ryan also has significant international and domestic arbitration experience and represents clients in an array of proceedings, including those conducted under the AAA and ICDR rules. In his appellate practice, Ryan has appeared before five of Florida's District Courts of Appeal, the US Court of Appeals for the Third and Eleventh Circuits, and the Florida Supreme Court. In addition, Ryan has argued appeals before the Third District Court of Appeal, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Before joining White & Case, Ryan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cecilia M. Altonaga, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, from January 2013 to January 2014, and the Honorable Melanie G. May, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, from August 2010 to December 2012.
Ryan is a member of the Federal Bar Association and the Appellate and International Law Sections of the Florida Bar. He serves on the Local Rules Committee of the Southern District of Florida. Ryan has also been appointed as Chair of the Southern District of Florida's Miami Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the selection and reappointment of Federal Magistrate Judges. Ryan also maintains an active pro bono practice.
Experience
- Part of the team that secured a $131 million judgment on behalf of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago following a four-week jury trial in a fraud and civil RICO case. The case involved proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, including Florida, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and more. After the trial win, White & Case continues to represent the client in multiple appeals.
- Represented Bayport Financial Services (USA), Inc. and Bayport Colombia S.A., in a major trade secrets lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Bayport sought injunctive relief and damages against two major companies as well as two former executives. The case involved proceedings in Florida, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Colombia.
- Representing a design-builder in an dispute with a subcontractor before the AAA-ICDR related to the construction of the world's largest sole purpose marine passenger terminal located at the Port of Miami.
- Secured dismissal of talc-related product liability claims brought against a global cosmetic manufacturer in Broward County, Florida.
- Represented the developer of a high-end real estate development, and several of its corporate affiliates, in the defense of a lawsuit regarding maintenance and operation of the Old Palm Golf Club. Plaintiffs alleged claims for breach of contract, violation of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty.
- Represented a financial institution in an arbitration filed by former account holders claiming breaches of contract and fiduciary duty after sustaining investment losses. After removing the cases under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, we successfully compelled arbitration before the AAA-ICDR and resolved the case during the final hearing.
- Represented Florida's state-created insurance entity in a bad faith claim brought by its insureds. After the trial court dismissed the claim, the District Court of Appeal reinstated the action. The Florida Supreme Court, however, reversed the District Court's opinion and held that Florida's state-created insurance entity was immune from bad faith claims like the one brought by the insureds.
- Represented two hospitals in a claim for reimbursement of services provided to medically indigent patients pursuant to a special law enacted by the Florida Legislature. The trial court granted summary judgment against the hospitals, finding that the special law granted an unconstitutional privilege to a private corporation. The Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the ruling, but the Florida Supreme Court reversed the District Court's opinion and upheld the constitutionality of the special law.
- Represented a hospital seeking approval to operate a provisional trauma center against a suit from a neighboring hospital that already had an existing trauma center. The trial court granted a temporary injunction against the applicant-hospital, precluding it from operating as a provisional trauma center. The First District Court of Appeal reversed the temporary injunction, holding that the competitor hospital had failed to prove its entitlement to the injunction.
- Represented an insurer against claims by its insureds in which the parties disagreed about the amount of the covered loss. In two similar cases, the trial court denied the insurer's motion to compel appraisal, but the appellate courts—Third and Fourth District Courts of Appeal—reversed the orders, and held that the dispute over the amount of the covered loss was for the appraisers and not the court.
- Represented an insurer in a declaratory relief action brought by its insureds in federal district court. In the suit, the insureds sought a declaratory judgment and an anti-suit injunction that would resolve which of two parallel arbitration proceedings—in Miami and Germany—should proceed. The insurer successfully obtained a stay of the district court proceedings, and eventually secured a dismissal of the case.
Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2018-2020
Appellate Practice