Ryan J. O'Neil

BIOGRAPHY

Ryan J. O’Neil is a trial attorney representing clients in complex product liability, mass tort, and commercial litigation in both federal and state courts across the United States. Mr. O’Neil has extensive experience representing clients in all phases of litigation, including pre-litigation counseling and investigation, motion practice, fact and expert discovery, oral argument, pretrial, trial and appeal, and at mediation. Mr. O’Neil also advises clients in assessing strategies designed to avoid litigation and manage risk.

Mr. O’Neil has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star (2019-2023) and has also been named to the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions and Product Liability Litigation (2020-2022) and for Personal Injury Litigation (2022). Mr. O’Neil is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and a 2016 graduate of the IADC’s Trial Academy at Stanford Law School.

Mr. O’Neil is a 2012 graduate of Boston College Law School, where he was winner of the 2011 Wendell F. Grimes Moot Court Competition and an executive editor for the Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest. He is a 2009 magna cum laude graduate of Boston College, with Honors in Economics, and the recipient of the 2009 Boston College Giffuni Family Prize for outstanding thesis in economics. Mr. O’Neil is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Mr. O’Neil’s representative matters include:

Pharmaceutical and Medical Device

• National counsel for manufacturer of medical implant devices and biologics in product liability cases nationwide, including a federal court multidistrict litigation and a parallel state court coordinated proceeding.
• Trial counsel for medical device manufacturer during two-week jury trial that resulted in defense verdict on multimillion dollar product liability claim that metal-on-metal hip implant products were unreasonably dangerous.
• Trial counsel for medical device manufacturer during two-week jury trial that resulted in defense verdict on claim that a hip implant product had been improperly mislabeled.
• Trial counsel for medical device manufacturer during three-week bellwether jury trial as part of federal multidistrict litigation asserting product liability claims involving metal-on-metal hip implant products.
• Member of appellate team that obtained the complete affirmance of a defense verdict for medical device manufacturer on issues including the exclusion of prior deposition testimony at trial and a jury instruction given on the unavoidably unsafe doctrine.
• Represent global manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients in consolidated opioid litigation defending against claims asserted by governmental entities, municipalities, and insurance companies (among others) based on theories of consumer fraud and deceptive practices, public nuisance, negligence, unjust enrichment, fraud, and conspiracy.
• Represent importer and seller of bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients in Zantac/ranitidine mass tort litigation.
• Obtained complete dismissal without leave to amend of California state court action filed against a medical device manufacturer involving claims of design and manufacturing defect, failure to warn, negligence, and loss of consortium arising from the implantation of prosthetic hip implant components.
• Obtained federal court dismissal of product liability complaint against medical device manufacturer based upon a finding that the court lacked general and specific personal jurisdiction over the manufacturer.
• Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of medical device manufacturer in contract dispute with a former product distributor.

Specialized Nutrition and Food Science

• Counsel for Fortune 500 global healthcare company in mass tort proceedings defending against design defect and failure to warn claims involving specialized preterm infant formula and fortifier products.

Consumer Products

• Counsel for top Fortune 100 multinational technology company, and related entities, in consumer products liability litigation pending in both federal and state courts. Representative products defended include lithium-ion batteries, cosmetics, home appliances, and various personal recreational products.

Toxic Torts

• Represent multinational pharmaceutical company in the defense of toxic tort cases, including talcum powder and asbestos exposure claims.

Transportation

• Co-lead trial counsel representing national transportation corporation during eight-week consolidated jury trial involving multiple plaintiffs’ claims following motor vehicle collision.
• Counsel for national waste collection corporation in lawsuit stemming from truck-pedestrian accident involving claims of negligence and corporate misconduct.
• Represent a leading national infrastructure construction company in a multi-plaintiff lawsuit stemming from a truck-motorcycle accident.

General Product Liability / Tort Defense

• Represent a leading global life sciences company that provides comprehensive clinical laboratory and end-to-end drug development services in the defense of various tort claims.
• Counsel for pontoon boat manufacturer defending against design, manufacturing, and warning defect claims based upon corporate successor liability theory.
• Counsel for United Kingdom-based international supplier of cable protection products for operators and service providers in the oil and gas industry in response to a third-party subpoena served in federal court consolidated litigation arising from a helicopter crash during a power line construction flight.

White Collar Defense / Internal Investigations

• Member of a team that served as legal counsel to the special committee of a bank, counseling the bank through OCC investigations and issuing a comprehensive report of investigation which was submitted to the OCC.
• Member of a team that represented a former officer and director of a publicly traded company in a high-profile SEC investigation that resulted in the SEC issuing a “no action” letter to conclude its multi-year inquiry.

Pro Bono

• Obtained SSI/SSDI benefits for individual client facing risk of homelessness.
• Successfully appealed veteran’s disability rating arising from Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War.

MEMBERSHIPS

• International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel
• Board Member, Aark Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center
• Board Member, 28 Club

AWARDS

• Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star (2019-2023)
• Named to the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions (2020-2022), Product Liability Litigation (2020-2022), and Personal Injury Litigation (2022)

PUBLICATIONS

Co-presented webinar titled “The Impact of Meritless Claims on MDLs and How Social Media Investigations Can Help”

Co-author, “Why Sales Rep Witness Tampering Accusations Matter,” Law 360

NEWS

The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Edition Includes 22 Attorneys from Campbell Conroy & O’Neil

September 2023

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Campbell Conroy & O’Neil Congratulates our 2022 Super Lawyers

October 2022

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Ryan J. O’Neil Featured Speaker at DRI’s Drug and Medical Device Seminar

November 2020

On November 5, 2020, Ryan O’Neil spoke at DRI’s Drug and Medical Device Seminar, which continues to be the “go-to” event for in-house and outside counsel to the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.  Mr. O’Neil spoke about the differences between 510(k) and PMA regulatory pathways and how that distinction is critical to defending medical device…

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CAMPBELL CONROY & O’NEIL, P.C. CONGRATULATES ITS LAWYERS SELECTED AS 2020 SUPER LAWYERS

September 2020

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Campbell Conroy & O’Neil, P.C. Announces its Lawyers Selected as 2021 Best Lawyers in America

September 2020

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