About James T. Ryan - Partner
Jim was born and raised in Ohio. He began his law career in Los Angeles while waiting for his California bar results after graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law. He had the unusual opportunity to second chair a jury trial as a certified law student with a seasoned supervising attorney. Starting out, Jim worked as a litigation associate for two boutique firms in Los Angeles and Orange County in his first eight years of practice. During that time, he earned opportunities to try numerous cases in state and federal court and argued before the California Courts of Appeal and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 2008, Jim opened his own firm in San Diego, where he litigated cases all over Southern California, many of which were through a partnership with Jason. In 2012, Jim moved back to Los Angeles where he continued developing his specialization in complex business and entertainment matters, and forged a professional and personal relationship with Jason that led to Annigian Ryan LLP in 2020.
While at Pepperdine, Jim met his wife, who is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. They married in 2003. In his personal time, Jim enjoys traveling with his wife, practicing yoga, and playing golf.
Jim specializes in entertainment, business, and class action litigation. He has handled numerous cases involving rights of privacy, defamation, copyright infringement, theft of idea, professional negligence and partnership disputes.
Notable Success
- In 2004, he obtained a $15,000,000 jury verdict in the Los Angeles Superior Court in a breach of fiduciary duty case involving two business partners.
- In 2014, he successfully defended accomplished television writer Ed. Weinberger (Taxi, Mary Tyler Moore, Amen) in the United States District Court against claims for copyright infringement and theft of idea involving a television show airing on the TV One network.
- In 2015, he obtained a unanimous reversal in the California Court of Appeal for Mr. Weinberger on a case involving professional negligence of business managers (Weinberger v. Freedman Broder & Company Acct’y. Corp., 2015 WL 2129499).
- In 2015, he was co-lead class counsel in a case involving nearly 140,000 class members where the Court granted final approval in a case involving an invasion of privacy in violation of Civil Code section 1747.08.
- In 2016, he was co-lead class counsel in a wage and hour case where the Court granted final approval to a $1,125,000 class action settlement.
- In 2018, he obtained a nearly $1,000,000 judgment in the Orange County Superior Court in a breach of contract case involving the sale of a pharmacy business.
- In 2019, he was co-lead class counsel in a case where the Court granted final approval to an $800,000 class action settlement involving invasion of privacy for recording calls without consent.
- In 2022, he obtained a nearly $1 million judgment in the Los Angeles Superior Court against street artist RETNA and his company Iron Eye Group involving unpaid commissions, assault, and civil harassment.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with Honors and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from Indiana University
- Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law (Dean’s List).
Published Decisions
- Long v. Walt Disney Co., 116 Cal.App.4th 868 (2004)
- Turnbull v. American Broadcasting Cos., 32 Media L. Rep. 2442 (C.D. Cal. 2004)
Affiliations
- Board of Directors - Make Good, Inc.
Memberships
- San Diego County Bar Association
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
