Thomas Riordan
Partner
Tom Riordan is a partner in O'Melveny's Newport Beach office and a member of the Class Actions, Mass Torts, and Aggregated Litigation Practice. He has been involved in complex litigation and internal investigations for a wide variety of businesses in both regulated and non-regulated industries. A representative sample of the types of matters he has litigated includes claims for breach of contract, fraud, breach of express and implied warranties, indemnification, and violations of California's Unfair Competition Law ("UCL"), Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Illustrative Professional Experience
- Defeated class certification of a class of more than 1 million truck and SUV owners who alleged that Ford Motor Company defectively designed and manufactured the engines in these vehicles.
- Prevented a preliminary injunction from being entered that would have required Neutrogena Corp to potentially recall and relabel its sun screen products.
- Won dismissal of a class action brought against Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. alleging that it misled consumers about a tax credit offered by the federal government that is available with the purchase of its hybrid vehicles.
- Defeated class certification of a proposed class of Mustang owners who alleged that Ford Motor Company misrepresented the horsepower of their vehicles.
- Successfully argued before California Court of Appeal that it should affirm the judgment of dismissal of a proposed UCL class action brought against The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company over its room service charges.
- Won an arbitration for Teleflex, Inc. where it sought damages for breach of contract and indemnification from the seller of a manufacturing facility who failed to disclose significant liabilities prior to the sale.
- Won an arbitration for Ace, Ltd. where it prevailed on its claim for $2 million against its managing general agent, while defeating the $20 million claim brought by the agent.
- Represented Verizon Inc. in multiple arbitrations before state public utility commissions and lawsuits brought in federal district courts concerning disputes under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
- Successfully represented the City of Los Angeles among more than 20 of the country’s most populous cities and counties, several states, and many members of Congress in litigation over whether the Census Bureau may use “statistical sampling” to avoid undercounting of minorities, children, and the poor in the 2000 Census, and convincing the US Supreme Court that sampling may be used for purposes of federal funds allocation and redistricting.
Professional Activities
Law Clerk, Honorable Manuel L. Real, U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Judicial Extern, Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office
Admitted, California