Minnesota

Man accused of threatening lives of federal judge and FBI on Twitter gets probation

After being held nearly three months behind bars without bail, a Minnesota man accused of threatening the lives of a federal judge and FBI agents on Twitter took a plea Tuesday morning as his case was about to go to trial. Originally charged with felonies that could have put him…

Mar 8, 2016 2:30 PM CST

Prosecutor’s failure to warn witness about inadmissible evidence was harmless error, court says

A prosecutor’s alleged failure to properly prepare a murder witness for trial, resulting in his reference to threats that had been excluded as evidence, did not require a new trial for the man who was convicted in the killing, the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled. The alleged misconduct in the…

Mar 4, 2016 11:27 AM CST

Despite conflict, Covington can represent Minnesota in major enviro suit against 3M, judge rules

A five-year legal battle over which law firm will represent the state of Minnesota in a major environmental case against 3M Co. has put the parties back where they were when the case began in 2010. Covington & Burling will continue to represent Minnesota, despite a conflict concerning the law…

Feb 9, 2016 2:45 PM CST

Former general counsel will receive $850K for alleged defamation by his onetime employer

A former general counsel will receive $850,000 as a result of a lawsuit that contended his former company defamed him in a statement that wrongly implied he was replaced as a remedial measure in a penny stock probe. Jurors in Hennepin County, Minnesota, awarded the lawyer, Chet Taylor, $600,000 in…

Feb 3, 2016 9:23 AM CST

How a lawyer devoted to clear writing can make a difference

The moral of the story: Statutes, ordinances and rules are largely a mess in this country—and often highly misleading. Now for the story.

The year is 2012. You're a lawyer in Minneapolis. You learn that libraries everywhere are "deaccessioning" books to reduce the "clutter" on shelf space, and you're concerned. You're also committed to the idea that all politics is local. As a public-minded citizen, you discover late one night that the Minneapolis City Charter provides for a nine-member library board—three ex-officio members being the mayor, the president of the board of education and the president of the University of Minnesota.

Feb 1, 2016 2:20 AM CST

Judge refuses to block Black Lives Matter protest at Mall of America because of jurisdictional issue

A Minnesota judge has refused to block a Mall of America demonstration on Wednesday by Black Lives Matter, despite finding that the mall is private property that can bar activity hostile to its business. In a decision on Tuesday, Judge Karen Janisch said she could not issue an injunction against…

Dec 23, 2015 7:28 AM CST

Fox Rothschild to acquire 82-attorney Oppenheimer firm

As of Jan. 1, the 82 lawyers at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly will be operating under a new banner. The Minneapolis-based firm is being acquired by 700-attorney Fox Rothschild, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports. “Establishing a strong presence in the upper Midwest is an important component in Fox’s overall…

Dec 14, 2015 4:30 PM CST

Top state court nixes conviction based on testimony by anger-management therapist

A therapist for a man in court-ordered anger management counseling did nothing wrong by reporting that the client wanted to hurt a child protection worker he blamed for standing in the way of the reunion he sought with his children. But the therapist should not have been allowed to testify…

Dec 9, 2015 5:00 PM CST

Judge rejects Chapter 13 filing by lawyer known for porn-downloading lawsuits

Already under fire from legal ethics authorities concerning a once-profitable litigation business targeting individual porn downloaders, a Minnesota lawyer is now facing new trouble. A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday rejected a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition by attorney Paul Hansmeier. The judge found Hansmeier had been dishonest with the court…

Dec 4, 2015 11:00 AM CST

4 men charged with felonies in the shooting of 5 protesters in Minneapolis

Prosecutors filed felony charges today against four men allegedly involved in the Nov. 23rd shooting of five people who were near a Minneapolis police station to protest the police shooting of a black man, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors say Allen Lawrence Scarsella, 23, fired the shots that left five…

Nov 30, 2015 3:45 PM CST

Senior judge reprimanded for Facebook posts about his trials

A senior judge in Minnesota was reprimanded Friday for posting on Facebook about trials he was overseeing. The reprimand (PDF) issued by the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards said the posts by Judge Edward Bearse cast doubt on his impartiality and violated rules requiring jurists to be “dignified and courteous…

Nov 20, 2015 4:10 PM CST

Ethics complaint accuses lawyer who pursued porn downloaders of evasive testimony, money maneuvers

An ethics complaint accuses a Minneapolis lawyer of testifying falsely and failing to pay attorney fees assessed against him in connection with hundreds of suits he filed to pursue porn downloaders. The Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board is seeking suspension or disbarment for the lawyer, Paul Hansmeier, report MPR News,…

Nov 18, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Advocate urges group homes to balance disabled residents’ intimacy needs with safety concerns

In an effort to protect adult residents of Minnesota group homes who have intellectual or cognitive disabilities, emotional issues and/or mental illness, those in charge routinely restrict activities that could lead to or include unsupervised sex. But those restrictions may also limit residents’ legitimate need for intimacy. A number of…

Nov 12, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Missing sisters could be hidden in underground network run by family court critics, police say

Two missing teens from Lakeville, Minnesota, may be hidden by an underground network that distrusts family courts, according to a police officer investigating the case. Police Lt. Jason Polinski tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the people who last saw the girls had an anti-government, anti-family court attitude. He believes…

Nov 5, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Lawyer suspended for conduct ‘far beyond a lack of civility’ by top state court

The Minnesota Supreme Court has rejected a recommendation of a reprimand and imposed a 60-day suspension on a lawyer accused of yelling at court staffers and wrongly claiming a judge was trying to set her up. The lawyer, Lynne Torgerson, was suspended in an Oct. 21 per curiam opinion (PDF).…

Oct 27, 2015 5:45 AM CDT