News

In a pair of recent trials with lasting impacts for municipalities, Iverson Reuvers attorneys Paul Reuvers and Andrew Wolf successfully defended two cities planning for a sustainable, climate-resilient futures.

The first, Jeffrey Bahe, Robert A. Williams vs City of Columbia Heights, 02-CV-20-3146, challenged the City of Columbia Heights efforts to enforce its Zoning Ordinance against harmful long-standing, though illegal, automobile impound and outdoor storage uses. The Court found the use of the property at issue was an illegal nonconformity, and the City did not commit any wrongful conduct by failing to enforce its Zoning Ordinance against the Property sooner.

The second, Robert C. Tengdin, Trustee of the Robert C. Tengdin Revocable Trust dated May 18, 2009 vs City of Edina, 27-CV-20-2227, alleged the City of Edina failed to properly inspect, repair, and maintain a wetland, which was the natural depository of stormwater within the City. The issue came to a head in 2019, which was one of the wettest years and the last year in the wettest decade in Minnesota’s recorded history, when the natural wetland flooded surrounding properties. At trial, Reuvers and Wolf showed the City was not only not negligent, but was a sterling example for other municipalities trying to become more climate change resilient by tacking their water issues in sustainable and efficient manner. Following a four-day trial the district court concluded the climate, and prolonged period of greater than average rainfall, caused the flooding issues, not the City. The Court further found no actions by the City caused the accumulation of water, and no inspection or maintenance activities could have prevented it.

Five Iverson Reuvers Attorneys were recognized as 2023 Super Lawyers. Jon K. Iverson, Paul D. Reuvers, Jason J. Kuboushek, Jason M.  Hiveley, and Stephanie A. Angolkar were named in this year’s Super Lawyers lists. These lists are exclusive, naming no more than 5 percent of attorneys in Minnesota to Super Lawyers. The selections are made through peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations from a highly credentialed panel of attorneys.

Ashley Ramstad has joined Iverson Reuvers as an associate attorney. Ashley was formerly a public defender in Washington County and clerked for the Honorable Pamela A.W. King in Olmsted County district court. She holds a B.S. in public relations and advertising from NDSU, B.A. in philosophy from Minnesota State University Moorhead, summa cum laude, M.A. in philosophy from Texas Tech University, and a J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Stephanie Angolkar of Iverson Reuvers and Tim Masterson of McCollum Crowley P.A. obtained a defense verdict in Hennepin County District Court on November 21, 2022 in a products liability action. The plaintiff alleged she was injured by a pressure cooker. Plaintiff requested nearly $31 million from the jury. The jury applied Texas substantive law to address whether there was a defect, finding no manufacturing defect, design defect, or design in labeling or warnings. The jury assigned 92.5% negligence to Plaintiff and 7.5% negligence to the Defendant Seller.

At its 2022 annual meeting, the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association named Iverson Reuvers partner Stephanie Angolkar to its executive committee as Secretary for the 2022-2023 term. The Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA) is an association dedicated to serving the needs of lawyers engaging primarily in the defense and trial of civil disputes. Angolkar has previously served on the Board of Directors and as Chair for the Government Liability Committee. She is also active in the Diversity and Women in the Law Committees.

The 2022 Annual DRI Civil Rights and Government Tort Liability Seminar was hosted in Minneapolis April 6-8, 2022. Stephanie Angolkar moderated a panel regarding law enforcement crowd management issues. Paul Reuvers presented “Bias and Prejudgment in the Quasi-Judicial Decision Making Process.”

Four Iverson Reuvers Attorneys were recognized as 2022 Super Lawyers. Jon K. Iverson, Paul D. Reuvers, Jason J. Kuboushek, and Stephanie A. Angolkar were named in this year’s Super Lawyers lists. These lists are exclusive, naming no more than 5 percent of attorneys in Minnesota to Super Lawyers. The selections are made through peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations from a highly credentialed panel of attorneys.

On September 24, 2021, Susan Tindal and Jason Kuboushek presented a case law update at the Minnesota Association of Townships Insurance Trust Attorney Seminar. Jason Kuboushek also presented on Bias and Pre-Judgment in the Quasi-Judicial Decisionmaking Process.