Profile
Ryan T. Hopper is a member of the Litigation Practice in the Tampa office. He represents clients in environmental, complex commercial, and white-collar matters, focusing on high-profile toxic tort, real estate, and trade secrets disputes. Ryan draws on his multi-disciplinary practice to help clients approach cases creatively and efficiently, and he has played an integral role in the favorable resolution of disputes involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claimed damages.
Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Ryan served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Roy B. Dalton Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Ryan received both his J.D., magna cum laude, and his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Florida, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif.
Capabilities
Experience
- Representation of an international aerospace company in two high-profile mass toxic-tort actions in which plaintiffs allege that emissions from its manufacturing facility contaminated nearby properties and potentially exposed persons near the facility. Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, medical monitoring, and monetary damages.
- Irizarry v. Orlando Utilities Commission. Defended the Orlando Utilities Commission in a putative class action brought by residents alleging that emissions from a power plant contaminated more than 15,000 properties within an approximate 80-square-mile area with radionuclides, metals, and other constituents, thereby elevating cancer rates. A putative class action that once included more than 30,000 residents has now been dismissed with prejudice.
- Jabil Inc. v. Essentium Inc. Represented Jabil Inc. in an action involving the misappropriation of 3D-printing trade secrets and related misconduct by former employees and a competing company.
- Saft America, Inc. v. Jabil Circuit (Guangzhou) Ltd. Represented affiliate of Jabil Inc. in contract dispute involving the manufacture of industrial battery subcomponents.
- Williams v. Mosaic Fertilizer. Defended Mosaic in federal toxic tort litigation in which the plaintiff alleged that she suffered adverse health effects as a result of exposure to industrial emissions. Prevailed on all claims in the trial court on Daubert and summary judgement motions, Williams v. Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC, No. 8:14-cv-1748, 2016 WL 7175657 (M.D. Fla. June 24, 2016), which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed, Williams v. Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC, 889 F.3d 1239 (11th Cir. 2018).
- Jameson Land Co. v. Mosaic Fertilizer. Defended Mosaic in federal litigation involving multiple parcels of real property located in Hillsborough and Polk Counties.
- CCP Harbour Island, LLC v CPPM THP, LLC, and Plyler v. City of Tampa. Represented a major real estate developer in multiple cases through which a competitor attempted to have a luxury apartment complex demolished.
- Boca Grande Isle LLC v. Boca Grande Isles Property Owners Association. Represented homeowners in a dispute regarding the validity of an amendment to a private waterfront subdivision’s declaration of restrictions. Obtained summary judgment, which was affirmed on appeal, and entitlement to recovery of clients’ attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Confidential Client. Currently defending a foreign client in connection with the investigation of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in the Southern District of New York.
- Confidential Client. Defended a chemical manufacturer in a wrongful death action, obtaining the plaintiff’s voluntary dismissal with prejudice following a targeted discovery strategy.
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Certified Legal Intern, 8th Judicial Circuit, Office of the Public Defender, Spring 2013
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Tampa Bay Business Journal 40 Under 40, 2023
- Team Member, a Law360 "Environmental Practice Group of the Year," 2022
- Listed, Florida Trend magazine, "Legal Elite – Litigation," 2022
- "Up and Comer," 2022
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, "Ones to Watch," 2021-2024
- Litigation - Environmental, 2021-2024
- Commercial Litigation, 2022-2024
- Environmental Law, 2022-2024
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States
- Dispute Resolution - Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action- Defense- Toxic Tort, 2021-2023
- Dispute Resolution - General Commercial Disputes, "Rising Star" 2020
- Environment: Litigation, 2020
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, "Rising Star," 2020-2023
- Team Member, The American Lawyer, “Florida Regional Litigation Department of the Year,” 2019
- Member, Tampa Bay American Inn of Court
- Member, American Constitution Society, Tampa Lawyer Chapter
- Former Mentor, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Lockhart Elementary
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Federal Bar Association
- Member, Hillsborough County Bar Association
Credentials
Education
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J.D., magna cum laude, University of Florida Levin College of Law, 2013
- Order of the Coif
- Order of the Barristers
- Honorable Judge James Bryan Whitfield Constitutional Law Scholar
- Justice Campbell Thornal Executive Board Member, The Florida Moot Court Team
- General Board Member, University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy
- Book Awards: Appellate Advocacy, Constitutional Law, Constitutional Stories, Criminal Procedure (Adversary Systems), First Amendment Law
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B.A., summa cum laude, University of Florida, 2009
- Phi Beta Kappa
- National Merit Scholar
Clerkships
- Hon. Roy B. Dalton, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, 2013-2015
Admissions
- Florida
- District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit