Elaine Ryan’s practice focuses on class actions, debt collection and general commercial litigation in both state and federal courts throughout the country. Ms. Ryan has represented millions of retail consumers, automobile and health insurance policyholders, credit card and debit card holders, and consumers whose privacy rights have been violated.  Ms. Ryan also represents numerous skilled nursing home and assisted living providers located in several states, including the largest skilled nursing provider in Arizona, in the collection of their accounts receivable and related matters.

Ms. Ryan was trial counsel in Smith v. American Family Insurance Company, a Missouri class action, wherein after a 3-and-a-half-week jury trial, a unanimous jury awarded plaintiffs $17.4 million in damages.  Ms. Ryan was also trial counsel in Lebrilla v. Farmers Insurance Group, Inc., a multi-state class action which settled on terms favorable to the class after a month-long trial and just before closing arguments.  Also, Ms. Ryan was involved in obtaining a settlement in White v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. (exceeding $2.25 million) in Arizona state court.

Ms. Ryan has pursued unfair business practices and false and deceptive advertising claims against manufacturers of food, vitamin supplements and over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics and sunscreen products, and fitness apparel, in state and federal courts throughout the United States, including: Procter & Gamble, Chattem, General Mills, Kellogg, Bayer, Clorox, WD-40, Dean Foods, Mead Johnson, Pharmavite, NBTY/Rexall, Schiff, Neutrogena, Maybelline, Walgreen Co., Wal-Mart, CVS, Costco, The Coco-Cola Co., Groupon, Living Social, Reebok and Sketchers.

Ms. Ryan also has represented consumers whose private information was unlawfully obtained in lawsuits against Hugo Boss, Kohl’s, Party City and Michaels.

Ms. Ryan also has represented consumer credit card holders against several major retailers, and debit cardholders against major lending institutions. She was designated Team Co-Leader in In re: Checking Account Overdraft Litigation,Larsen v. Union Bank and Dee v. Bank of the West, MDL No. 2036 (S.D. Fl.).

Ms. Ryan assumed a leadership role in many of these cases, and was appointed Co-Lead Plaintiffs’ Class Counsel in numerous cases, including the following and other retail product cases: In re: Hydroxycut Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, No. 09-02087 (S.D. Cal.); Barrera v. Pharmavite, 2:11-cv-04153-CAS (C.D. Cal.); Lewert v. Boiron, Inc., 2:11-cv-10803 (C.D. Cal.); Hartless v. Clorox Co., No. 06-CV-2705 (S.D. Cal.); In re: Enfamil Lipil Marketing and Sales Practices Litig., 11-MD-02222 (S.D. Fla.); Weeks v. Kellogg Co., No. 09-CV-08102 (C.D. Cal.), and Johns v. Bayer Corp., No. 09-CV-1935 (S.D. Cal.); In re: Valley Anesthesiology Consultants, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, No. CV2016-013446 (Arizona Superior Court).  Ms. Ryan had an instrumental role in reaching settlements with many of the above retailers and manufacturers, resulting in millions of dollars of relief to the class members.

Ms. Ryan has extensive experience litigating against life, auto and health insurance carriers on behalf of consumers. Her experience litigating against auto insurance companies includes representing policyholders whose cars were repaired with imitation parts, who were not compensated for necessary repairs and were not paid for their diminished value loss against a number of major insurers, including State Farm, Geico, Farmers, American Family, SafeCo, Hartford, Nationwide, Esurance and Allstate.  Ms. Ryan also has represented policyholders in “vanishing premium” life insurance actions and medical providers in lawsuits against health insurers.

Ms. Ryan also has been involved in precedent-setting appellate decisions in areas which include consumer and insurance law and class action procedure. These appellate decisions include: Korolshteyn v. Costco Wholesale Corp., No. 17-56435 (9th Cir. Mar. 7, 2019) (appropriate evidentiary standard at summary judgment for claims brought under California’s consumer protection laws); Franz v. Beiersdorf, Inc., No. 17-55646 (9th Cir. Dec. 11, 2018) (Class Action Fairness Act amount in controversy requirement and standing under California’s Unfair Competition Law and Article II of the United States Constitution); Mullins v. Direct Digital, LLC, No. 15-1776 (7^thCir. July 28, 2015) (class action procedure and ascertainability requirements); State ex rel. American Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Clark, 106 S.W.3d 483 (Mo. 2003) (automobile insurance and class action procedure); and Lebrilla v. Farmers Group, Inc., 119 Cal. App. 4th 1070 (2004) (automobile insurance and class actions procedure).

Ms. Ryan received her B.S. degree in economics and political science, with distinction, from the University of Iowa in 1986. She received her law degree from Duke University in 1989. Ms. Ryan was admitted to the Arizona bar in 1989. She also is admitted to practice in the states of Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wisconsin, as well as the United States District Courts for the District of Arizona, Eastern District of Michigan, District of Idaho, Western District of Wisconsin and Northern District of Illinois.

Ms. Ryan is a member of the American Bar Association (Litigation Section), Maricopa County Bar Association and Arizona Women Lawyers Association. She is a past member and officer of the Horace Rumpole Inn of Court.

Ms. Ryan’s community activities are many, and have included serving as a board member, officer and chairwoman of the East Valley Boys & Girls Club, serving on the Valley of the Sun Boys & Girls Club committee, participating as a member of the East Valley Partnership, serving on the ethics committees of several skilled nursing facilities and serving as an officer of her current Homeowners Association.