John C. Roach

Appellate Advocacy:

• Hughes v. UPS Supply Chain Sols., Inc., 677 S.W.3d 273 (Ky. 2023). 
• Ward v. Westerfield, 653 S.W.3d 48 (Ky. 2022).
• Auslander Properties, LLC v. Nalley, 558 S.W.3d 457 (Ky. 2018).
• Grimes v. GHSW Enterprises, LLC, 556 S.W.3d 576 (Ky. 2018).
• 2051782 Ontario Ltd. v. Mackey, No. 2018-CA-001328-MR, 2019 WL 4894535 (Ky. App. Oct. 4, 2019).

Arbitration:

• Presided in over fifty arbitrations. Experienced as an arbitrator in commercial, labor and employment cases. 
• Recent representative matters: FLSA wage and hour actions, workers' compensation retaliation, age discrimination, disability discrimination, FMLA, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge in violation of public policy, non-competition clauses and commercial disputes including director indemnification/advancement, breach of fiduciary duties and breach of contract. 

Equine Law:

• Lead counsel in the stallion syndication of PIONEER OF THE NILE, sire of Triple Crown Winner and Breeders’ Cup Champion AMERICAN PHAROAH.
• Outside General Counsel for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

Corporate transactions:

• Corporate counsel for Bluegrass Hospitality Group.
• Corporate counsel for Harrison Memorial Hospital.
• Corporate counsel for Activate Games.
• Represented dermatology practice in sale transaction.
• Represented oral and maxillofacial practice in sale transaction.
• Represented purchaser of veterinarian practice.
• Represented funeral home in multiple acquisitions.

Commercial Leases:

Successfully negotiated over fifty commercial leases for Breakout Games and Activate Games.

  After first serving as a law clerk for U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Senior Judge Pierce Lively, John moved to Washington, D.C. to join Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P where he focused in Corporate and Securities practice.  After his return to Kentucky, he became a partner at Ransdell, Roach & Wier, PLLC, based in Lexington. During his five years with the firm, John had a diverse legal practice, with an emphasis in civil rights and commercial litigation. He also appeared as counsel in 14 jury trials, and successfully argued cases before the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Kentucky Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In 2003, John became General Counsel to Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. He was later appointed by Governor Fletcher to the Kentucky Supreme Court. While on the Supreme Court John authored more than 20 published majority opinions, including Patterson v. Blair, S.W.3d 361 (Ky. 2005)(defining the contours of vicarious liability under Kentucky law for intentional torts); Williams v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., S.W.3d 492 (Ky. 2005)(extensive analysis of McDonnell Douglas framework to Kentucky employment discrimination claims); and Knotts v. Zurich Ins. Co., S.W.3d 512 (Ky. 2006)(important bad faith case establishing the standards for admissibility of post-filing conduct by an insurer). After his tenure on the Kentucky Supreme Court, John returned to private practice.

University of Kentucky College of Law J.D., with high distinction, 1992 Order of the Coif (admission restricted to top 10 percent of graduating class) 

Recipient of the Faculty Cup (most outstanding graduate) Articles Editor for the Kentucky Law Journal 

Washington and Lee University B.A., magna cum laude, 1989 Majors in Economics and European History 

  Admitted in Kentucky, District of Columbia, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky 

  John, a native of Frankfort, lives in Lexington with his wife Maria.  His two children, Catherine and Bennett, graduated from Washington & Lee University.  John and his wife attend Apostles Anglican Church. John has also served on the Board of Directors of the Lexington Christian Academy.

Direct Dial:  (859) 554-3672