Class Actions

• In a putative class action asserting wage and hour claims, Ryan and a junior associate working under his direction drafted a motion for to compel arbitration and appellate briefing on behalf of DIRECTV, which resulted in an order compelling the plaintiff’s claims to individual arbitration. See Marenco v. DIRECTV, LLC, 233 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (2015).
• In a certified class and collective action involving tens of thousands of H&R Block tax preparers seeking pay for time spent in training, Ryan drafted a summary judgment motion and appellate briefing on behalf of H&R Block, which resulted in a complete defense judgment.  See Petroski v. H&R Block Enterprises, LLC, 750 F.3d 976 (8th Cir. 2014).
• In a putative class action involving thousands of real estate agents alleging misclassification as independent contractors, Ryan drafted trial and appellate court briefing on behalf of Coldwell Banker, which resulted in orders giving effect to the agents’ individual arbitration agreements and prevented their participation in the class action.  See Bararsani v. Coldwell Banker, 2014 CA App. Ct. Briefs 56331, 2014 CA App. Ct. Briefs LEXIS 2180; unpublished order issued June 2, 2014.
• In a putative class action brought by former employees seeking severance pay, Ryan drafted a summary judgment motion and appellate briefing on behalf of Option One, which resulted in a complete defense judgment.  See Drake v. Option One Mortgage Corp., 564 Fed. Appx. 291, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 5059 (9th Cir. Mar. 5, 2014).
• In a putative class action alleging fraud and unfair practices, Ryan and a junior associate working under his direction drafted a motion for judgment on the pleadings and appellate briefing on behalf of Bank of America, which resulted in a complete defense judgment.  See Robinson v. Bank of America, 525 Fed. Appx. 580, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 10322 (9th Cir. May 22, 2013).

Employee Mobility

• In an action against a group of former employees, Ryan drafted the preliminary injunction motion and appellate briefing on behalf of Broadcom, which resulted in an order restraining the defendants from violating their non-competition obligations and freezing their assets.  See Broadcom Corp. v. Magicomm, Inc., 127 Fed. Appx. 991, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 8523 (9th Cir. May 11, 2005).
• In a trade secret action alleging misappropriation of customer list information, Ryan drafted briefing on behalf of Extreme Reach that resulted in a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against its former employees and their new employer.  See Extreme Reach, Inc. v. SpotGenie Partners, LLC, Case No. CV 13-07563-DMB (JCGx) (C.D. Cal. Nov. 22, 2013).
• In a high-profile dispute between the creators of the “Call of Duty” video game series and its publisher, Ryan provided employment-law advice to the litigation team representing Jason West and Vince Zampella and drafted significant briefs throughout the action, including summary judgment and pre-trial motions.  See West v. Activision Publishing, Inc., Case No. SC 107041 (Cal. Super. Ct.).

ERISA Litigation

• In an action under ERISA regarding disability benefits under a collectively-bargained disability plan, Ryan drafted a motion to dismiss and appellate briefing on behalf of the Plan, which resulted in a dismissal on jurisdictional grounds.  See Oakey v. US Airways Pilots Disability Income Plan, 723 F.3d 227 (D.C. Cir. 2013).
• In an action under ERISA regarding pension benefits, Ryan drafted a motion to dismiss and appellate briefing on behalf of the Plan.  The Plan received not only a complete defense judgment, but an award of attorneys’ fees as well.  See Glassman v. Raytheon Non-Bargaining Retirement Plan, 259 Fed. Appx. 932, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 29129 (9th Cir. Oct. 17, 2007).

Contract Disputes

• In an action seeking damages under a third-party beneficiary theory, Ryan drafted the demurrer and appellate briefing on behalf of Bank of America, which resulted in a complete defense judgment.  RGIS, LLC v. Bank of America, NA, 2011 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 3928 (May 24, 2011).
• Retained to defend an airline in a breach of aircraft lease dispute after plaintiff obtained summary judgment. On appeal, not only obtained reversal of the summary judgment, but convinced the appellate court to enter summary judgment in favor of the airline and dismiss the case. See Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, N.A. v US Airways, Inc., 100 A.D.3d 1, 950 N.Y.S.2d 50 (1st Dep’t 2012), leave to appeal denied, 2012-1000, 2012 WL 5950414 (N.Y. Ct. App. Nov. 29, 2012). 
  
  

First Amendment Issues

• In an action brought by the NLRB seeking an order requiring the publisher of a newspaper to reinstate reporters it had terminated, Ryan drafted an opposition to an application for an interim injunction and appellate briefing on behalf of Ampersand Publishing.  The District Court denied any relief to the NLRB, and the Court of Appeals affirmed.  See McDermott v. Ampersand Publishing, LLC, 593 F.3d 950 (9th Cir. 2010).
• In a defamation action brought against the Screen Actors Guild by a former employee, Ryan drafted an anti-SLAPP motion and appellate briefing on behalf of the Guild.  The Courts found in favor of the Guild and awarded it its attorneys’ fees.  See Metoyer v. Screen Actors Guild, 2006 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 4468 (May 23, 2006).