Vol. 26-W41 Weekly Scorecard Hennepin County (4th District) & Ramsey County (2nd District)

Twin Cities Trial Verdicts

Grounded civil trial outcomes, special jury verdicts (Rule 49), and judicial findings (Rule 52.01) across Minneapolis and St. Paul district benches. Verified damages, liability allocations, and prevailing counsel.

Total Trial Dispositions
$31,440,000
Itemized civil trial judgments
Net Plaintiff Recovery
$28,590,000
Post-comparative fault net total
Top Monetary Recovery
$14,250,000
Commercial contract & indemnity
Marquee Defense Win
$0.00
Take-nothing jury defense verdict
CAUSE NO. 27-CV-23-14920 Hennepin County District Court (4th District) · Hon. Ronald L. Abrams Jury Verdict (Rule 49)
★ TOP TWIN CITIES RECOVERY

Erickson Construction Corp. v. North Star Logistics LLC & Great Lakes Transport Inc.

🏆 PREVAILING COUNSEL Christopher W. Madel Madel PA (Minneapolis Commercial Trial Litigators)
VS
⚖️ OPPOSING COUNSEL Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A. Commercial Defense & Transportation Practice Group
FINAL JURY VERDICT ENTERED
$14,250,000.00
$11,800,000 Direct Loss · $1,950,000 Prejudgment Interest · $500,000 Fees
⚡ TURNING POINT

Plaintiff's counsel impeached defendant's chief logistics witness using sequential dispatch logs and telemetry timestamps, proving intentional freight diversion in direct breach of the master carrier warranty.

WHAT WE SEE

In Hennepin County Commercial Court, dynamic demonstratives correlating contract milestone dates with contemporaneous e-discovery eliminate defense ambiguity under Minn. R. Civ. P. 49 special verdict forms.

CAUSE NO. 62-CV-23-04812 Ramsey County District Court (2nd District) · Hon. Leonardo Castro Jury Verdict (Rule 49)
🛡️ COMPLETE DEFENSE VERDICT

Kowalski v. St. Paul Metro Health System & Ramsey Surgical Associates

🏆 PREVAILING COUNSEL William M. Hart & Matthew R. Harris Meagher + Geer, P.L.L.P. (Healthcare Defense Group)
VS
⚖️ OPPOSING COUNSEL Robins Kaplan LLP Medical Malpractice Trial Group
FINAL JUDGMENT ENTERED
$0.00
Take-Nothing Jury Verdict · Zero Negligence Finding (Question 1 "No") · Minn. Stat. § 145.682
⚡ TURNING POINT

Defense counsel established through intraoperative monitoring logs and anatomic 3D visualization that post-surgical vascular thrombosis was an unavoidable physiological risk rather than operative departure.

WHAT WE SEE

In the 2nd Judicial District, rigorous cross-examination pinning plaintiff's expert to their exact Minn. Stat. § 145.682 initial affidavit disclosures prevents eleventh-hour standard-of-care expansion.

CAUSE NO. 27-CV-24-03185 Hennepin County District Court (4th District) · Hon. Karen A. Janisch Jury Verdict (Rule 49)
★ CATASTROPHIC INJURY VERDICT

Carlos Vargas et al v. Midwest Industrial Coating & Surface Solutions Inc.

🏆 PREVAILING COUNSEL Brandon E. Thompson & Terry L. Wade Robins Kaplan LLP
VS
⚖️ OPPOSING COUNSEL Bassford Remele, P.A. Products Liability & Toxic Tort Group
FINAL JURY VERDICT ENTERED
$6,820,000.00
$5,200,000 Past/Future Pain · $1,620,000 Medical · 90% Defendant Fault (Minn. Stat. § 604.01)
⚡ TURNING POINT

Cross-examination of the plant chemical safety director revealed uncalibrated combustible vapor alarms and omitted ventilation audits required by OSHA and Minnesota state standards.

WHAT WE SEE

Under Minnesota's 51% modified comparative fault rule (Minn. Stat. § 604.01), demonstrative timeline exhibits isolating employer control over maintenance protocols prevent jury fault attribution to the worker.

CAUSE NO. 62-CV-24-01944 Ramsey County District Court (2nd District) · Hon. Patrick C. Diamond Bench Findings (Rule 52.01)
★ COMMERCIAL BENCH DECISION

Highland Park Residential Development LLC v. Twin Cities Foundation & Shoring Corp.

🏆 PREVAILING COUNSEL Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. Real Estate & Construction Litigation Practice
VS
⚖️ OPPOSING COUNSEL Larson • King, LLP Commercial Construction Defense Group
BENCH FINDINGS ENTERED
$4,380,000.00
Structural Remediation & Soil Failure Award · Minn. R. Civ. P. 52.01
⚡ TURNING POINT

Geotechnical boring logs and soil saturation sensors admitted through plaintiff's foundation engineer proved defendant failed to drive sheet piling to bedrock rejection depth.

WHAT WE SEE

In Ramsey County bench trials, submitting pre-indexed electronic findings of fact hyperlinking directly to deposition trial exhibits accelerates favorable judicial rulings under Rule 52.01.

CAUSE NO. 27-CV-23-08871 Hennepin County District Court (4th District) · Hon. Jamie L. Anderson Jury Verdict (Rule 49)
★ HIGHWAY COLLISION VERDICT

Aaron Lindstrom v. Apex Commercial Fleet Services & D&K Hauling Inc.

🏆 PREVAILING COUNSEL James R. Schwebel & Cody M. Schwebel Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A.
VS
⚖️ OPPOSING COUNSEL Cousineau, Van Bergen, McNee & Malone, P.A. Insurance Defense & Commercial Fleet
FINAL JURY VERDICT ENTERED
$3,140,000.00
$2,100,000 Pain & Disability · $790,000 Past/Future Medical · $250,000 Wage Loss
⚡ TURNING POINT

Video deposition impeachment juxtaposing the commercial driver's claim of sudden highway congestion against real-time MNDOT traffic camera footage demolished defense credibility on speed management.

WHAT WE SEE

Synchronized side-by-side video clips comparing deposition testimony against MNDOT highway telematics overcome subjective defense arguments in Hennepin County jury trials.

CAUSE NO. 62-CV-24-02610 Ramsey County District Court (2nd District) · Hon. Mark R. Ireland Bench Findings (Rule 52.01)
🛡️ DEFENSE JUDGMENT ENTERED

Summit Avenue Properties LLC v. Capital City Restoration Partners

🏆 PREVAILING COUNSEL Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Commercial Litigation Practice
VS
⚖️ OPPOSING COUNSEL Henson & Efron, P.A. Business Litigation Practice
FINAL JUDGMENT ENTERED
$0.00
Take-Nothing Defense Judgment · Express Warranty Disclaimers Enforced
⚡ TURNING POINT

Defense counsel established that the property owner waived structural remediation claims through executed tenant build-out estoppel certificates and contractual dispute resolution pre-conditions.

WHAT WE SEE

In Ramsey County commercial matters, rigorous contract-construction briefs linking lease waiver provisions to Minn. Stat. § 336.2-316 standards secure early defense findings under Rule 52.01.

Twin Cities Bench Intelligence

Judicial officer profiles, trial management rhythms, and evidentiary tendencies across Hennepin and Ramsey County civil benches.

District Court / Bench Presiding Judicial Officer Judicial District Trial Management Rhythm Evidentiary & Expert Tendencies
Hennepin County District Court Hon. Ronald L. Abrams Fourth Judicial District Strict adherence to pretrial scheduling orders; prompt daily trial starts. Rigorous Daubert/Minn. R. Evid. 702 enforcement on commercial economic damages models.
Ramsey County District Court Hon. Leonardo Castro Second Judicial District Active trial management; highly efficient jury selection protocols. Strict statutory compliance required on Minn. Stat. § 145.682 medical expert disclosures.
Hennepin County District Court Hon. Karen A. Janisch Fourth Judicial District Deep legal analysis on complex torts; allows comprehensive voir dire. Strong focus on physical demonstratives and objective forensic sensor data.
Ramsey County District Court Hon. Patrick C. Diamond Second Judicial District Prefers concise, indexed written bench trial briefs with exhibit citations. High evidentiary threshold for oral contractual modifications.

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