Dennis N. Ryan
Partner
dryan@andrewskurth.com

1717 Main Street
Suite 3700
Dallas TX 75201
P: 214.659.4428
F: 214.659.4791

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Dennis has more than 30 years of experience as a civil litigator, with an emphasis on commercial litigation involving accounting issues and claims brought under federal and state securities laws. He has vast experience in civil jury and non-jury trials in both federal and state court. Dennis has represented Big Four accounting firms, as well as their predecessors, in suits alleging accountant malpractice and in actions brought under the securities laws. His accounting-related experience includes litigation presenting oil and gas, real estate, telecommunications, physician practice management group, and inventory accounting issues, as well as audit, tax, and bookkeeping issues. Several of the accounting cases defended by Dennis were class actions. He has represented publicly traded corporations and individuals in matters with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Beyond accounting-related disputes, Dennis has extensive experience in oil and gas litigation, including litigation involving farmout agreements and take-or-pay agreements. He has represented publicly traded corporate clients in corporate litigation matters, involving contract, shareholder, insurance, corporate governance, and other business disputes (suits involving finders fees, real estate transactions, rights of first refusal, and common law fraud). Dennis has represented several publicly traded and privately held corporations in shareholder derivative suits and derivative suit related litigation. He has also represented corporate clients in litigation relating to corporate takeovers and acquisitions, and proxy fights. Dennis has defended parties in commercial disputes involving claims for the lost business opportunities and profits. He has experience in probate, lender liability, employment, securities broker/dealer, environmental, and construction litigation as well as defending personal injury and property damage lawsuits.

Dennis has also prosecuted and responded to appeals to the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Texas, the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana, the Texas Court of Appeals, and a Louisiana Court of Appeal. He has presented oral arguments in appeals to the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, the Texas Court of Appeals, and a Louisiana Court of Appeal.

Representative Experience

Notable Engagements

• Defended a publicly-traded corporation and its officers and directors against claims for alleged breaches of fiduciary duty in a shareholder derivative suit.
• Defended an independent oil and gas company against claims of alleged violations of the False Claims Act in a qui tam action.
• Defended a publicly-traded plumbing fixtures manufacturer and its subsidiary corporations against alleged CERCLA and common law nuisance claims.
• Defended the directors of a publicly-traded corporation in an action brought by a bankruptcy trustee for alleged breaches of fiduciary duty.
• Prosecuted federal securities law claims on behalf of an individual shareholder against large publicly-traded minerals corporation for fraud in connection with an exchange offer.
• Represented a special litigation committee of the board of directors of a publicly-traded corporation charged with investigating claims in an alleged shareholder derivative suit.
• Prosecuted claims on behalf of a purchaser of the stock in a closely-held corporation against the seller for securities fraud in connection with the sale.
• Prosecuted fraud claims relating to the funding and accounting for a partnership’s defined benefit plans on behalf of a publicly-traded company and its subsidiary against a large multi-national corporation.
• Defended a publicly-traded  corporation against a putative shareholder class action involving accounting and financial reporting issues and alleged violations of the federal securities laws.
• Defended an independent oil and gas company against claims brought by a large multi-national oil company for alleged breaches of a farmout agreement.
• Defended an international public accounting firm in a malpractice action alleging real estate accounting and financial reporting claims.

Professional / Civic Affiliations

Member

• Dallas Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
• American Bar Association
  • Section on Litigation
  • Section on Business Law
    

Headline News

• Law firms brace for subprime fallout (pdf) (April 11, 2008)
• Andrews Kurth Announces Policy Committee Election (August 16, 2007)
• Andrews Kurth Adds Two New Faces to Policy Committee (August 31, 2006)

Practice Areas

• Arbitration/Mediation
• Corporate Compliance, Investigations and Defense
• Litigation
• Subprime and Distressed Assets

Education

• JD, 1974, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, law clerk for the Honorable William M. Taylor, Jr., Chief United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas
  BS, 1967, Iowa State University

Admitted

• Texas 1974
  US Supreme Court
  US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  US District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas