Update (October 20, 2016): Here is the Shattuck school’s response to the motion for one trial by three plaintiffs, all allegedly sexually abused by the same Shattuck teacher (I discuss plaintiffs’ motion to consolidate in the original post): From Shattuck’s perspective, the Motion to Consolidate for Trial is a prejudicial attempt to create a montage of a […]

Most lay people and many novice litigators do not know what “pleadings” are. I did not know when I started practicing in the year of the first flip phone, the Motorola StarTAC, and 20 years B.T. (before the reign of Emperor Trump the Terrible). When I started working as a lawyer, the firms where I worked kept “pleadings” in a “pleadings folder” […]

Be the first person to name the courthouse and win a $10 gift card. (Put the answer in a comment to this post.) (And, no, this was not a set from the dystopian movie classic, Brazil,  but maybe it could have been.)

Update (October 14, 2016): The Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) brought suit against Mr. Louks for securities fraud in September 2015. The SEC accuses Mr. Louks of defrauding some 90 “investors” in FiberPoP, a bogus “investment opportunity.” This is a civil action, not a criminal prosecution. Therefore, Mr. Louks is not entitled to the appointment […]

I recently posted about an 81-page complaint that U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz (D. Minn.) threw out of court, finding it to have been a violation of Rule 8, the federal rule requiring that complaints be “short” and “plain.” What about a 48-page complaint in a class action? Too long? Too short? Plaintiffs […]

Update (October 5, 2016): From time to time, I brag about Minnesota Litigator successful predictions (here and here, for example). In fairness to readers, I have to fess up and take my lumps when my predictions fail. I thought that Exergy’s defenses to Fagen’s lawsuit were worse than anemic from the get-go but U.S. District Court Judge […]

Update (October 5, 2016): To the list of large Minnesota law firm blogs in the original post, below, you can now add Robins Kaplan! At least, as of today, Robins Kaplan is disseminating an email allowing people like me to “subscribe” to their blog posts. Judging from the fare on the Robins Kaplan site as of […]

Update (October 5, 2016): U.S. District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery (D. Minn.) denied Shattuck-St. Mary School’s motion for summary judgment and its motion to exclude Plaintiff’s expert today. The only “success” that the school might celebrate is that Judge Montgomery agreed with U.S. Mag. Judge Steven E. Rau’s determination that two of the plaintiffs […]

The Star Tribune reported last week that John V. Heath, “an Edina financial advisor,” pleaded guilty to stealing money from an elderly client incapacitated with dementia. He set up an email account, “hereistrouble@gmail.com” as part of the scheme. Indeed. As a civil litigator, what I find worth noting about Heath’s fraud is that Wings Financial, Mr. Heath’s bank, […]

Update (September 28, 2016): Could Wells Fargo v. United States, discussed in several posts below, actually go to trial at the end of October? Sure seems like it. The Bank and the Feds have been litigating the case for 6+ years, which would have allowed several opportunities for settlement along the way. The linked correspondence from […]