Patrick D. Ryan

Patrick D. Ryan currently serves as managing partner of the firm’s Mount Clemens office, as well as Plunkett Cooney’s Litigation Practice Group Leader.

He has over 30 years of experience representing clients in several areas, including medical malpractice; professional, product, trucking and transportation, premises and liquor liability; motor vehicle negligence; municipal law; construction litigation and personal injury.

National retailers work with Mr. Ryan to defend their premises liability cases involving alleged slip and falls and falling products, as well as false arrest and third-party criminal activity liability claims. His retail practice also includes the defense of national and local liquor retailers in dram shop claims.

Mr. Ryan is very involved in community activities including amateur hockey having played and coached at every level.  He has also been involved at the state and national levels with such organizations as the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association and USA Hockey.

Representative Client Work

• Successfully defended numerous dramshop claims for over 20 years on behalf of insurance providers and establishments serving alcohol to the public, including restaurants, bars, clubs and golf courses.
• Resolved a multiple party dram shop case through case evaluation and pre-trial motions. The firm's client, a bar, was dismissed from the case after the plaintiff accepted the case evaluation award against the Alleged Intoxicated Person (AIP). This resulted in the AIP not being "named and retained" and the case against the bar was dismissed. 
• A similar result was achieved in a dram shop claim when the plaintiff took a default judgment against an AIP which resulted in dismissal of the bar since the AIP was no longer "named and retained" under the statute. 
• Another serious injury dram shop case was dismissed for a nuisance settlement amount because the plaintiff(s) main allegation was underage serving to the plaintiff, which is not a viable claim under the Michigan Dram Shop Act.   
• Successfully resolved falling product claim for national retailer involving serious personal injury, including numerous ruptured discs and permanent disability resulting from falling lumber
• Tried premises liability case to jury verdict of no cause. The plaintiff allegedly fell down unseen stairs resulting in total disability and a claim of several million dollars in damages.
• Successfully resolved several wrongful death cases on behalf of adult foster care facilities as a result of suffocation in bedrails.
• Resolved wrongful death claim against an adult foster care facility as a result of an alleged “mercy killing” caused by an injection of a resident with an overdose of insulin.
• Won motion for summary disposition at trial level on open and obvious defense in serious trip and fall accident on hidden curb under snow resulting in permanent disability. Successfully appealed the Michigan Court of Appeals’ reversal of the trial court’s ruling to the Michigan Supreme Court with resultant dismissal of plaintiff’s claim.
• Successfully represented a large multi-national construction company in the defense of several personal injury cases occurring at power plants and nuclear facilities in Michigan. The cases, which involved severely injured individuals, were dismissed on motions based on the statute of repose. 

Professional Memberships

• Macomb County Bar Association 
• State Bar of Michigan (Negligence Law Section)
• Michigan Defense Trial Counsel
• American Law Firm Association
• Defense Research Institute

Community Involvement

• Central Macomb Chamber of Commerce
• Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS)
• Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA)
• USA Hockey

Fraternities 

• Beta Gamma Sigma

Publications

• Supreme Court Holds That Trial Court May Not Impose Conditions on Independent Medical Examinations
• Supreme Court Ruling Sets Higher Standard of Proof for Plaintiffs in Dram Shop Cases
• Supreme Court Orders Snow Covered Curbs can be 'Open and Obvious'
• Open and Obvious Doctrine Cannot Bar Claims if Landlord Violates Statutory Duty
• Appeals Court Rules That Employer Can Be Properly Named as a Non-Party at Fault
• Plaintiffs' Counsel is Permitted to Attend and Videotape Independent Medical Examinations