Ryan J. Moorman, P.C.

Partner Litigation

Chicago +1 312 862 3408

Ryan J. Moorman, P.C.

Practices

Overview

Ryan Moorman is a litigation partner and trial lawyer in Kirkland’s Chicago office. Ryan serves as lead and co-lead trial counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants across a diverse range of industries in high stakes trials and complex disputes in state and federal courts across the country. His clients include some of the world’s largest life sciences and pharmaceutical companies, private equity sponsors and American sports teams.

Ryan has several recent trial wins in high-value, complex disputes for both plaintiffs and defendants. Most recently, Ryan won a nine-figure arbitration award as the first-chair trial counsel for a major pharmaceutical company. The arbitration panel found in favor of Ryan’s client on each of its claims, awarded attorneys’ fees and rejected each of the respondent’s claims. This award came after Ryan and his team achieved a separate victory on behalf of a leading agrichemical company vindicating its rights in a joint venture worth hundreds of millions of dollars. As a defendant, Ryan and his team achieved a complete defense-side verdict on behalf of a Bristol-Myers Squibb subsidiary in a $1 billion trade secret jury trial.

Ryan has also had significant success dispensing with cases for his clients before trial. In one case, Ryan and his team won summary judgment in the Circuit Court of Cook County in cases brought by several hedge funds, including Elliott Investment Management, against AbbVie related to AbbVie’s attempted $55 billion merger with Shire plc. After years of protracted discovery, including dozens of depositions, the court dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety finding AbbVie’s public announcements were non-actionable.

Ryan also has experience in sports cases. He has represented various sports teams, including the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Rams in a high-profile case against the Rams and NFL owners related to the Rams’ relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

Commercial Cases

  • Pharmaceutical Arbitration: Lead trial counsel for major pharmaceutical company in dispute with a contract manufacturing customer. Three member panel ruled in favor of client on all its claims and awarded its full damages request plus attorneys’ fees.
  • Agrichemical Arbitration: Trial counsel for major agrichemical company in contract dispute with former collaboration partner. Won confidential award as plaintiff against former collaboration partner in R&D joint venture.
  • Plastic Reclamation Partners v. MRC Polymers: Hired as trial counsel for Pegasus portfolio companies in trial in Circuit Court of Cook County after close of fact discovery for dispute alleging sellers committed fraud in sale of plastic recycling technology.
  • Incyte Corp. v. Flexus Biosciences: Trial counsel for Flexus Biosciences, now a Bristol-Myers Squibb subsidiary, in a billion- dollar trade secrets misappropriation case. At the conclusion of a twelve-day trial, after the court eliminated several claims at summary judgment, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict on all the remaining counts.
  • RCT Corporation v. Eli Lilly and Company: Hired as counsel for Eli Lilly and Company after previous counsel lost key motion in dispute seeking royalties on insulin sales allegedly owed under license agreement.
  • Elliott Associates, et al. v. AbbVie Inc.: Represented AbbVie and its CEO in various lawsuits brought by hedge funds in Circuit Court of Cook County alleging common law fraud regarding the company’s termination of its agreement to acquire Shire plc. Secured summary judgment of all claims in state court proceedings.
  • Realogy v. SIRVA: Counsel for SIRVA, a Madison Dearborn Partners portfolio company, in securing dismissal of claims seeking to force closing of $400 million merger.
  • Abbott Laboratories v. Alere, Inc.: Counsel for Abbott Laboratories in its merger dispute with Alere, Inc., which Abbott was to acquire for $8.4 billion. Litigation strategy helped Abbott secure an approximately $500 million purchase price reduction.

Sports Cases

  • City of St. Louis v. Los Angeles Rams: Represented Rams and its owner in action challenging team’s relocation to Los Angeles.
  • Loos v. Major League Baseball: Represented Chicago Cubs in case brought by spectator injured by foul ball. Won multiple motions to dismiss after court allowed plaintiff to amend complaint several times.

Class Actions and Multidistrict Litigation

  • Insulin Pricing Litigation: Representing Eli Lilly and Company in multidistrict litigation brought by consumers, health plans, counties and state attorneys general involving RICO, antitrust and state consumer protection law claims, relating to the price of insulin.
  • In re Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation: Represented Highmark Inc. in multidistrict litigation by all Blue insured and healthcare providers challenging the structure of the Blue Cross Blue Shield system.
  • Painters and Allied Trades District Council 82 Health Care Fund v. Eli Lilly and Company: Hired as counsel for Eli Lilly and Company in RICO class action after district court certified first-of-its-kind class. Filed 23(f) petition with the Ninth Circuit which was granted after class certification.

False Claims Act Cases

  • Proctor v. Safeway; Schutte v. SuperValu: Trial and litigation counsel for Albertsons Companies’ affiliates in FCA suit challenging Medicare and Medicaid submissions over nine-year period. Secured summary judgment in both cases within year after taking over for prior counsel. Judgments affirmed on appeal.
  • Elliott-Lewis v. Abbott Laboratories: Secured dismissal of FCA claims for Abbott Laboratories in FCA cases in Massachusetts. Secured summary judgment of remaining retaliation claims.
  • Berkley v. New Harbor Capital: Counsel for New Harbor Capital and portfolio companies in FCA case brought in Rhode Island.
  • Streck v. Eli Lilly and Company: Trial counsel for Eli Lilly and Company in FCA case related to Medicaid reimbursement.

Intellectual Property Cases

  • Pharmaceutical Arbitration: Trial counsel for major pharmaceutical company in arbitration seeking to invalidate nine-figure royalty stream in license agreement. Achieved complete defense victory after one-week arbitration.
  • PDL BioPharma v. Eli Lilly and Company: Counsel for Eli Lilly and Company in suit related to the humanization and development of Lilly’s Alzheimer’s treatment.
  • FMC Corporation v. Syngenta: Argued and won motion to compel arbitration for Syngenta in suit seeking to correct inventorship on multiple patents.

Law ClerkHonorable Joel M. FlaumUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Law ClerkHonorable Gary FeinermanUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

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Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • 2012Illinois

Courts

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

  • Northwestern Pritzker School of LawJ.D.magna cum laude

    John Paul Stevens Award, graduated first in class

  • Washington & Jefferson CollegeB.A., Political Sciencesumma cum laude