Kenneth N. Ralston

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Ken is a seasoned litigator who handles complex commercial cases, wrongful death and personal injury cases, contractual disagreements, and environmental litigation. Ken’s tireless dedication to his clients has resulted in numerous victories in the courtroom and favorable resolutions for his clients before trial. Ken’s clients have recovered millions of dollars as a result of his efforts. In 2022, Ken was a core part of the G&K trial team which secured the State of Arizona an $85 million settlement in its consumer fraud case against Google.

Understanding the common need for a swift resolution, Ken is adept at looking for solutions that save time and resources. When early resolution is not a viable option, Ken has successfully filed and argued motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgement, and motions to exclude key opposing experts. Victories at these stages have resulted in Ken’s clients securing favorable results that were not available to them earlier.

Ken has also worked in the firm’s environmental practice, where he advised clients on issues related to hazardous waste disposal, cleanup, cost recovery, pesticide use, and compliance with regulations associated with radioactive materials disposal. Ken litigates environmental cases in federal court, including in front of Federal Courts of Appeal for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits.

During law school, Ken interned for the Honorable Kathleen M. O’Malley on the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Honorable John J. Tuchi at the District Court of Arizona.

After graduating from law school, Ken achieved one of the top three scores on the Arizona Uniform Bar Examination.

See Kenneth’s profile on our main website.

Representative Cases

Obtained a Proposed $15 Billion Settlement from Chemical Manufacturers in Tort Product Liability Suit
Kevin Neal and Ken Ralston were local counsel in a multi-district litigation that resulted in a $15 billion settlement. The firm represented the City of Tucson, Town of Marana, and City of Mesa, in a groundwater contamination and tort products liability case against multiple chemical manufacturers, including 3M Company, in City of Tucson, et al. v. 3M Company, et al. The terms of the proposed settlement are being reviewed by the court and pending approval.
Obtained Favorable Result from U.S. Supreme Court in Whistleblower’s False Claims Act Case
Kevin Neal and Ken Ralston obtained a major victory before the U.S. Supreme Court in Olhausen v. Arriva Medical, LLC, U.S. Kevin and Ken represent a former employer of Arriva Medical who brought suit alleging that Arriva, Abbott Laboratories, and Alere were defrauding the government by submitting false claims to Medicare, resulting in Medicare paying the companies upwards of $100 million. The trial judge dismissed the case and the Court of Appeals affirmed. But, in a major victory for whistleblowers, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded the case to the Eleventh Circuit.
Obtained record-setting $85M settlement for State of Arizona in consumer fraud case against Google.
Gallagher & Kennedy attorneys Kevin D. Neal and Kenneth N. Ralston successfully represented the State of Arizona and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in the lawsuit against Google for deceptive and unfair practices involving user location data. Lead counsel Kevin Neal and senior associate Ken Ralston obtained the $85 million settlement – the largest amount per capita the internet giant has paid in a privacy lawsuit of its kind – from Google to settle claims brought against the company under the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act in State of Arizona v. Google.

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers in America® Ones To Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2024; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2024

Press Releases

Other

Certifications
Patent Agent, September 2014

Just recently finished settling from an auto accident that was a little over 2 years ago, Gallagher & Kennedy represented me and as far as everything goes, I don’t really have any complaints, however I did feel like at times there could of been some more communication with me and letting me know what was going on. Glad everything is finally over and I can move on. Would recommend their law firm to represent you if you want very professional people.

NV ALANGoogle

Over the past decade, Gallagher & Kennedy has built a strong team of personal injury attorneys. The firm’s roster has expanded in the past year, adding some of Arizona’s top legal practitioners in the personal injury field. This has positioned G&K to be Arizona’s premiere personal injury law firm with the capacity to support any legal issue clients may encounter. Knowing this team of attorneys, I cannot recommend G&K highly enough to help with all personal injury needs.

BRANDON D.Google

Great experience with Matt [Boatman] and his team they made a stressful situation very comfortable an easy hands on experience for me. Thank you again.

Kat SumterGoogle

Gallagher & Kennedy [attorneys] are consummate professionals and relentless in their efforts to win. Opponents have to work twice as hard when facing G&K.

ANONYMOUSBest Lawyers Client Review

Approximately a year and a half ago, my son was hit by an SUV while walking on the shoulder of a road; he suffered from multiple serious injuries while also sustaining horrific brain trauma. As his mother, I could only hope and pray that he would survive this disturbing event. I was in a state of extreme emotional disbelief being in a position of uncertainty regarding the life of my son. Even if he survived, the uncertainty of the quality of the rest of his life had still proven to be a permanent scar within my mind. This uncertainty was so great, that I had decided to speak to a legal council. By the grace of God, I had thankfully found the most compassionate and intelligent legal team available to me. This legal team had been under the company known as Gallagher & Kennedy Injury Lawyers. Shannon Clark and Eleanor Shaffer were my angels straight from Heaven, blessing me with the promise of legal stability and representation that I had longed for since the incident. They have been there for my entire family throughout this traumatic experience. I can say without hesitation that they have shown the kind of compassion and concern that I desperately needed, which was more than I could have ever hoped for. They had provided attention to the legal aspects of this situation, of which I could not provide because my attention was focused towards the recovery of my son. They had given me the support and care that I had needed in order to push on through this painful event. I can vouch for them in saying that they did not take on this case simply for financial gain, but for moral reasons. If you ever need an attorney to walk you through a case involving an injury, these are the people that you need to contact! They put the victim and their family above all else. God bless everyone at Gallagher & Kennedy who provided all the support and aid to my son, as well as my family.

Mother and Family of Robert

Practice Areas

Education

Arizona State University
J.D., summa cum laude, 2017
Order of the Coif, Salutatorian
University of Washington
B.S., Biochemistry, 2013

Bar & Court Admissions

Arizona 2017