The business of law has never been as cut-throat and dollar-driven as it is today. Take Exhibit A: DeWitt LLP v. Anderson. Apparently, in late 2015, the DeWitt law firm, with offices in Minneapolis, Madison, Wisconsin, and Brookfield, Wisconsin hired a recruiting firm and poached attorney Susan L. Anderson from the Minneapolis law firm of […]

The career of former Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce is an inspiring 21st century story. Mike has enjoyed decades of success in the public and the private sectors and now is running his own law firm. (You can find a chronology of his career, with its many highlights, here, and information about Rothman […]

There is a widespread consensus among civil litigators that plaintiffs generally prefer state court and defendants prefer federal court. However, in our experience, it is always prudent to question all “widespread consensuses,” by which we simply mean it is always good to think independently and critically rather than blindly accepting “common sense” or “consensus.” Having […]

Update (September 13, 2019): As regular readers know, Minnesota Litigator predicts outcomes of pending court decisions from time to time. Below, we discuss Kedrowski v. Lycoming, a significant, hard-fought, and close case arising out of a serious physical injury in a plane crash. We predicted a result as the case was considered by the Minnesota […]

“In loco parentis” is Latin and is literally translated “in the place of a parent.” It is a concept that dates back to old English law if not centuries earlier than that (see here at p.6). When are school teachers acting “in the place of a parent” and what does that mean? What are the […]

Update (September 9, 2019): Has the hot air in Streambend Properties v. Ivy Tower Minneapolis finally breathed its last breath? (Please allow us a mixed metaphor from time to time.) In the linked 6/3/19 petition for Minnesota Supreme Court review of the dismissal of the Plaintiff’s claims (affirmed by the intermediate court of appeals), Plaintiff […]

The ethics of legal blogging are somewhat hazy. (In the linked post, for example, a lawyer comments on the fact that the ABA appears to hold the position that a lawyer cannot disclose already public facts about a client’s case without the client’s consent.) That being the case and LEVENTHAL pllc having previously represented a […]

Every year since 1894, as we head into coming school year, the United States of America has celebrated American workers. These days, there are persistent, ubiquitous, and dire warnings that their days are numbered. It seems that our jobs are less threatened by low wage off-shore workers, so feared over the past 30-40 years, than […]

Mr. Terrance Davis alleged that he was sexually abused by a priest, Father William Graham, and Mr. Davis brought a lawsuit against Father Graham arising out of the alleged sexual abuse. Not only did Father Graham vigorously deny Mr. Davis’ allegations. He sued Mr. Davis for interfering with his employment with St. Michael’s Parish in […]

Update (August 23, 2019): After three years of litigation, U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud (D. Minn.) ruled this week that Plaintiff Elizabeth Shank has no evidence of “deliberate indifference” by Carleton College in dealing with her alleged two rapes and, on that basis, awarded Carleton College summary judgment. The case is sad, to […]