Position: Member

TEL: 918-825-4558

FAX: 918-825-1623

Email: Click Here

Website: 

Admitted: Oklahoma, 1992

Law School: 

College: 

Birth Date and Place: 

Practice Areas: Family Law, Eminent Domain, Condemnation, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Business Law, Criminal Defense, Workers Compensation, Social Security

Additional Information: See: Oklahoma Turnpike Authority v. DWB Family Trust, et al. The "Ritchie Law Firm" was founded in 1992. The Firm is located 30 minutes from Tulsa, Oklahoma in the City of Pryor. The "Ritchie Law Firm" is presently comprised of three attorneys plus support staff including paralegal staff with the CLA designation. The Firm's attorneys and staff have a diversified background of experience. The experience of the Attorneys in the firm includes experience as municipal court judge, municipal court prosecutor, criminal defense for the indigent criminal defense system, and experiences outside of the legal profession in the fields of insurance, real estate, and accounting. The Firm's practice is statewide for the state of Oklahoma however the primary geographical practice area of the Firm includes Tulsa County, Rogers County, Mayes County, Delaware County, Craig County, Cherokee County, Wagoner County, Creek County, Muskogee County, Adair County, Sequoyah County, Haskell County, and LeFlore County. In particular areas of the law such as Eminent Domain/Condemnation, Real Estate, and Personal Injury the Firm regularly practices in a much larger geographical area extending literally all across the State of Oklahoma. The "Ritchie Law Firm" attorneys are each experienced and trained with an emphasis in different areas of law. As such, the Firm handles a number of types of legal cases and matters including but not limited to: Family Law, Divorce Law, Custody Law, Eminent Domain/Condemnation Law, Personal Injury Matters, Real Estate Law, Business Formation and Business Law, Wills, Trusts, Probate, Bankruptcy, Criminal Defense, Worker's Compensation Defense and Claimant Cases, and Social Security Disability Cases. Recent Decisions and Trials: The Firm recently obtained a judgement in favor of a landowner against the Oklahoma Department Of Transportation for approximately 20 times the amount the State testified it should pay. The case involved flooding issues. Some flooding had occurred during construction and it is projected by the landowners engineering that future flooding will result. The Firm recently obtained an $875,000.00 Jury Verdict in an eminent domain case in Southeastern Oklahoma near Durant, Oklahoma. The case involved proximity damages to a rural convenience store. State's evidence at trial was $291,000.00 while the landowner's position was $925,000.00. The Firm recently obtained an $81,479.00 Jury Verdict in an eminent domain case in Southeastern Oklahoma, Marshall County. The case involved proximty damages to a print shop. State's evidence was approximately $27,000.00 while the landowner's position was $81,479.00. Current Appellate Matters pending include: - An appeal filed by the Department Of Transportation alleging that an appraiser in a condemnation case must be a licensed appraiser or certified appraiser. - The Firm is currently handling an appeal for a landowner in an inverse condemnation case agains the State Of Oklahoma wherein the landowner had settled his condemnation case prior to any construction being done on the proposed road. The road was then constructed and flooding became an issue. The Trial court dismissed the landowners suit for the flooding which was brought under the Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act on grounds that the settlement of the original condemnation case was viewed by the court as settling this possible flooding that later became an issue. The landowner has appealed the dismissal. - An appeal wherein the State Of Oklahoma acting by and through the Department Of Transportation dismissed its case agains a landowner in an eminent domain case on the eve of trial and then refiled a new case based on trying to avoid an evidentiary ruling made by the court at pretrial conference. The court assessed all fees and costs of the dismissed action against the Department and in favor of the landowner on grounds of a statutory provision providing for same and also as a sanction for the actions of the Department. The Department has appealed the Court's ruling assessing fees and costs against them. APPELLATE DECISION RENDERED APRIL 2009: Landowner prevailed on appeal. Appellate Court upheld the trial court on grounds that the dismissal constituted an abandonment under case law test and that the trial court properly awarded all fees and costs to the landowner. Appellate Court additionally decided that the landowner is further entitled to all fees and costs on the appeal and remanded the matter to the trial court for the amount of fees and costs to be fixed by the trial court. - A litigated Jury Trial case involving the District Court not allowing reimbursement to a landowner in an eminent domain case of certain appraisal fees where two appraisers conducted appraisals of the property but only one testified in court. *** Appellate Decsion Issued in December 2008 in favor of the landowner Reversing Trial Court's Decision and remanding the matter for assessment of the appraisal fees against the Department and Further awarding the landowner its appellate attorney fees on the appeal - An Administrative Law Appeal involving Federal Relocation Benefits where a displaced residential landowner in an eminent domain case has appealed a relocation award based on an alleged irrational application of a ratio method in setting the amount of the award. The Relocation Board issued its decision affirming the actions of the Oklahoma Department Of Transportation. The matter is now on appeal to the District Court Of Rogers County from this administrative decision. - An appeal of a District Court Case involving the issue of whether or not Commissioners in an eminent domain case may be reappointed for an amended Report Of Commissioners outside of the statutory 30 day time period for challenging the validity of the Report in the original proceeding. The appellate court affirmed the actions of the trial court. The matter is now the subject of a petition for cert. to the Supreme Court Of Oklahoma which was filed by the landowner.**** Supreme Court issued its decision in December 2008 in favor of the landowner Reversing the appellate court decision and the trial court decision vacating the trial court's order which allowed the second report of commissioners. - An appeal of a District Court Case involving the issue of whether or not an order for remittitur entered by the Court on Verdict of the Jury was proper. Case involved trial of an eminent domain case where verdict was in favor of landowner and verdict exceeded all testimony of appraisers in the case but was within the range of testimony offered by the landowner. DISCLAIMER: Materials on this website are provided for informational purposes only, do not constitute legal advice, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of K. Ellis Ritchie, P.C. "The Ritchie Law Firm" or any of its attorneys or clients, and are not guaranteed to be complete, correct, or up-to-date. This website is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between you and K. Ellis Ritchie, P.C. "The Ritchie Law Firm". You should not act or rely on information in this website without seeking the advice of an attorney. We would be pleased to communicate with you concerning legal matters, but we cannot do so until we first know that doing so would not create a conflict of interest. If you are intersted in having us represent you in a legal matter, the best way to initiate possible representation is to call our firm at the telephone number listed in this website. We will arrange to have you go through our conflict of interest procedures and following that put you directly in touch with the attorney and practice team best suited to handle the matter or refer you to another attorney. you may also communicate with us by email through the link located in the "Contact" section of this website. Please do not send us any confidential information until after you have received from us a written statement and executed fee agreement evidencing that we represent you in a matter. If you communicate with us through this website, by email or otherwise concerninga a legal matter for which we do not already represent you, your communication may not be treated as privileged or confidential. In some jurisdictions this website may be considered advertising. We do not desire to represent clints based upon their review of portions of this website that may not comply with legal or ethical requirements. The internet web links in this site are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that our firm sponsors, endorses, is affilated or associated with, or is legally authorized to use any trade name, registdered trademark, logo, legal or official seal, or copyrighted symbol that may be reflected therein. To the extent the state bar rules of a jurisdiction require us to designate a principal office and/or a single attorney responsible for this website, the office located at Pryor, Oklahoma and K. Ellis Ritchie are designated.

Cases:

State of Oklahoma, ex rel. Department of Transportation v. North Yale Auto Parts, Inc.