M. Stewart Ryan - Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan

Memberships

  • American Association for Justice
  • National Crime Victim Bar Association
  • Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
  • Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
  • Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
  • American Bar Association
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association

Education

  • Widener University Delaware Law School
  • Juris Doctor, 2012, Widener University School of Law
  • Bachelor of Arts, 2009, Franklin & Marshall College

Licensure

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

About Stewart

Stewart Ryan is a nationally and internationally known advocate for survivors of abuse. He handles cases nationwide involving sexual and physical abuse in institutional settings including religious organizations, boarding schools, residential treatment facilities, hospitals, universities, sports organizations, daycare centers, schools, and businesses.

He litigates cases against organizations and businesses that have allowed adults and children to be abused for decades, including cases against the Catholic Church, Seventh-Day Adventists, Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America, Church of God In Christ, and various cults. He is a trusted resource to clients and other lawyers when it comes to handling cases against businesses who allow abusers to assault customers and co-workers, especially in franchise businesses in the massage and wellness industry, hotel industry, and food service industry.

Prior to joining Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan, Stewart served as Assistant Chief of the Trials Division in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. As a prosecutor, he handled a wide variety of cases including homicides and violent crimes. He specialized in prosecuting and investigating crimes of sexual violence perpetrated against adults and children, as well as cases of physical child abuse, child exploitation, domestic violence, and elder abuse. He received numerous commendations for his tireless efforts on behalf of victims and for courtroom successes.

During his time at the District Attorney’s Office, Stewart also prosecuted a number of high-profile cases including Commonwealth v. William H. Cosby Jr. In that case, he presented the testimony of past victims, cross-examined key witnesses, and made the final closing argument before the jury returned its guilty verdict.

Stewart has demonstrated a track record of fierce and passionate advocacy on behalf of individuals who have been injured or harmed. Whether a person has suffered emotional or physical injuries as a victim of a crime or has been hurt through the negligence of others, he approaches every client with trauma-informed compassion and with the goal of achieving justice in their case.

A widely recognized speaker, Stewart has presented to audiences across the United States, Canada, and Europe on issues related to sexual violence, prevention, institutional abuse, and high-profile prosecutions. He is also regularly relied upon as a subject matter expert by local, national, and international media including Good Morning America, Court TV, ABC News, Associated Press, Mother Jones, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Talk Radio Europe, and others.

Since 2021, Stewart has been an adjunct professor of law at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law.

Stewart is a graduate of La Salle College High School, Franklin & Marshall College, and Widener University Delaware Law School.

Industry Recognition

  • Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® – Rising Star 2021-2022
  • Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Unit Commendations August 2017, September 2016 and July 2016
  • Upper Merion Police Department Unit Commendation, January 2015
  • Named “30 Under 30” by Explorer, the Official Magazine of La Salle College High School, Summer 2014 Issue
  • The Legal Intelligencer: 2019 Top Verdict, Sullivan, et al. v. Werner Co., et al.
  • American Association for Justice, New Lawyers Division Excellence Award 2021 - 2022

Leadership

  • Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office: Assistant Chief of the Trials Division
  • Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center: Board of Trustees and Member of the Young Friends of Mission Kids
  • Victim Services Center of Montgomery County: Board of Directors, Endowment Steering Committee and Chairman, Engagement Sub-Committee
  • La Salle College High School, Member, La Salle Leadership Council and Committee Member, La Salle Alumni Mentor Program

Speaking Engagements

  • Town Hall on Sexual Violence, Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, November 2018
  • #MeToo in Sports and Entertainment Panel, University of New Hampshire School of Law, November 2018
  • Effective Direct Examinations, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, November 2018
  • Prosecuting Sexual and Domestic Violence Crimes, Philadelphia County (Pa.) District Attorney’s Office CLE, February 2019
  • Bringing Cosby to Justice: The First Conviction in the #MeToo Era, Bucks County (Pa.) District Attorney’s Office, August 2019
  • 2019 National Crime Victim’s Bar Association Conference
  • 2019 Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council
  • 2019 National Sexual Assault Conference
  • 2019 Conference on Crimes Against Women
  • 2019 Sexual Assault Investigator’s Association of Ontario (Canada) Conference
  • 2020 Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association Spring Prosecutors Conference
  • 2020 Family Services of North Alabama
  • 2021 Annual National Black Prosecutors Association Conference
  • 2021 National Crime Victim’s Bar Association Conference
  • The Lifestyle Institute (Spain), Presentation on the Abuse of Power, 2021
  • 2021 Perrin Conference: Sexual Abuse Litigation and Coverage Conference
  • 2021 End Violence Against Women International Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Trauma and Resilience Conference
  • Bringing Cosby to Justice: The First Conviction in the #MeToo Era, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Numerous trainings for law enforcement on subjects including the investigation and prosecution of cases involving sexual assaults of adults and children, child physical abuse, internet crimes against children, and domestic violence, January 2015 – May 2018

News Featuring Stewart Ryan

Stewart Ryan Appears on Court TV to Weigh In on Jussie Smollett Ruling
Published on: November 23, 2024
Stewart Ryan recently appeared as a guest legal analyst on Court TV to discuss last week’s ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court overturning Jussie Smollett’s conviction. Smollett, best known for his role on the Fox series Empire, was charged in 2019 for staging a hate crime against himself. Stew discussed the implications of the Court’s decision as well as the similarities and important differences when compared to the case of another high-profile actor, Bill Cosby.
Stewart Ryan Interviewed After School Administrator is Accused of Secretly Recording Student
Published on: October 15, 2024

This week, yet another Parkland School District teacher was arrested, this time for secretly recording a student in a dressing room. This was not the first complaint made against the teacher. NBC 10 interviewed Attorney Stewart Ryan who represents five students accusing another Parkland teacher, Christian Willman, of sexually abusing them. The lawsuit alleged that Parkland failed to protect its students from abusive teachers.

Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan Founder Discusses the Impact of Sullivan v. Werner Case on Products Liability Law
Published on: February 8, 2024

In a recent article in The Legal Intelligencer, Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan founder Jeffrey Laffey explored the ramifications of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Sullivan v. Werner decision. Laffey, who, along with attorney Stewart Ryan represented the plaintiffs in the case, explained that the Court has answered a major open question in products liability law by affirming that a manufacturer’s alleged compliance with governmental and industry standards is not admissible.

In 2014, the Court’s Tincher v. Omega decision outlined the risk-utility test, which can determine if a product is unreasonably dangerous and defective. This test examines whether a reasonable person would conclude that the probability of harm caused by the product outweighs the burden or cost of taking precautions. The decision has led some manufacturers to attempt to introduce evidence of compliance with government and industry standards.

In the Sullivan case, union carpenter Michael Sullivan suffered career-ending injuries when a platform of a scaffold collapsed, causing him to fall. Evidence established that the deck pins that help secure the platform rotate to a degree where the platform can become partially dislodged. Although Werner, the manufacturer, attempted to introduce evidence of compliance with standards set forth by an entity funded by the American Ladder Institute, this evidence was not admitted, and Sullivan was awarded $2.5 million.

Laffey highlights the implications of the case: “What the Sullivan decision does is sharpen the focus for plaintiffs and defense counsel alike when handling products liability cases. Rather than be distracted by side arguments…practitioners can hone on a very straight-forward question: was the product in question defectively designed?”

Read the full article here: Pa. High Court Cleared Up a Big Strict Products Liability Law Question in ‘Sullivan’ (subscription required)

Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan Attorneys Discuss Recent Victory for Client in Products Liability Case
Published on: December 26, 2023

In a recent article in The Legal Intelligencer, Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan founder Jeffrey Laffey and partner Stewart Ryan discussed the implications of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to affirm their client’s $2.5 million award in the case Sullivan v. Werner Company. The Court determined that defendants cannot introduce evidence showing their product complies with industry standards, finding that their 2014 ruling in Tincher v. Omega Flex did not change the way courts must handle such evidence.

Laffey and Ryan’s client, Michael Sullivan, fell when the platform he was standing upon collapsed, and he alleged that the scaffold was negligently designed. The defendants in the case, Werner Co. and Lowe’s Cos., sought to bring in evidence that the product met federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations and American National Standards Institute standards.

Although Tincher had left some doubt as to the admissibility of a manufacturer’s alleged compliance with standard industry protocols, the Court’s majority decision affirms that this evidence should be barred.

“Everybody’s imagination ran amok with what Tincher meant for the past nine years,” Laffey said. “It solidifies Pennsylvania as a Second Restatement state, which Tincher expressly stated that it was.”

Under the American Law Institute’s Restatement (Second) of Torts Section 402A, “one who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer” may be held strictly liable to the injured party, even if “the seller has exercised all possible care in the preparation and sale of the product.”

Tincher established that there are two tests—risk-utility and consumer expectation—under which plaintiffs can now present product liability cases, but there is still a severe separation between negligence and strict liability. Ryan noted that this appeal offers insight into the justices’ view of the post-Tincher landscape, saying, “They’re seeing the reality that the only thing Tincher may do here is change the lens by which juries can determine product liability. All of these various sub issues the defense bar is saying no longer matter. The court said we’re still a Restatement (Second) state.”

Read the full article here: Industry Standards Evidence Inadmissible Following ‘Tincher,’ Pa. Supreme Court Says (subscription required)

CBS 6 Discusses Virginia Massage Envy Sexual Assault Case with Attorney Stewart Ryan
Published on: March 11, 2020

Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan represents a woman alleging that she was sexually assaulted at a Massage Envy location in Short Pump, Virginia. CBS 6 Problem Solvers recently interviewed Stewart Ryan and the firm’s client for an investigative report on sexual abuse at the massage franchise and how state regulators address the issue.

Ryan called the issue an epidemic and believes Massage Envy must work harder to protect its customers. “It doesn’t appear that anything is being done, the fact that sexual assault continues to occur evidences that nothing is being done, or the right things aren’t being done.”

Watch the full interviews here.