Mr. Ragsdale’s practice focuses in the areas of environmental litigation, personal injury and wrongful death, securities fraud, class action work, and the representation of individuals and businesses in all types of litigation.
Mr. Ragsdale is a lifelong resident of Birmingham, Alabama. He married Anne Adams Ragsdale of Mobile in 1982 and has three sons, ages 20, 18, and 14. After graduation from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1982, Mr. Ragsdale began his practice of law doing trial work for a mid-size litigation firm, Starnes & Atchison. In 1992 he formed his own practice to concentrate on the representation of individuals and small businesses. In the sixteen years since, Mr. Ragsdale has handled cases for hundreds of clients ranging from civil rights violations to products liability and personal injury of all types, class actions for securities fraud, environment torts, securities fraud, consumer fraud, and taxpayer issues, and has represented small businesses in insurance claims, anti-trust suits, and business interference, and other torts.
Mr. Ragsdale’s 26 years of litigation in Alabama state and federal courts has allowed him to develop experience in a wide range of types of law including:
Environmental and Landowner Cases
Represented landowners in cases against water polluters of Lake Martin, Lay Lake, and various rivers and tributaries in Alabama
Obtained recoveries and injunctive relief for communities and landowners throughout Alabama for blasting damage, air pollution, and noise due to coal mines, rock quarries, and factories
Recovered damages for clients whose homes were flooded as a result of the negligence of developers and municipal governments
Represented communities in Jefferson and Tuscaloosa Counties for collapsed and polluted water wells caused by methane gas operators and underground coal mines
Pursued nuisance and trespass claims against hog factories (CAFOs)
Assisted landowners and environmental groups in efforts to address problems stemming from pollution.
Class Actions
Mr. Ragsdale has handled class actions against environmental polluters, accounting firms and publicly traded corporations for securities fraud including being appointed as counsel in the following securities fraud cases:
Vesta Securities Litigation
Just for Feet Securities Litigation
HealthSouth Securities Litigation
Perrigo Securities Litigation
MedPartners Securities Litigation
Business Torts
Lead counsel in anti-trust action on behalf of a local company against multi-national enterprises for predatory and fraudulent business practices
Represented construction companies and their owners in actions to recover or defend claims against surety bond companies.
Civil Rights Actions
On behalf of fired or disciplined police officers or other public servants against municipal and county governments for violation of Constitutional rights
Represented numerous individuals in actions against employers or governmental agencies for discrimination in the workplace
Represented individuals against government officials and entities for violation of Constitutional rights of free speech, religion, and other claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
Products Liability – Burns, Wrongful Death, and Serious Injury
Recovered damages for coal miner for catastrophic burns caused by mining machinery defects
Represented victims of propane gas explosion for injuries and wrongful death
Represented numerous victims of various product failures and defects including saws, automobiles, firefighting equipment, medical implants, and pharmaceuticals
Road Defects, Automobile and Trucking Accidents
Represented hundreds of people for injuries from automobile accidents, defects in roadway construction, violation of trucking regulations, and insurance claims arising out of automobile accidents
Fraud and Insurance Bad Faith Claims
Represented class of small Alabama businesses against insurance carriers for fraud in the pricing of worker’s compensation insurance
Class action for consumers against bank for fraud in the sale of securities
Represented hundreds of clients for insurance claims including actions for bad faith refusal to pay legitimate claims
Homeowners and Community Advocacy
Mr. Ragsdale devotes a considerable amount of his practice to assisting communities, environmental groups, homeowners associations, and neighborhoods in addressing violations of individuals’ property rights, pollution, flooding, and other problems facing property owners.
Education:
University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1982, J.D.
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1979, B.S.
Professional Associations Membership:
Alabama Bar Association
Birmingham Bar Association
Birmingham Bar Executive Committee, 2000-2003
Birmingham Bar Foundation
American Trial Lawyers Association
Tobacco Trial Lawyers Association
Bar Admissions:
State of Alabama
Federal Courts: Northern, Southern, and Middle District Courts of Alabama; Western District of Michigan; Western District of Arkansas; Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; United States Supreme Court
