Representative Cases

Employment Law Representative Cases

As lead co-counsel, John A. Klassen won a settlement of $1 million for a woman who claimed she had been subjected to years of sexual harassment and retaliation in the workplace.

As lead co-counsel, attorney Klassen won a settlement of $815,000 for a financial industries executive who claimed he was the victim of age discrimination.

In the matter of Waldron v. Lyman Lumber, Inc., we successfully appealed the district court’s dismissal of a business executive’s claims of constructive discharge due to demotion and breach of contract on an $850,000 severance agreement. (2011 WL 206175, Minn. Ct. App. Jan. 25, 2011).

In the highly publicized case, Cornell and Mullen v. Bleskachek and the City of Minneapolis, we brought claims on behalf of two female fire fighters against the fire chief and the fire department for sexual harassment and retaliation. We recovered back-pay damages and secured promotions for both firefighters. This case was the subject of media stories in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune.

In the matter of Arradondo et al. v. City of Minneapolis Police Department, attorney Klassen was lead co-counsel in this high-profile and widely publicized race discrimination and retaliation case brought by five high-ranking African American police officers. This case was settled by the defendant for $740,000. A related defamation claim against the Minneapolis Police Chief by one of our client-officers was also settled for $85,000.

In the matter of Kidd v. City of Minneapolis Fire Department and Alex Jackson, attorney Klassen served as lead co-counsel in a December 2012 federal court trial against the defendants. Kidd claimed she had been retaliated against and demoted from her position of Deputy Chief after she properly asserted her First Amendment rights and criticized the job performance of the Fire Chief. We succeeded at trial and received a jury verdict for our client resulting in a $300,000 punitive damages award and a post-trial settlement in the amount of $595,000.

As lead co-counsel, attorney Klassen won a settlement of $490,000 for a former pro athlete who alleged fraudulent investment claims against a business partner.

We represented a minority-owned business that alleged national origin discrimination by another business. We won a settlement for the business and its individual owners in the amount of $360,000.

We represented a woman who was sexually assaulted by the senior vice president of a company during a job interview. We successfully negotiated a settlement of her claims in the amount of $270,000.

As lead co-counsel, attorney Klassen won a settlement on behalf of a female restaurant manager’s claims of gender discrimination and retaliation in the amount of $250,000.

John Klassen served as lead co-counsel in representing an attorney who alleged race discrimination and retaliation claims against her former employer. We settled the claims for $240,000.

We recovered $225,000 for three plaintiffs who sued their former employer for retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Attorney Klassen served as lead counsel in a case brought by a vulnerable adult male who was institutionalized in a state mental hospital. He was the victim of sexual abuse by two female nurses, who pled guilty to criminal charges related to their abuse of our client. We recovered $140,000 for our client in this matter.

We recovered $138,000 under the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act for a 60-year-old woman who was paid less than her younger male counterparts.

We recovered $132,000 for a female executive who was terminated after she became pregnant during her training period.

In the landmark case, Goblirsch v. Auto Parts Headquarters, we persuaded the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the state of Minnesota to join us in a lawsuit against an employer who engaged in marital status discrimination against an employee whose husband left the company to join a competitor. We recovered $50,000 from the defendant who also was required to pay the state of Minnesota a fine in the amount of $5,000.

In the matter of Ricardo Meeks v. City of Minneapolis, attorney Klassen served as lead co-counsel in bringing claims against two police officers who illegally strip-searched our client on the street. We brought a motion for summary judgment against the officers and the United States District Court granted our motion based upon video evidence showing the unlawful strip-search. That motion was the first of its kind successfully brought in the United States. We recovered $76,500 for our client.

False Claims Act (Qui Tam) Representative Cases

Attorney Klassen served as lead counsel in a False Claims Act fraud complaint against a Minnesota-based medical transport company for alleged fraudulent billing to the United States under Medicare and Medicaid. We recovered $290,000 for the United States and the defendant also had to pay an additional $105,000 in attorney fees.

John Klassen served as co-lead counsel in a False Claims Act fraud complaint against a Minnesota health care system for a physician’s upcoding and fraudulent billing under Medicare and Medicaid. We recovered $252,000 for the United States, and the defendant also had to pay an additional $60,000 in attorney fees.

Attorney Klassen served as co-lead counsel in a False Claims Act fraud complaint against a federal contractor who was accused of overbilling the United States for its work, of billing for work that was never actually done and of terminating our client after the client opposed the fraudulent practices of the employer. We recovered $250,000 for our client for the retaliatory discharge under the False Claims Act, and the defendant agreed to repay the United States $600,000 for the alleged fraudulent billings.