Ryan has a proven track record of defeating class certification and obtaining dismissals of consumer fraud, data privacy, and product liability claims. He was the primary brief writer from the trial court through the New Jersey Supreme Court in connection with the New Jersey Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Pace v. Hamilton Cove, 317 A.3d 477 (N.J. 2024), permitting class action waivers in consumer contracts separate from arbitration provisions. Relatedly, Ryan has had significant success in compelling arbitration of class action claims on an individualized basis. He presently represents numerous companies defending against pixel litigation and other challenges to data collection practices.
Ryan’s environmental work includes defending against natural resource damages and cost-recovery claims concerning PFAS. He played an integral role in the preparation for, and defense of, the first-of-its-kind PFAS trial seeking natural resource damages, overseeing all electronic discovery, arguing numerous pretrial issues, drafting dispositive motions, and coordinating witness testimony for trial. Ryan has also obtained favorable rulings on issues of first impression concerning the liability of chemical manufacturers and sellers for alleged contamination resulting from the sale, use, and disposal of their products.
As part of his nationwide product liability practice, Ryan defends claims in state and federal courts across the country. He is a core member of the defense team in In re Bard Implantable Port Catheter Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3081[KB1.1], briefing submissions before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, as well as various pre-trial motions in the MDL, such as disputes over discovery and the bellwether process, Rule 702 motions, and motions in limine in bellwether trials. Ryan was the primary brief writer in connection with the successful opposition to the initial formation of a parallel multicounty litigation (MCL) in New Jersey, and presently serves as one of the lead defense counsel in the MCL.
Ryan maintains an active appellate docket. He presented oral argument on a question of statutory interpretation before the New Jersey Supreme Court and has briefed numerous appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; the New Jersey Supreme Court; and the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
Law firms and clients also frequently call on Ryan to serve as local counsel in the New Jersey actions based on his intimate knowledge of local rules and practice. He serves as local counsel in all types of cases, ranging from commercial contractual disputes to putative class actions and MDLs.
Prior to joining McCarter, Ryan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Michael A. Hammer of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and to the Honorable Anne M. Patterson of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Ryan graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law, cum laude. Prior to law school, Ryan earned his BA in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder and was a member of its nationally regarded cross country program.
