Ryan F. Monahan
Senior Associate
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Phone: +1 215 979 1182
- Duane Morris LLP
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
USA
Ryan F. Monahan practices in the area of complex commercial litigation at both the trial and appellate levels.
As a member of Duane Morris’ appellate practice, Ryan has briefed merits appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the appellate courts in Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware. Ryan has prepared numerous amicus curiae briefs on behalf of interested parties in the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Ryan has also served as appellate counsel for litigators in preparation for and during trials in federal and state courts.
At the trial level, Ryan has represented clients in a wide range of issues, including breach of contract and lease disputes, data breach class actions, and product liability actions. Ryan has represented clients in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitrations and mediations.
Prior to entering private practice, Ryan served as judicial clerk to the Hon. Marjorie Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Ryan is a 2018 cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he was articles editor of the Journal of Constitutional Law, and a summa cum laude graduate of Lafayette College.
Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Education
- University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, J.D., cum laude, 2018
- Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law - Lafayette College, B.A., summa cum laude, 2015
Professional Activities
- Chair, Philadelphia Bar Association, Appellate Courts Committee, 2025
- Member, Philadelphia Bar Association, Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention Membership, 2025
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Senior Associate, 2025-present
- Associate 2022-2024 - Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
- Associate, 2019-2022 - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Judicial Clerk to the Hon. Marjorie Rendell, 2018-2019
Selected Publications
- Co-author, "Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Clarifies HUP Test and Holds Pottstown Hospital Is a 'Purely Public Charity' Entitled to Tax-Exempt Status," Duane Morris Alert, June 2, 2025
- Co-author, "Amicus Brief Seeks Protection of State Laws Regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers," Duane Morris Alert, June 17, 2024
- Co-author, "Collision Mitigation Systems – With Innovation, Comes Litigation," International Association of Defense Counsel Product Liability Digest, December 14, 2023
- Co-author, "Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Consider Constitutionality of Excessive Punitive Damages," Duane Morris Alert, May 17, 2022
Representative Matters
SARN SD3, LLC v. Czechoslovak Grp. A.S., 326 A.3d 1170 (Del. 2024): Preserved a multimillion-dollar victory for breach of an option contract, in a decision that clarified an important point of Delaware law relating to the application of a contractual valuation mechanism.
Freilich v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 2023 WL 4370703 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2023), appeal granted, 314 A.3d 821 (Pa. 2024): Defended the statutory damages cap applicable to claims against Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from constitutional challenges based on the right to a remedy and the right to a jury trial.
Golden Fortune Import & Export Corp v. Mei-Xin Limited, 2022 WL 3536494 (3d Cir. 2022): Reversed a preliminary injunction under the New Jersey Franchise Practices Act that precluded the client, a renowned mooncake manufacturer, from terminating a distribution agreement.
Served as at-trial appellate counsel in suit against owner of amusement park in a putative class action brought under federal civil rights law alleging that plaintiffs were denied costumed character interactions on the basis of race. After defeating class certification, the case was tried to a jury, which returned a take-nothing verdict in favor of the client.