Minnesota Litigator
News & Commentary
Do not consider the blog to be a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
Minnesota Lawyers & Disaster Preparedness
Do you have an hour or so to spare to address the remote risk of serious catastrophe? The small investment in time might pay off big time some day. Minnesota Lawyers Mutual has produced four presentations on Disaster Preparation and Recovery for its new online service, Ten Minute Tutor: Lessons Learned and Smart Technologies Your Insurance […]
Whistle Blown on Tweeter
Update (April 7, 2011): Minnpost covers defendants’ answer (and posts the actual formal answer). Original post (March 16, 2011): An AP Reporter Jon Krawcynski and the Associated Press are before U.S. District Court Judge John R. Tunheim (D. Minn.) because NBA Ref William H. Spooner takes exception to a Krawcynski tweet which seemed to suggest […]
“Option to Renew” or “Option to Extend”?
Old rock stars have to deal with hearing damage (or worse). Miners may encounter respiratory issues due to their years of breathing in coal dust (or worse). Many careers come with occupational hazards, of course. Where is the longitudinal study to determine the mental health implications of lawyers’ work? Maybe this is not something one […]
“It’s not only laughable, it’s absolutely reprehensible.”
Update (April 7, 2011): Many will enjoy this little taste of retired U.S. District Court Judge James Rosenbaum (D. Minn.), reported this week by LegalNewsline. Original Post (March 15, 2011): CAFA, Timing for Removal, Eighth Circuit “Emergency Opinion”
Minnesota Airport Disaster (A Financial Disaster, That Is)
Update #2 (April 5, 2011): DeCook v. Rochester International Airport Joint Zoning Board, a Minnesota Supreme Court decision issued last week, represents a sonic boom that may shake and rattle Minnesota Airport commissions and municipalities for some time to come (previous related posts, after the jump). A $170,000 diminution in value in a piece of […]
Testimony “Laced With Attempts to Mislead, Obfuscate, and Prevaricate…”
Minnesota Litigator (“ML”) normally steers clear of news and commentary on issues of family law, as outside the areas of practice of its principal author. This is unfortunate because family law is undoubtedly, along with employment law (now the subject of ML guest posts by T.J. Conley), one of the most heavily lawyered aspects of life […]
Cypress Picks The District of Minnesota to Sue GSI
The Wall Street Journal and many trade publications report the filing of Cypress Semiconductor’s complaint against GSI Technology, Inc., in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Why does one Silicon Valley, CA company would sue another Silicon Valley, CA company in Minnesota? That’s between Cypress and their lawyers, led by Michael Florey […]
Does the University of Minnesota Have First Amendment Rights? A Win for Academic Freedom
Update #2 (4/2/2011): Defendants’ motion to dismiss was granted on March 30. Update (1/11/11): As covered by The Armenian Weekly, the University of Minnesota has filed a motion to dismiss the suit brought against the University and others (e.g., Robert Bruininks and Prof. Bruno Chaouat) related to the controversy of whether or not there was […]
More Stuff They Don’t Teach in Law School…
Microbreweries have been around for thirty years or so. The rise of the “virtual lawyer” may be considered microlawfirms, which are experiencing their own heyday. There is, in short, a trend throughout the country of shrinking large firms and an increasing number of smaller practices and solo practices. (See, here, here, here, here, here, or here […]
Plaintiffs have great difficulty proving failure to accommodate religious beliefs
The decision today by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in Harrell v. Donahue re-affirms the difficulty which employees have in proving that their employers failed to accommodate their religious beliefs. In particular, employers are not required to take any action that would violate the terms of an applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement, nor anything that has […]