It’s hard to imagine a Hopkinsville attorney who could inspire such a mix of heartfelt stories, humorous memories, good laughter — and praise — as Ken Haggard, who was memorialized this week at the Christian County Justice Center.
“He never shied away from a fight,” said Circuit Judge Andrew Self, who practiced with Haggard early in their careers. “He frequently could be seen running toward the fight — and if the truth be told, most of the time, he started the fight.”
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Another attorney, Jason Holland, remembered Haggard’s bravado. Soon after they met, Holland told someone, “I don’t know if this guy can actually take over the world, but he sure acts like he thinks he can.”
But Holland, along with attorney Sands Chewning, also recalled Haggard’s generosity as a mentor.
“He took me under his wing,” said Chewning, who described how Haggard offered to answer any questions he had about the unique challenges of a sole practice.
“When he said something, you could write it down. You didn’t have to send an email to back it up,” said Chewning.
Haggard died on Jan. 30, 2024, during a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands with his wife, LeiAndra. He was 65 years old and had been practicing law in Hopkinsville for 40 years. He was best known as a plaintiff’s attorney in personal injury cases but also represented clients in criminal cases and in family court. Several years before his death, Haggard’s son, Robbie Haggard, had joined his practice.
Ben Fletcher, representing the Christian County Bar Association, organized the ceremony and invited several attorneys to speak about Haggard. Fletcher read a proclamation highlighting Haggard’s career and personal life.
“He has a great family,” said Fletcher. “Really and truly, that’s probably one of the nicest things you can say about somebody is that they have a great family, a loving family.”
Self recalled a civil case in the summer of 1990 that seemed to sum up Haggard’s personality and approach to trial work. He was representing a family whose 15-year-old son, a newspaper delivery boy, suffered a broken arm when a Pepsi vending machine tipped and fell on him at Driftwood Apartments.
Haggard had asked Self to assist him in the case. At the time, they were young colleagues of attorneys Bill Deatherage and Doug Myers.
Self recalled that the teen was not a likeable client, but Haggard had a “soft spot” for an elder in the family who wanted to sue the vending machine company. And it was a bonus that six previous cases around the country, similar to the Hopkinsville suit, had all ended in favor of the vending companies. Haggard saw a challenge.
During the trial, the vending machine was set up in the old courtroom at the Christian County Courthouse. When a manager for the local vending company appeared to struggle to move the machine at all during the trial, Haggard himself had to make the point.
So Self suggested that Haggard push the machine through a wall, and he was able to get it rocking to make his point to the jury.
The jury awarded Haggard’s client a few thousand dollars for medical expenses and $1,000 for pain and suffering. The size of the award was a disappointment, but Haggard was able to say he had gotten the first verdict in favor of a plaintiff against Pepsi. (Read Haggard’s comments in the Kentucky New Era here and here.
Today, many vending machines have a warning label that says tipping or rocking the machine may “result in injury or death.”
Self observed, “I’m not saying that Ken is solely responsible for those warning labels these days …”
LeiAndra Haggard quickly added, “Oh, he did,” which prompted the biggest round of laughter during Monday’s ceremony.
“But I’m not saying he’s not,” Self finished.
Following Monday’s ceremony, a chair used by attorneys in Self’s courtroom now has a small plaque that reads, “Kenneth R. Haggard — 1984-2024.”
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
