Ryan Stifter, MS

Ryan Stifter leads quantitative economic research and analysis into issues arising in litigation, insurance claims, environmental regulation and enforcement, natural resource management, and business decisions affected by contingent liabilities. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in applied economics fields. Over the past fifteen years, Ryan has contributed to, managed, and led numerous economic consulting studies.

Mr. Stifter regularly provides privileged consulting and expert testimony for attorneys involved with commercial, environmental, and toxic tort litigation. Ryan’s expertise is applying microeconomics, econometrics, valuation methods, and statistics to evaluate liability and causation, quantify impact, and determine appropriate compensatory damages. His experience encompasses a wide variety of issues: diminution of property values; business torts (breach of contract, trade secrets, fraud, unfair competition, product defect); commercial property damage (business disruption, competitive disadvantage, cargo losses); natural resource damages (NRD); environmental enforcement; property rights; bodily injury/wrongful death; class certification issues; antitrust and competition; and discriminatory practices.

Mr. Stifter’s expert opinions have been offered on behalf of both defendant and plaintiff parties through written, deposition, and trial testimony.

Mr. Stifter has extensive experience supporting parties responsible for NRD recoverable under the OPA, CERCLA, and state laws. Ryan’s expertise includes assessment study design, management, and application of econometric modeling and non-market valuation methods to quantify injury and determine appropriate compensation for natural resource benefits lost or impaired by hazardous substances. Outside the NRDA process, he supports loss control and transaction valuation by quantifying environmental liabilities contingent on regulation or legal action.

Since joining Roux, Mr. Stifter began directly supporting insurance claims valuation, including assessing the reasonableness of underlying legal settlements, and as well as the underwriting process through risk exposure estimation and forecasting.

Mr. Stifter often supports the regulated community ascertain and evaluate the costs and benefits associated with proposed regulations governing the quality, impairment, use, and allocation of air, water, land, habitats, and species. Additionally, Ryan helps stakeholders in the natural resource permitting, planning, operations, and management decision process by quantifying economic values and impacts of project alternatives.

• Diminution in Property Value: Testifying expert for defendants evaluating sources of declines in property values totaling $20 million following chemical use at a nearby fishery and water supply reservoir.
• CERCLA Cost Recovery: Testifying expert for a party to a CERCLA cost recovery action evaluating revenue and cost impacts for a residential development due to construction delays resulting from an environmental cleanup.
• Natural Resource Damages from Marine Oil Spill: Advised responsible party (RP) on quantifying recreation losses and valuing compensatory restoration projects over 1,000 miles of coastline. Continually forecast NRD liability for disclosures and managed a multi-year survey research and data integration project. RP, state, and federal trustees settled the claim.
• Impact of Fish Consumption Health Advisories: Conducted quantitative research determining the impact of mercury health advisories on recreational fishing trips at a Superfund Site and valued restoration projects identified as NRD compensation.
• Loss of Commercial License: Testifying expert determining a biotechnology company’s loss in profits for the period when certain of its products lost access to a major geographic market after the exclusive commercial license lapsed.
• Breach of Contract: Determined lost profits from failed raw sugar deliveries and conducted a statistical analysis to determine if changes in future prices triggered a non-performance clause in the contract.
• Business Interruption Claim Valuation: Performed audit of forensic accounting supporting a major hotel’s million dollar claim for business disruption, resulting from discovery of mold during remodeling work.
• Marine Cargo Insurance Policy Claim Valuation: Testifying expert valuing loss of goods at multiple locations of a vegetable grower/shipper during Hurricane Irma.
• Clean Water Act Penalty Determination: Testifying expert on behalf of the respondent, providing economic and financial analysis resulting in an appropriate measure of unjust enrichment gained by violating the Clean Water Act Section 404.
• Commercial Property Damages: Conducted economic and financial analysis to determinate diminution in the value of vineyards and orchards partially destroyed by herbicide overspray along a rail line.
• Federal Clean Water Rule: Evaluated EPA and USCAE costs and benefits estimated for expanding “Waters of the United States,” and presented the findings in a white paper submitted to the administrative record by a regulated mining company.
• State of Washington Clean Air Rule: Quantified the net global reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if the steel industry in the State of Washington complied with the proposed declining cap on annual CO². Client and legal counsel relied on the study in a hearing process overturning the legislation.
• Financial Assurance for Renewable Energy Assets: Developed forecasts of net costs for reclaiming land currently in use as renewable energy infrastructure, to inform the client’s financial assurance planning and communications.
• Economic Impacts of Reservoir Operations: Quantified the economic value of surface water deliveries for multiple uses, with emphasis on livestock industries, within water districts operating a hydroelectric dam.

• Arrow Electronics, Inc. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Company n/k/a Travelers Casualty & Surety Company a/k/a St. Paul Travelers and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, United States District Court, For the Central District of California, Case No. 2:17-CV-05247-JFW-JEM. Expert Report (2020).

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University v. Agilent Technologies, Inc., and HP Inc., United States District Court Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, Case No. 3:18-CV-01199 VC. Expert Report (2020).

• Certain Underwriters at Lloyds of London Subscribing to Policy No. B0799MC029630k v. Pero Family Farm Food Co., Ltd., United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Case No. 9:18-cv-81680-RLR. Expert Report (2019). Deposition (2020).

• Paisley v. A.W. Chesterton Company et al., In the Third Circuit Court, Third Judicial Court, Madison County, Illinois, Case No. 19 L 508. Expert Report (2019).

• Agrigenetics, Inc. v. Semillas Papalotla, S.A. de C.V., United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:20-cv-429. Expert Report (2019).

• Bloomfield Vineyards et al. v. BNSF Railway et al., Superior Court of California for the County of Contra Costa, Case No. MSC18-00058. Mediation (2019).

• Confidential Matter involving Clean Water Act violations, United States District Court, Eastern District of California. Expert Report (2018).

• Ira A. Adams, et al. v. State of California, acting by and through the Department of Fish & Game (2018) (Individuals Phase) Superior Court of California, County of Plumas, Case No. CV09-00065, Deposition Testimony, Trial Testimony, Jury Verdict.

• Ira A. Adams, et al. v. State of California, acting by and through the Department of Fish & Game (2015) (City of Portola Phase) Superior Court of California, County of Plumas, Case No. CV09-00065, Deposition Testimony, Trial Testimony, Jury Verdict.