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Ryan B. DeLaune

Member
fax +1 214.659.4195

Ryan DeLaune represents clients in litigation matters with an emphasis on surety and fidelity claims, construction, insurance coverage, real estate, and commercial disputes. He also assists sureties with developing strategies to minimize risk and loss.

Ryan specializes in representing clients in complex construction matters. Ryan also specializes in representing surety clients in all aspects of litigation involving surety bond claims, where he regularly assists his surety clients with developing cost-effective strategies to minimize risk and loss. Ryan has significant experience as a surety trial lawyer and has achieved successful jury verdicts.

Ryan also has significant experience with fiduciary bonds involving probate estates, trusts, and guardianships. He has represented sureties throughout Texas in a variety of probate matters, including defending against surcharge claims in breach of fiduciary duty, malfeasance, and negligence actions.

Education

J.D., cum laude, Tulane University School of Law, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2010, Civil Law Certification; Tulane Law Review, Vol. 84, Associate Editor
Certificate of Advanced Study and Training in Dispute Resolution, Humboldt University of Berlin, 2009
B.A., Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon, 2007

Recognitions

Recipient of Strasburger’s Rainmaker Award (2015)

Recipient of Strasburger’s Mike Joplin Award for Recruiting (2014)

Named among Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters (2023-2024)

Memberships

2020 FSLC Midwinter Meeting, Co-Chaired the Construction Program; Fidelity and Surety Law Committee, Vice-Chair; Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee, Co-Chair; Young Professionals Subcommittee, previous co-chair

American Bar Association, Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Young Professionals Subcommittee, Co-Chair

Texas Bar Association, Construction Law Section

Dallas Bar Association, Construction Law Section

Defense Research Institute, Construction Law Committee, Fidelity & Surety Law Committee

National LGBT Bar Association, Member

Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Member

Gulfcoast Fidelity & Surety Law Institute, Member

DFW Association of Young Bankruptcy Lawyers, Member

Dallas Museum of Art, The Junior Associates

State Bar Licenses

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. District Ct., E.D. of Texas
U.S. District Ct., N.D. of Texas
U.S. District Ct., S.D. of Texas
U.S. District Ct., W.D. of Texas
Presentations
  • The Material Alteration Defense to Performance Bond Claims in Texas, Intact Surety Claims Presentation, Chicago, IL (May 2024)
  • Bells and Whistles: The Modern General Agreement of Indemnity, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice, Mid-Winter Meeting of the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, Washington, DC (January 2023)
  • Insurance for the Surety, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice, Mid-Winter Meeting of the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, Nashville, TN (January 2022)
  • Vital Signs of a Healthy Contractor, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice, Mid-Winter Meeting of the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, New York, NY (January 2020)
  • Program Co-Chair, Vital Signs of a Healthy Contractor, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice, Mid-Winter Meeting of the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, New York, NY (January 2020)
  • Seas the Day: Protecting Communications with Consultants, Gulfcoast Fidelity & Surety Institute (June 2018)
  • Legal and Ethical Issues Faced by Sureties and Fidelity Insurers, Zurich CE-CLE Presentation (October 2016)
  • Surety’s Overpayment Defense, Zurich’s CE-CLE Extravaganza (October 2013)
  • Recent Changes to Laws Affecting the Texas Surety and Construction Industry: Waiver and Release, Retainage, Attorneys’ Fees and Indemnification Clauses, Client Presentation (March 2012)

Publications

  • Chapter Author. Complementary Provisions of the Indemnity Agreement, Ch. 8, The Surety’s Indemnity Agreement: Law and Practice, Third Ed. (2023)
  • Insurance for the Surety, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice, Mid-Winter Meeting of the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, Nashville, TN (January 2022)
  • Fidelity Law and Commercial Surety Law Update, Surety Claims Institute (June 2021)
  • Seas the Day: Protecting Communications with Consultants, Gulfcoast Fidelity & Surety (June 2018)
  • Limitations on Contractor’s Right Of Set-Off, American Bar Association’s Fidelity and Surety Law Committee Newsletter (Spring 2017)
  • Protecting Communications with Surety Consultant, 27th Annual Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference (September 2016)
  • Protection of the Penal Sum by the Takeover Surety, Gulfcoast Fidelity & Surety Institute (May 2015)
  • Whose Fault Is It Anyway?: An Overview of Liabilities for Design Defects on Construction Projects, Gulfcoast Fidelity & Surety Institute (May/June 2014)
  • First Lien/Second Lien Intercreditor Agreements, 30th Annual Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference (November 2011)

Experience

  • Defense verdict in a jury trial in the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division.
    This performance bond case was brought by the owner of an oil processing facility against the surety on a performance bond relating to the engineering and construction of an oil distillation unit. Damages sought against the surety exceeded $75,000,000.00.
  • Defense verdict in a jury trial in 154th District Court of Lamb County, Texas. This performance bond case was brought by the general contractor against the surety on a subcontractor’s performance bond relating to the construction of a dairy processing facility. Damages sought against the surety exceeded $600,000.00.
  • Representation of sureties in disputes involving obligations relating to payment, performance, and miscellaneous bonds.
  • Representation of sureties in indemnity actions and general collection efforts.
  • Representation of national restaurant owner/operator in commercial lease dispute with landlord.
  • Represented national insurer in complex multi-party federal and state litigation in Mississippi arising from premium finance fraud perpetrated by insurance agent.
  • Representation of sureties in highway and public works construction disputes.
  • Representation of post-tensioning company in foundation defect disputes.
  • Representation of home owners in residential construction disputes.
  • Representation of sureties in probate bond surcharge disputes.
  • Representation of sureties in supersedes bond and other miscellaneous bond disputes.

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