• December 13, 2017

It is infrequent that we use the Minnesota Litigator blog for downright self-promotion because (1) attorney-client confidentiality concerns often prohibit it; (2) we assume our readers are not interested; or (3) “other reasons” (for example, the “win” is too complicated to explain, publication is inconsistent with our business/marketing strategy, etc.).

On the other hand, from time to time, we make exceptions and we do today.

Mr. Nathan C. McGuire, a now-former Woodbury High School (“WHS”) girls basketball coach, sued several parents of students on the WHS j.v. and varsity girls basketball team for defamation and alleged knowing or reckless false reports of maltreatment of minors under Minn. Stat. 626.556, Subd. 5. (He also sued the school district unsuccessfully.)

He lost — that is, unless and until he elects to appeal and then prevails on appeal.

We represented a defendant in Mr. McGuire’s lawsuit and we recently won a motion for summary judgment on the threshold of trial.

[Ed. Note Revision/Update: Former LEVENTHAL pllc attorney Brandon Meshbesher (who can now be found here) did the heavy-lifting and deserves the credit.]

The case highlights a point that retired Magistrate Judge Keyes made in his recent Minnesota Litigator profile:

For most people, in the course of their lives, they may have one exposure to the legal system, and it’ll be something that they and their families will remember forever, for generations to come. It becomes so easy for us to think, it’s just another day at the office, it’s just another case, and to lose sight of how important that is. Maybe you lose sight because there aren’t a lot of dollars involved, or because we think that the matter that we had before us that day just isn’t that important, but everything really is.

This was not a big case for LEVENTHAL pllc. This was not a giant win for the law firm. On the other hand, for our client, this was a big case, a giant win, and I hope we never lose sight of that.

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