Ryan Phillippe Hires Lawyer to Sue Ex-GF Over Domestic Violence Claims

Ryan Phillippe has hired a high-powered civil litigator to go after the woman claiming he beat her up ... and he's using the "Taylor Swift" model of lawsuits ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected with Ryan tell us, Ryan's plan is to file either a defamation or malicious prosecution lawsuit against Elsie Hewitt, who has claimed in her own lawsuit Ryan was under the influence on July 4 and allegedly attacked her and threw her down the stairs.

Ryan has said she made it all up and was actually the aggressor who attacked him after he broke up with her.

Ryan wants an acknowledgement from Hewitt she was lying or, short of that, he wants a judge or jury to make the point. And, ala Taylor Swift, Ryan will donate any money he gets to domestic violence orgs, although he doesn't think she has money to pay.