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Overview
Ryan Bledsoe is a results-driven litigation attorney who represents individuals and companies of all sizes. Bledsoe focuses on understanding your dispute, legal rights, and goals as early as possible in the litigation process. With a full understanding, Bledsoe tenaciously pursues a resolution that is favorable to you or your company. Bledsoe enjoys his job most when he is in the courtroom, but he is determined to get you the best result attainable as cost-effectively as possible. Bledsoe's experience includes handling numerous cases in both federal and state courts involving a broad range of issues including shareholder oppression, trusts and estates, antitrust, securities, breach of fiduciary duties, and contract law.
Prior to entering law school, Bledsoe worked as a financial analyst for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. As an undergraduate, Bledsoe was selected to the GTE Academic All-America First Team for his accomplishments both on and off the soccer field.
Bledsoe has enjoyed hiking and backpacking in national parks in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Chile. Closer to home, Bledsoe enjoys hiking on the Wildwood Trail, especially with his wife and sons.
Prior to entering law school, Bledsoe worked as a financial analyst for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. As an undergraduate, Bledsoe was selected to the GTE Academic All-America First Team for his accomplishments both on and off the soccer field.
Bledsoe has enjoyed hiking and backpacking in national parks in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Chile. Closer to home, Bledsoe enjoys hiking on the Wildwood Trail, especially with his wife and sons.
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Featured Representative Matters
Commercial Litigation
Bledsoe handles the broad scope of Tonkon Torp’s clients’ business disputes.
Grove City Veterinary Service, LLC et al. v. Charter Practices International, LLC
U.S. District Court, District of Oregon — Bledsoe worked as part of a team to defend a client against multiple claims with alleged damages of approximately $20 million. Bledsoe’s efforts focused on the experts in the case, including deposing all of the plaintiffs’ purported experts. In a deposition, Bledsoe got the plaintiffs’ “financial expert” to testify that he could do nothing more than basic math. The federal court dismissed many of plaintiffs’ claims because they failed to offer any admissible evidence of damages. The federal court also agreed with Bledsoe that the plaintiffs’ medical expert should be barred from testifying at trial. See the court’s opinion here. Without financial or medical experts, plaintiffs’ lawsuit came to an end.
Automotive Industries Pension Trust Fund et al. v. Barber Auto Sales, Inc. et al.
U.S. District Court, District of Northern California — Bledsoe successfully represented approximately 15 companies and a former owner of numerous auto dealerships in an ERISA withdrawal liability action.
Shareholder Oppression Litigation
Bledsoe has handled numerous matters involving shareholder, partnership, and LLC member disputes. Bledsoe both defends and prosecutes company ownership disputes. Bledsoe has received multi-million dollar payments for oppressed shareholders and helped remove minority shareholders.
Trust and Estate Litigation
Bledsoe has handled numerous matters involving trust and estate litigation, including trust contests, fiduciary duty disputes, and elder abuse claims. Bledsoe's trust and estate litigation experience includes multiple, successful bench trials.
Doris M. Young Revocable Living Trust
Clackamas County Circuit Court — After Ms. Young amended her trust, many of her family members claimed that she was improperly influenced to do so. The family agreed to appoint a neutral, successor trustee, and Bledsoe represented the successor trustee. Bledsoe and the successor trustee determined that Ms. Young intended to amend her trust and that the amendment should be enforced. After a bench trial, the court agreed. See the court’s opinion here.
Insurance Coverage Litigation
Frequently, insurers do not pay for covered losses. When this happens, Bledsoe advocates for his clients to receive the insurance benefits that they are entitled to.
Swickard Corp v. 21st Century Pacific Insurance Company
Clackamas County Circuit Court — The insurer interpreted the insurance policy to benefit its interests, but Bledsoe determined that there was another interpretation that benefitted his client. The court agreed that the insurance policy could be construed multiple ways and construed it in Tonkon Torp’s client’s favor. See the court’s opinion here. At trial, the court awarded the client full coverage for its losses, including prejudgment interest. See the court’s opinion here. After trial, the court awarded the client attorney fees and costs and multiplied the attorney fee award by 150 percent. See the court’s opinion here.
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Featured Work
The Ramos Project
In April 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down non-unanimous jury convictions in criminal cases in Ramos v. Louisiana. A shameful carryover from the Jim Crow era, Louisiana and Oregon were the last two states that allowed non-unanimous criminal convictions when as many as two jurors believed a defendant was innocent. Overnight, more than 260 cases in Oregon became eligible to seek post-conviction relief for unconstitutional non-unanimous convictions. Housed in the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) at Lewis & Clark Law School, the Ramos Project is a statewide pro-bono initiative providing legal assistance to those seeking redress.
Tonkon Torp Guides Pacific Foods through Oregon’s Largest Acquisition of 2017
Tonkon Torp led Oregon's largest M&A transaction in 2017, the $700 million acquisition of Tualatin-based Pacific Foods of Oregon LLC by Campbell Investment Company. Pacific Foods is an iconic, nationally distributed organic food brand founded in 1987.
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Community Involvement & Activities
Community Energy Project
Board of Directors
Forest Park Conservancy
Former Board of Trustees
Oregon State Parks Foundation
Former Board of Trustees
Oregon State Bar Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section
Former Chair
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Professional Memberships
Multnomah Bar Association
International Society of Barristers
International Society of Barristers
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Awards & Recognition
The Best Lawyers in America
2018-2022 Litigation – Trusts & Estates
International Society of Barristers
Fellow, 2020-Present
Super Lawyers
2018-2019, Oregon Super Lawyer – Business Litigation
2014-2017, Oregon Rising Star – Business Litigation
2010-2011, Oregon Rising Star – General Litigation
2014-2017, Oregon Rising Star – Business Litigation
2010-2011, Oregon Rising Star – General Litigation
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Recent News
8.19.2021
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 53 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2022 List
Fifty-three Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022
8.20.2020
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2021 List
Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 36 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021. A majority of attorneys have been named to the peer-review list in past years, and most have been recognized for more…
4.30.2020
Anna Sortun and Ryan Bledsoe Admitted to International Society of Barristers
Tonkon Torp litigation partners Anna Sortun and Ryan Bledsoe have been admitted as Fellows to the International Society of Barristers. The organization is an honor society that maintains a worldwide membership of less than 750 trial lawyers deemed by…
8.15.2019
2020 List for Best Lawyers in America® Includes 48 Tonkon Torp Attorneys
Forty-eight Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2020. A majority of attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and most have been recognized for more than five…
7.16.2019
31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2019 Super Lawyers Lists
Thirty-one Tonkon Torp attorneys in nine practice areas have been included in the 2019 Oregon Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists.
8.17.2018
Best Lawyers in America® Names 51 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2019 List
Fifty-one Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 41 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019. Nearly all attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and have been recognized for more than five years
7.24.2018
31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2018 Super Lawyers Lists
Thirty-one Tonkon Torp attorneys in 11 practice areas have been included in the 2018 Oregon Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. Tonkon Torp partner and bankruptcy authority Albert Kennedy has been once again recognized on the Top 50 list of Oregon…
10.27.2017
Tonkon Torp Gives to Oregon State Parks Foundation
Tonkon Torp made a donation to the Oregon State Parks Foundation in support of its mission to preserve and enhance Oregon's state parks. Ryan Bledsoe organized the donation and is a member of the Foundation's board of trustees.
8.16.2017
Best Lawyers in America® Names 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2018 List
Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018. Nearly all attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and have been recognized for more than five years…
7.11.2017
28 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2017 Super Lawyers Lists
The national attorney rating service Super Lawyers has named 28 Tonkon Torp attorneys in 10 practice areas to its 2017 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists for Oregon. The annual Super Lawyers list represents the top 5 percent of attorneys in Oregon…
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Recent Alerts
6.11.2009
Act Now: Trademark Infringement on Facebook
On Tuesday, June 9, Facebook, Inc., the social networking website company, publicly announced that beginning Saturday, June 13th at 12:01 a.m. U.S. EDT, users of the Facebook website will be allowed for the first time to create personalized URLs for…