Ryan is a longstanding member of the firm's Casualty Department and has considerable experience with a wide variety of casualty matters. A substantial portion of Ryan’s practice is devoted to the handling of matters with complex theories of liability, often involving catastrophic loss and/or wrongful death. They include claims emanating from product liability, construction and equipment accidents, automotive liability, interstate trucking and transportation, negligent security, premises and retail liability, among many others. As an example of this complexity, Ryan has litigated several matters where causation for death was at issue such as alleged complications from surgeries and alleged food borne illnesses (e. coli, vibrio), and has handled numerous multi-party claims involving demands in excess of $50 million.
As a litigator with experience in a multitude of casualty disciplines from the general to the specialized, including asbestos and toxic tort, maritime and fraud/special investigation, Ryan serves as thought leader and mentor to associates in his office. He has also argued appeals before the Second, Third, and Fourth District Courts of Appeal.
Ryan's legal career started as a prosecutor with Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, which provided him with considerable litigation experience and familiarity with the criminal justice system. This was a continuation of his focus on litigation during his legal education at Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington where he was in Moot Court (finalist and competition team) and the school's trial competition team. In combination with his civil career at Marshall Dennehey, Ryan has tried approximately 20 jury trials to verdict, including several complex multi-party and Wrongful Death matters spanning weeks in court.
Ryan is a Florida native, born and raised in Cocoa Beach in Brevard County and attending the University of Florida as an undergraduate where he studied theoretical physics and mathematics before leaving Florida for law school with his wife. He now is based out of Fort Lauderdale where he and his wife are raising two daughters, and in his spare time trains for obstacle course racing and triathlons.
Honors & awards
Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star
2013-2020
Year joined
2008
Results
Summary Judgment Secured in a Foodborne Illness Wrongful Death Matter
November 24, 2025
We won summary judgment in a foodborne illness wrongful death case. The plaintiff filed a wrongful death action against multiple parties, including the seafood supplier, distributors, transporters and the restaurant that served the decedent. The plaintiff alleged the decedent died as a result of eating raw oysters that contained vibrio vulnificus. We represented the supplier and argued there was no evidence the oysters were defective when they left the supplier’s hands. An expert was retained to support our motion for summary judgment.
Appellate success in wrongful death product liability action.
Appellate Advocacy & Post-Trial Practice
Product Liability
December 2, 2021
Our attorneys succeeded in obtaining an affirmance in the Fifth District Court of Appeal of a final dismissal order of a wrongful death product liability action. The decedent’s estate filed the lawsuit two years after the statute of limitations expired. The estate argued the statute was tolled for a variety of reasons. The trial court dismissed the case, with prejudice, after giving the Estate five attempts to amend. The Fifth District affirmed the dismissal and dispensed with oral argument that same day.
Thought Leadership
Policies Alone Fall Short: Establishing a Standard of Care and Duty Requires More Than Internal Procedures
Fort Lauderdale
Insurance Services - Coverage & Bad Faith Litigation
General Liability
December 13, 2023
A recent decision by the Florida Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal confirmed the application of rarely considered case law that analyzes the application of a company’s internal policies and procedures to the standard of care in its industry.
Policies Alone Fall Short: Establishing a Standard of Care and Duty Requires More Than Internal Procedures
Fort Lauderdale
Product Liability
December 1, 2023
Key Points: Defense Digest, Vol. 29, No.
Understanding Florida’s Sweeping New Immunity Law for COVID-19 Claims
Fort Lauderdale
General Liability
April 15, 2021
Classes/Seminars Taught
Negligent Security Claims - Premises Under Attack, Marshall Dennehey Client Seminar, July 25, 2025
Relevant Procedural Rule Changes for Risk Manager, Broward County RIMS Chapter Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, January 15, 2025
New Florida Tort Reform Changes Under HB 837, Tampa Bay RIMS Chapter Meeting, Tampa, FL, October 18, 2023
56 Feds are Coming: Strategies Using the Upcoming Florida Summary Judgment Standard, Marshall Dennehey Client Webinar, January 15, 2021
When Lithium Batteries Fail and What to do About it - panel, 2019 CLM Southeast Conference, Orlando, FL, October, 2019
ETHICS: The Tripartite Relationship and Bad Faith Claims, Marshall Dennehey Florida Claims Symposium - Casino Royale, Tampa, FL, September 20, 2018
Discussions of Recent Florida Case law Developments Regarding EUO Methodology and Limitations, FIFEC - Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee, Orlando, FL, June 2012
Florida Premises Liability Law and the Affect of Medicare Liens on Settlements, client seminar, October 2011
Legal Teaching Position
Certified Instructor in Adjuster Law and Policy by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Licensing
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
