Minnesota Litigator

News & Commentary

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Susan Gaertner to Gray Plant Mooty

A coup for GPM, landing the former Ramsey County Attorney.

The Unforeseen Sequelae of a Judge’s Dislike of Aggressive Cross-Examination

Sequelae:  “any abnormal condition that follows and is the result of a disease, treatment, or injury, such as paralysis after poliomyelitis…” Or a formal complaint against a judge that follows and is the result of the court’s chastising a lawyer for his scathing cross-examination of a police officer? Clearly Washington County District Court Judge Gregory Galler […]

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Minnesota Litigator wishes you a happy and safe Valentine’s Day!

Redgrave LLP on E-Discovery: Proportionality, Privilege, Preservation, & Privacy

Redgrave LLP is a nationally recognized authority on issues related to electronic discovery but the boutique firm’s roots are in Minneapolis.  Jonathan Redgrave, now in Washington, D.C., went to the University of Minnesota for law school and, back in the day, was a principal at the Minneapolis law firm of Gray Plant Mooty.   Redgrave […]

When is insurance not insurance? Allen v. Burnet Realty Pends Before the Minnesota Supreme Court

Plaintiff former Burnet Realty real estate agent Timothy Allen, through counsel, Robert W. Biederman (formerly in Dallas, Texas with Hubbard & Beiderman, LLP but recently moved to the San Francisco firm of Steyer Lowenthal Boodrookas Alvarez & Smith LLP) (and locally through the Briol & Assocs. PLLC), sought Minnesota Supreme Court review of the Court of […]

Chipotle Restaurants, Por Aqui o Para Llevar?

Sometimes kids say the darnedest things.  The child of a friend of Minnesota Litigator asked a parent on a recent visit to a Twin Cities Chipotle restaurant something along these lines — “Where are all the Mexicans?” — because Chipotle’s Mexican fare had always been served up by latino workers on the child’s previous visits. […]

Suing Over Cruise Control for Motorcycles

St. Paul, Minnesota-based Takonix, Inc., has brought a preemptive “patent non-infringement” suit against Oregon-based Brakeaway Products, Inc. — competitors in the technology of motorcycle “cruise control” in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (before U.S. Dist. Ct. Judge Ann D. Montgomery).  (BTW, who’s selling these guys products liability insurance? What kinds of premiums???) […]

Conventional Wisdom & Motions in Limine: Insignia v. News Settled

Update (2/10/11):  News settles with Insignia after one day of trial for $125 million.  Congratulations to the lawyers of the Chicago office of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, counsel for Insignia, which had to fight every step of the way in this multiyear litigation.  Insignia’s CEO, Scott Drill, is a poker player but there was […]

Fighting Discrimination Against the Rich & Powerful

From time to time, rich and powerful corporations are treated differently and, as far as they are concerned, unfairly.  They are forced to go to court, stand up, and fight for their rights. Imagine you reached a deal with the people of Minnesota to get “forest protection payments” of $16/acre for your thousands of acres […]

“Because that’s where the money is…”

Bank robber “Slick Willy” Sutton is reputed to have responded to a reporter’s question, “Why do you rob banks?” by answering, “Because that’s where the money is…”   Makes sense. Is Douglas Kelley, Trustee in the Petters Fraud Litigation, taking a page out of that playbook, bringing a suit against J.P. Morgan Chase to try […]