Minnesota

Top Minn. Court Says Franken Won Senate Race; Coleman Concedes

Democrat Al Franken edged out his Republican opponent in a hard-fought election for a U.S. Senate seat by 312 votes, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided today in a unanimous ruling expected to give the Democratic party a solid 60-seat majority. After the court’s decision, incumbent Norm Coleman conceded the race,…

Jun 30, 2009 8:14 PM CDT

Wife Faces Felony for Not Testifying Against Husband at Sex Assault Trial

A woman who is reported to have hidden from authorities rather than testify against her husband at a sexual assault trial last year has been charged with failing to appear in court. Virginia Juanita Briard, a 63-year-old grandmother from Frazee, Minn., was scheduled to appear at the December trial of…

Jun 25, 2009 10:12 AM CDT

Minn.‘s Gray Plant Mooty Temporarily Cuts Associate Pay By 10 Percent

Minneapolis-based Gray Plant Mooty tried to hold the line on associate pay cuts. But, beginning next week, its associate salaries will be reduced by 10 percent for the rest of the year, reports the Pioneer Press. First-year associates start at about $120,000, so even after the July 1 pay cut,…

Jun 24, 2009 5:37 PM CDT

Barnes & Thornburg Continues Shopping Spree, Snaps Up Minn. Firm

For the third time this year, Indianapolis law firm Barnes & Thornburg has made an out-of-state acquisition. This time it’s the 22-attorney Parsinen Law Firm P.A. in Minneapolis. The deal takes effect July 1, according to a news release and the Indianapolis Star. Already this year, 500-plus attorney Barnes &…

Jun 22, 2009 12:27 PM CDT

Music Downloader Owes Record Cos. $1.9M, Jury Says

A federal jury in Minneapolis returned a verdict Thursday against a 32-year-old mother of four, saying she owes record companies an astounding $1.92 million for illegally sharing music on the Internet. Jammie Thomas-Rasset would have to pay $80,000 for each of the 24 songs she shared on the Net if…

Jun 19, 2009 1:33 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Supplying Prostitutes for ‘Nice Guys’ Club

Police have shut down a club known as “The Minnesota Nice Guys” whose members engaged in trysts with high-priced prostitutes allegedly arranged by a former prosecutor. Police claim former Hennepin County prosecutor John St. Marie, 65, booked flights and hotel rooms for the prostitutes who hooked up with the Nice…

Jun 12, 2009 12:58 PM CDT

Dorsey & Whitney Cuts Pay for All Associates By 10 Percent

Dorsey & Whitney hasn’t laid off any attorneys. But the law firm did impose a 10 percent across-the-board pay cut on all associates. And bonuses were also reduced by an undisclosed amount, reports the Star Tribune. News of the salary cut follows word yesterday that Dorsey & Whitney, which is…

Jun 3, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

3 Lawyers Interacted with Missing Mom in Child Chemo Case

A Minnesota mother who allegedly fled last week with her 13-year-old son after a state-court judge said he must have potentially life-saving chemotherapy for a highly treatable form of cancer has now returned home with the teen. Colleen Hauser says she will abide by the court’s decision-making, and a case…

May 26, 2009 7:58 PM CDT

Computer Expert Sues Leonard Street Law Firm for $775K

A computer expert claims in a lawsuit that Minneapolis law firm Leonard, Street and Deinard owes him $775,000 for storing digital evidence in a case involving the city’s two largest newspapers. Mark Lanterman of Computer Forensic Services said he stored 62 terabytes of Star Tribune data, costing $155,000 a month,…

May 21, 2009 4:11 PM CDT

Mom Disappears with Son After Court Orders Chemo for the Boy

A judge who ordered a 13-year-old teen to receive chemotherapy has now issued an arrest warrant for the mother after she and the boy disappeared. Colleen Hauser had resisted treatment for her son, Daniel, because she is a member of Nemenhah, a religious group that favors natural healing methods used…

May 20, 2009 12:55 PM CDT

Remove Minn. Judge Who Cut Legal Bill By Referring Cases, Board Recommends

A Minnesota judge said he would have referred 19 divorce cases to Collins Buckley Sauntry & Haugh for mediation regardless of whether he personally benefitted, because the law firm does good work. But the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards says Goodhue County District Judge Timothy Blakely should be removed from…

May 12, 2009 5:44 PM CDT

Helping Client Gets Minn. Attorney Suspended for 2 Years

Attorney Benjamin Houge had argued that his conduct merited only a reprimand. But the Minnesota Supreme Court suspended the Twin Cities practitioner for two years over his representation of a client who had previously been involved in mortgage frauds. The court found that Houge had aided a client’s probation violation…

May 6, 2009 7:04 PM CDT

New Lawyer and $100K Bail for Defendant Accused of Decking PD

The Minnesota defendant accused of decking his public defender in court before a bail hearing is now being held on $100,000 bond and awaiting appointment of a new lawyer. The defendant, 18-year-old Dominique C.D. Cook, returns to court in Hennepin County on May 5, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Chief…

Apr 17, 2009 5:54 PM CDT

Pet Sitter Gets Probation in Cruelty Case Over Too-Fat Pig

Agreeing with the owner of a potbellied pig that a pet sitter abused the animal by letting it go hog wild at mealtimes and in between, a judge in Minnesota has sentenced the sitter to one year of probation for animal cruelty. Mary Beesecker, 53, who lives in Houston, Minn.,…

Apr 14, 2009 4:30 PM CDT

Minnesota PD Decked by Client

A Minnesota public defender was taken to the hospital after her 18-year-old client hit her in the face while they were waiting in court for a bail hearing. Public defender Fay Nosow was struck at least a couple times, according to Hennepin County sheriff’s office spokeswoman Lisa Kiava, who spoke…

Apr 14, 2009 1:49 PM CDT