Dennis N. Ryan
Senior Partner
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 U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. 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 U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, the Texas Court of Appeals and a Louisiana Court of Appeal.
Representative Experience
- 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 a 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 multinational 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 multinational 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
