Ryan Leagre

Practice Areas

Business

COVID-19 Resources and Information

Insurance Coverage

Litigation

Real Estate

Career

Ryan Leagre concentrates his practice in the areas of insurance recovery and coverage litigation, commercial real estate disputes, and complex commercial litigation, including environmental cost recovery actions. Ryan also counsels businesses and property owners with respect to the purchase and sale of commercial real estate, with a focus on properties that have unique environmental concerns.

Ryan has experience pursuing insurance coverage for a wide variety of claims, including longtail environmental liabilities, asbestos claims, malpractice, cyber-attacks, defamation, homeowners’ claims involving storm damage and other first party losses, and towing bills under commercial auto policies. Ryan focuses a large part of his practice on representing towing companies. In this role, he helps towing companies recover the costs of responding to accidents, which often involves negotiations and litigation against trucking companies and their insurers. He also helps his towing clients navigate the statutes and ordinances that regulate the towing industry.

Ryan also has extensive experience doing insurance archeology work. This includes searching for and locating historical insurance policies, which can provide a source of funding for longtail environmental claims. Once located, Ryan has successfully pursued claims under these historical policies and recovered funds to help the firm’s clients pay for the investigation and remediation of contaminated properties.

Ryan is an active associate member of the Indiana Towing and Wrecker Association (ITWA). He is also an active member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, where he has served on the Executive Committee of the Insurance Coverage Section for the last five years.

Prior to joining Plews Shadley Racher & Braun, Ryan was a Teach For America Corps Member and taught high school science for two years in Chicago.

Professional Memberships

Indianapolis, Bar Association, Insurance Coverage Section, Executive Committee (2017-2023), Chair (2018), Vice Chair, Education (2019-2023)

2016 Community Justice Academy, Participant

Publications

2024 | Speaking Engagement: Indybar CLE, “Insurance Coverage Case Law Update – 2023 Year End Review”

2022 | Speaking Engagement: Presenter, Indybar CLE Panel, Intersection of Insurance and Education Law

2018 | Speaking Engagement: Presenter, IndyBar CLE Panel, E-Discovery in Insurance Coverage Litigation

2016 | Speaking Engagement: Presenter, The New Overtime Rule, Indiana Petroleum Marketers Association’s 2016 HR Compliance Seminar

2015 | Publication: The Dreaded Pre-Tender Issue: Indiana Courts Should Reconsider Whether Pre-Tender Costs are Recoverable, Indiana Law Review Blog, April 23, 2015.

2014 | Publication: “Community-Based Tax Credits: Tax Credits that Reduce Consumer-Driven Pollution by Encouraging Collective Action,” Indiana Law Review, Volume 47, Issue 3 (2014)

2013 | Publication: Co-Author, Pre-Tender Costs Should Be Recoverable Absent Prejudice, American Bar Association Environmental Litigation Winter Newsletter, 2013

Personal

Wabash College Class Agent, Class of 2008 (2024)

URBAN ACT Academy, Founding Board Member, Chair of Academic Excellence Committee (2017-2023)

Expert in these Jurisdictions

State of Indiana, 2014

United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 2014

United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, 2014

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2019

Experience

Frequently represents towing companies in actions to recover the costs of responding to large accidents, often times involving spills of hazardous materials

Assists commercial landlords and commercial property managers in lease disputes with tenants, including eviction proceedings

Represents homeowners in pursuing insurance claims related to storm damage and other first party property losses, including securing the right to a prompt and fair appraisal

Presently pursuing insurance coverage on behalf of a manufacturing company for alleged asbestos liabilities

Successfully pursued insurance coverage on behalf of a former oil refinery for environmental liabilities under commercial general liability policies

Represented a law firm seeking insurance coverage for claims of malpractice under a professional liability insurance policy

Represented a physician-inventor seeking unpaid royalties for medical products arising from multiple royalty agreements and participated in a 4-week trial that resulted in a $112M jury verdict in favor of our client

Languages Spoken

English

Education

Awards