Jonathan C. Zellner

Connecticut

Jonathan Zellner is a Partner at Ryan Ryan Deluca LLP, practicing primarily in the firm’s municipal liability and land use litigation departments. He regularly defends municipalities, boards of education, and municipal officials against claims arising under federal constitutional and civil rights laws and state tort law. His representative experience also includes defending clients in cases involving claims of employment discrimination, breach of contract, and legal malpractice. Jonathan has practiced in state and federal court, argued dispositive motions before various judges of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, prepared briefs for appellate matters in the Connecticut Appellate Court, the Supreme Court of Connecticut, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and argued before the Second Circuit. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Jonathan has obtained favorable decisions from the Supreme Court of Connecticut and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the granting of motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, including:

• Doe v. Town of Madison, 340 Conn. 1 (2021) (affirming summary judgment for a municipality, board of education, and school principal on the grounds of governmental immunity in consolidated cases alleging sexual abuse by a former teacher)
• Freiberg v. Stuart, 841 F. App’x 315 (2d Cir. 2021) (affirming summary judgment for an attorney in a vexatious litigation lawsuit)
• Jenkins v. Road Scholar Transportation, LLC (2d Cir. 2020) (affirming summary judgment for a trucking company and driver in a vehicular collision case)
• Cleary v. MacVicar, 813 F. App’x 12 (2d Cir. 2020) (affirming dismissal of claims against a Guardian ad Litem in a case alleging deprivations of the plaintiff’s child custody and visitation rights)
• Borg v. Town of Westport, 685 F. App’x 10 (2d Cir.) (affirming dismissal of claims against a municipality and police officers in an action alleging an unreasonable search of the plaintiffs’ property), denied, 138 S. Ct. 558 (2017)
• Beard v. Town of Monroe, 666 F. App’x 62 (2d Cir. 2016) (affirming summary judgment dismissing equal protection claims based on alleged unequal treatment of the plaintiff compared with other allegedly similar property owners)
• McNeice v. Town of Waterford, 607 F. App’x 103 (2d Cir. 2015) (affirming summary judgment for the defendant municipality and municipal officials in an action alleging an unreasonable search of the plaintiff’s property)

Ryan Ryan Deluca LLP (“RRD”) has extensive experience in appellate advocacy before the Connecticut Appellate Court, the Supreme Court of Connecticut, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Effective appellate advocacy requires the finely tuned ability to review the record with a critical eye, to identify, analyze, and brief determinative legal and factual issues, and to present a logical and persuasive oral argument. Through cogent, persuasive legal writing and oration, RRD’s attorneys have consistently obtained favorable results for their clients from the Connecticut appellate courts and the Second Circuit.