Attorney filing Ragsdale lawsuit discusses allegations

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LEHI -- A lawsuit accuses a nurse practitioner, a doctor and a medical clinic of prescribing medications which led David Ragsdale to gun down his wife in a church parking lot.

The attorney filing the lawsuit held a press conference Tuesday morning to discuss the lawsuit, filed late Monday in Third District Court.

Attorney Tyler Young says he is going to try to show in court that David Ragsdale would not have killed his wife if he wasn't taking the prescription drugs. They were prescribed by a nurse practitioner, who never consulted with a doctor.

It was an argument that David Ragsdale and some of his family members made in the criminal case, but one now that an attorney appointed to represent the couple's children is asking.

The case goes back to a Sunday morning in January of 2008. David and Kristy Ragsdale were in the process of divorcing, and David Ragsdale approached his wife as she got out of a car with her mother to go to church. She was shot 13 times.

David Ragsdale turned himself into police and later took a plea deal, which left open the door for parole someday.

At the time of the shooting, the lawsuit alleges that Ragsdale was on a psychostimulant, a tranquilizer, two antidepressants and two steroids.

The lawsuit accuses the nurse practitioner, a supervising doctor and the medical clinic as being negligent in prescribing drugs, which pushed David Ragsdale over the edge.

Ragsdale case background

Jan. 6, 2008Woman shot to death outside church
Jan. 7, 2008 Court documents reveal incidents leading up to Lehi murder
Jan. 8, 2008 Investigators building case against murdered woman's husband
Jan. 9, 2008Two families speak publicly about woman gunned down in Lehi
Jan. 12, 2008 Lehi murder victim laid to rest
Jan. 15, 2008 Ragsdale makes first court appearance
Jan. 25, 2008 Documents show Ragsdale took several medications
Jan. 28, 2008 Charges filed against man accused of shooting his wife
Jan. 29, 2008 Ragsdale children to be cared for by grandmother
Feb. 14, 2008 Ragsdale family fights for custody of children
March 5, 2008 Accused murderer's sister blames crime on antidepressants
March 6, 2008 Doctors unsure if drug defense will work for Ragsdale
March 12, 2008 Mother of shooting victim speaks out
June 2, 2008 Ragsdale ordered to stand trial for wife's murder
Oct. 9, 2008 Man charged with murder ordered to pay $1 million
Nov. 26, 2008 Ragsdale pleads guilty
Jan. 30, 2009 Judge sentences Ragsdale to 20 years to life in prison
March 19, 2009 Recorded jail conversations shed new light on Utah County murder

"The complaint alleges that Mr. Ragsdale's conduct was a foreseeable result of the combination of the controlled substances he was prescribed," Young said. "The complaint asks for unspecified monetary damages, as well as punitive damages to punish conduct of what we feel was outrageous."

The suit is not being filed by David Ragsdale himself, nor his family members or the relatives of his wife. It is actually being pursued by a court-appointed attorney, Bill Jeffs, who is charged with looking out for the financial well-being of the couple's two young sons.

"The children are the plaintiffs," attorney Tyler Young said. "They're the only plaintiffs, and so the case goes to benefit the children."

With the children's mother dead and their father in jail, a conservator was appointed by a judge to look out for their interests just days after the shooting.

"The children are the plaintiffs," Young said. "They're the only plaintiffs, and so the case goes to benefit the children."

Jeffs was the person who decided to move forward with the claim -- not the boy's relatives, including their grandmother, Ann Palizzi. Palizzi is Kristy Ragsdale's mother and has custody of the children, ages 3 and 5.

The attorney says he is still duty bound to look out for their financial security. Jeffs has hired an injury law firm to pursue the lawsuit.

"I can tell you it was my decision," said Jeffs.

PCMC denies allegations that medications led to shooting

In a statement released on behalf of Pioneer Comprehensive Medical Clinic (PCMC), the clinic said, "While the events related to the murder of Kristy Ragsdale are tragic, PCMC firmly denies the allegation that Mr. Ragsdale's medication caused the alleged reaction. This is a case of personal responsibility where Mr. Ragsdale is solely responsible for the murder of his wife."

The statement went on to say, "The medical care received by Mr. Ragsdale at PCMC was exceptional and appropriate. Mr. Ragsdale's care was of the same degree other qualified health care providers would have provided under the same or similar circumstances. Mr. Ragsdale's medical care did not cause him to murder his wife." [Click here to read the complete statement.]

Young says he has spoken with Ragsdale about the lawsuit and Ragsdale agrees with what is being claimed.

David Ragsdale is in the state prison and won't have a parole hearing until 2038.

Young says it could be a lengthy process before the lawsuit is resolved. He guessed it could be in the court system for several years. He says if this case goes to a jury, he expects Ragsdale will be a witness.

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Story compiled with contributions from Sam Penrod and Randall Jeppesen.