News

We are excited to announce the addition of two new lawyers to our firm:

Julia C. Kelly joined Iverson Reuvers in September 2020. She recently returned to Minnesota after serving 8 years in the US Army JAG Corps. When Julia wasn’t jumping out of military aircraft, she was zealously advocating on behalf of the Government as a military prosecutor and became a subject matter expert on litigating military sexual assault and harassment cases. Julia also served as one of the first female JAGs assigned to a Special Forces battalion while deployed in combat. Julia’s husband, Sean, also served as JAG and has now joined the Minnesota legal community. Julia and her family enjoy a myriad of outdoor activities, to include skiing, hiking, and biking. She hopes to continue running marathons once the races begin again and looks forward to attempting to beat Iverson’s best time.

Aaron M. Bostrom joined the firm in August 2020 after graduating from the University of St. Thomas School of Law this Spring. He passed the bar recently and became an official member of the Minnesota Bar this past Friday. Coming from a family nearly as large as the firm, Iverson Reuvers already feels like home. Aaron enjoys crafting arguments and developing strategies to solve complex legal issues. Aaron’s favorite law school experience involved coauthoring an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. Aaron was also honored to serve as an extern for Federal District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson and clerk for Severson Porter Law and the Institute for Justice. Outside of the office, Aaron enjoys mountain biking, cross country skiing, guitar, and all sports. His “claim to fame” is getting a hole in one on back to back throws in Frisbee golf.

In October Attorney Megan Kelly was recognized by the Minnesota Association for Guardianship and Conservatorship (MAGiC) for exemplary volunteer service for her work on the Board of the organization and as editor of its quarterly Journal since 2018.  Megan was recognized as a leader providing excellent service with a contagious spirit and a talent for diffusing difficult situations in her legal practice.  MAGiC is a non-profit membership organization focused on the practice and issues of substitute decision-making for vulnerable persons.  You can learn more about MAGiC by visiting www.minnesotaguardianship.org.

Jon K. Iverson and Paul D. Reuvers were named again 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. Stephanie A. Angolkar was again named to this year’s Rising Stars list. The Rising Stars list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state.

Jason Hiveley and Andrew Wolf recently obtained summary judgment in favor of a municipality and four of its officers in an important federal decision concerning the use of ketamine on individuals in police custody.

Just after midnight in the summer of 2015, Police were called to North Memorial Medical Center after a mentally unstable individual pointed a loaded firearm at hospital staff. Officers from multiple agencies, responded to the call and searched for the armed suspect. While searching, officers were confronted by an aggressive individual who remained combative and agitated throughout his interaction with police. For their safety, and the safety of the large crowd in the nearby emergency room, officers drew their firearms, had the individual lie down in the street, handcuffed him, and transported him to the hospital entrance where, at the direction of a medical doctor, a paramedic injected the individual with the anesthetic ketamine.

Plaintiff alleged that the officers used excessive force in detaining him and urged paramedics to inject him with ketamine in violation of his constitutional rights. In defense of the officers’ actions, Iverson Reuvers Attorneys moved for summary judgment, arguing the officers used no more force than necessary to detain the individual, and they could not be held responsible for the decisions of medical professionals on scene. The court granted summary judgment for the officers, finding their actions were reasonable and the individual’s “erratic behavior and remarks justified the force used.” The Court also determined the officers could not be held responsible for the medical decision to administer ketamine. The decision marks an important development in the emerging area of in-custody ketamine administration and makes clear that medical professionals—not law enforcement—are responsible for their own decisions.

 

In a matter of first impression, the Stearns County District Court dismissed a Complaint against St. Cloud and Costco Wholesale Corporation arising under the Minnesota Business Subsidy Act. The case arises from allegations from CGA, an association of citizens of the St. Cloud community, that St. Cloud’s sale of Heritage Park to Costco undervalued the property and constituted an improper subsidy under Minn. Stat. § 116J.994. The district court determined CGA did not timely file suit after St. Cloud’s response to its complaint. St. Cloud was represented by Jason Kuboushek and Paul Reuvers.

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the United States District Court of Minnesota’s denial of class certification in Orduno v. Pietrzak for a proposed class of individuals whose motor vehicle records were accessed impermissibly. The Circuit Court agreed, “the district court correctly observed that class members would ‘need to present evidence of the circumstances under which their particular information was accessed’ to address whether Pietrzak’s purpose in searching the database was impermissible. The circumstances of each obtainment will vary from class member to class member, so the court property concluded that ‘common questions’ would not predominate over individual determinations.”
The Court also affirmed the district court’s holding the City of Dayton was not directly liable for impermissible accesses. The Court further upheld the district court’s evidentiary decisions at trial, excluding evidence of unrelated accesses and the City’s response. Significantly, the Eighth Circuit upheld the district court’s 60% reduction of attorney’s fees, based on overstaffing, excessive billing, and limited success at trial. Susan Tindal and Stephanie Angolkar represented the City of Dayton and Pietrzak.

Susan Tindal presented at the June 27, 2019 City Attorney Legislative update on “Hot Topics in Employment Law.” Employment investigations and whistleblower claims were among the topics discussed.

Susan Tindal and Stephanie Angolkar presented at the MDLA Deposition Academy on February 15, 2019. Susan offered her expertise on deposition objections including how to make them and how to respond to them. Stephanie presented on preparing for and defending Rule 30(b)(6) depositions.