Donna M. Ryu
Judge Ryu no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Ryu decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
On a motion for default judgment she denies relief where the plaintiff fails to establish proper service of process or personal jurisdiction over a foreign online defendant.
“Plaintiff failed to establish that service of the summons and complaint on Defendant was properly effected. Accordingly, Plaintiff's motion for default judgment is denied.”
Cautions
At screening Ryu recommends dismissing a Section 1983 claim where the defendant is a private party who did not act under color of state law, identifying the deficiency and (where curable) allowing leave to amend before a with-prejudice dismissal follows any failure to cure.
“The Court dismissed Nordheim's FAC by adopting a report and recommendation by Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu. ... In Judge Ryu's report and recommendation, she noted that Nordheim had failed to allege that the defendant—a private party—had acted 'under color of state law' within the meaning of Section 1983.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The Court dismissed Nordheim's FAC by adopting a report and recommendation by Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu. ... In Judge Ryu's report and recommendation, she noted that Nordheim had failed to allege that the defendant—a private party—had acted 'under color of state law' within the meaning of Section 1983.”
“I dismissed Lindblad's previous complaint on these grounds, but granted him leave to amend and address the deficiencies identified in Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu's Report and Recommendation, which I adopted in full.”
“Plaintiff failed to establish that service of the summons and complaint on Defendant was properly effected. Accordingly, Plaintiff's motion for default judgment is denied.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The sample covers civil cases filed from 2018 through 2021 in which Ryu served as the judge of record by consent. It includes False Claims Act, federal tort, disability-access, copyright, and personal-injury matters. The durations measure filing to termination, not motion-to-ruling time.
A historical record
Judge Ryu no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.