Notable Cases

Sexual Harassment & Retaliation

Briel v. Chang O' Hara's Bistro, Inc., ($50,000 jury verdict, including $43,000 in punitive damages, in a hostile work environment, sex harassment and retaliation case).

Cline v. Costello ($1.5 million settlement of sex harassment claim, which is the largest reported settlement in an individual sexual harassment case in Minnesota history).

Doverspike v. Chang O'Haras Bistro Inc. (Jury verdict of $100,000.00 (plus fees and costs), in favor of employee in hostile work environment sex harassment and retaliation case).

Hansen v. Regency Corp., et al. (Sexual harassment case discussing the standard for future wage loss damages and awarding twelve years of such damages).

Luu v. Seagate Technology, Inc. ($1.2 million jury verdict for plaintiff who was retaliated against and terminated for reporting sexual harassment in the workplace).

Maule v. R. James Nicholson, Secretary, Dep't of Veterans Affairs (Jury verdict totaling over $700,000.00 in favor of employee in hostile work environment sex harassment/retaliation case).

Mennis v. Prime Hospitality Inc. d/b/a AmeriSuites (Defeating employer's motion for summary judgment in sex harassment/retaliation case even though main harasser had not been employed for several years, applying the continuing violations theory since there was more than one harasser).

Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz v. Hill (Successful dismissal of an employer's attempt to counter sue an employee after she sued for sexual harassment).

Portner et al v. CICA SA-BO, d/b/a Great Clips (Defeating employer's motion for summary judgment in sex harassment/retaliation case on behalf of three hair stylists).

Waag v. Thomas Pontiac (A successful case involving a sex harassment claim by a male employee against a male supervisor).

Discrimination

Bogie v. Synergy Resources (2007) (District Court rules that a plaintiff has a right to a jury trial in a Minnesota Human Rights Act case under the Minnesota Constitution.)

Hietala v. Real Estate Equities (Defeating employer's motion for summary judgment on an employee's claim for pregnancy discrimination).

Kammueller v. Loomis Fargo (An Eighth Circuit case reversing a district court's grant of summary judgment for the employer on an employee's claim for disability discrimination).

Korpi v. Hayden & Associates, Inc. (Affirmative summary judgment on a marital status discrimination claim).

Naatz v. Price Waterhouse Coopers ($1.65 million jury verdict in a failure to promote claim).

Lissick v. Merrill Corporation (Dismissing defendant's claimed affirmative defenses under Burlington Industries v. Ellerth and Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, in a sex discrimination case brought by a female employee).

Nieves, et al. v. IFP (First successful class action discrimination case in Minnesota involving English only rules in the workplace).

Overlie v. Owatonna Indep. Sch. Dist. No. 761 (Affirmative summary judgment for teachers alleging age discrimination).

Walsh v. National Computer Systems ($700,000 verdict and fees in hostile environment claim on behalf of woman who had recently given birth).

Whistleblowing

Bertagnoli v. Carlson Marketing Group, Inc. (The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment and found in favor of the employee in a whistleblower case).

Overtime and Minimum Wage

Bailey v. Ameriquest Mortg. Co. (Obtained order rejecting employer's attempt to compel arbitration and prevent collective action employees from pursuing their overtime case in court).

Casas v. Conseco Finance Corp. (Obtained $21 million settlement in class action case with over 2,200 plaintiffs for failure to pay overtime compensation).

Meyer  v. Best Western Seville Plaza Hotel (A seminal wage and hour case that resulted in an amendment to the Minnesota wage and hour statutes favorable to employees).

Smith, et al. v. Heartland Automotive Services, Inc. (Defeating employer's motion for summary judgment on claims by store managers for violations of the overtime laws).

Protected Leave

Vinitsky v. Minneapolis Federation of Jewish Services (Represents the first appellate decision on the Minnesota Medical Leave Act).

Shareholder and Consumer Rights

Doer v. ADH ($7.6 million trial court verdict in minority shareholder case).

Lynch v. Duly and Pommeville ($2.3 million trial verdict for breach of an oral contract in a shareholder matter).

ZumBerge v. Northern States Power Company ($1 million verdict in first significant Minnesota stray voltage case against power supplier).

Stewart, et al. v. CenterPoint Energy ($13.5 million settlement on behalf of over 2,500 low-income households who were left without heat during the winter of 2004-05 in violation of the Minnesota Cold Weather Rule).

Tortious Interference with Employment

Nordling v. Northern States Power Company (Established the right of in-house lawyers to sue for wrongful discharge in Minnesota).

Employee Privacy

Bucko v. First Minnesota (Established right of employees to recover punitive damages in employment lie detector case without proof of knowledge of the law by the defendant).

Kamrath v. Suburban National Bank (Established right of employees to recover emotional distress damages for being subjected to employment polygraph test without proof of physical injury).

Trade Secrets & Breach of Contract

Gorham v. Benson Optical (A case that clarified and expanded employee rights under the doctrine of promissory estoppel).

R. Edwin Powell v. MVE Holdings ($3.5 million trial court verdict for breach of an oral contract).

United Wild Rice, Inc. v. Nelson (Set the standard for trade secrets in the employment setting in Minnesota).

Defamation

Nicklow v. Menard, Inc. (Discusses the defamation standard in Minnesota in the employment setting).

Other Notable Cases

Lundman v. McKowan ($14.2 million jury verdict in the first wrongful death lawsuit against The First Church of Christ Scientist).