Contact:
Phone: 215-665-3025
Fax: 215-665-3165
Email: ryan.leonard@obermayer.com
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Office:
Philadelphia, PA
One Penn Center, 19th Floor
1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1895

Practice Areas:
Toxic Tort Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Medical Malpractice Defense
Professional Liability
Litigation

Education:
Widener University School of Law (JD '00)
University of Delaware (BA '97)

Ryan L. Leonard is an associate with Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP.  He is a member of the Litigation Department.

Mr. Leonard concentrates his practice in the areas of mass-tort litigation, with an emphasis on defense of pharmaceutical companies as well as companies that allegedly manufactured or sold products containing asbestos. Mr. Leonard also represents a wide array of doctors, nurses and facilities in defense of medical malpractice claims.

Significantly, Mr. Leonard obtained summary judgment on behalf of a defendant that manufactured automotive gaskets in a mesothelioma case based on the fact that the only product identification testimony was elicited through the use of leading questions by plaintiff’s counsel. The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed this ruling in Weible v. Allied Signal, Inc., 963 A.2d 521 (Pa. Super. 2008). In fact, the Superior Court reversed summary judgment as to all other defendants with the exception of Mr. Leonard’s client, based upon such cross-examination and proper objections lodged.

In addition, Mr. Leonard obtained summary judgment on behalf of a defendant that allegedly manufactured asbestos-containing packing and gaskets in a mesothelioma case based on Pennsylvania’s two-disease rule regarding the statute of limitations. Specifically, this case involved a plaintiff who previously filed a lawsuit for contracting lung cancer and was attempting to further recover in a second lawsuit for mesothelioma that later developed. This issue of a plaintiff attempting to recover for a second malignancy was one of first impression in Pennsylvania. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of defendant. However, the Superior Court subsequently reversed summary judgment, and the case is now pending an application for allocatur before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Daley v. A.W. Chesterton, Inc., 971 A.2d 1258 (Pa. Super. 2009).

Prior to joining Obermayer, Mr. Leonard was an associate for Wilson, Elser L.L.P, where his practice focused on defending companies involved in asbestos litigation, pharmaceutical litigation, medical malpractice, and premises liability. He also served as a summer law clerk to Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Allan L. Tereshko for several years.

Mr. Leonard is named as a 2010 Pennsylvania’s “Rising Stars” as listed in both the Philadelphia magazine (June 2010) and the Thomas Reuters, Legal magazine, “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers®” (June 2010 edition).  Rising Stars are chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Thomas Reuters, Legal as being among the top-up-and-coming lawyers in the Commonwealth.  Only 2.5 percent of Pennsylvania attorneys receive this honor each year.

Mr. Leonard earned his Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware.

Mr. Leonard is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey.