Education: Washington University School of Law
Degree: JD
Year: 1982
Honors: Order of the Coif

Key Practice Experience

• Medical device and pharmaceutical products liability
• Multi-district litigation practice and procedure
• Employment discrimination litigation
• ERISA litigation
• Class action litigation

Key Industry Experience

• Medical device
• Pharmaceutical
• Airline
• Retail
• Life, health, welfare benefit plans

Representative Cases/Transactions

Medical Device/Pharmaceutical

• Schedin v. Ortho-McNeill-Janssen (pharmaceutical) (trial)
• Christensen v. Ortho-McNeill-Janssen (pharmaceutical) (trial)
• Kapps v. Biosense Webster (pharmaceutical) (summary judgment)
• Riley v. Cordis (medical device) (motion to dismiss preemption)
• Schmelzle v. ALZA (pharmaceutical) (motion to dismiss)
• Hautala v. Johnson & Johnson (pharmaceutical) (summary judgment)
• Foster v. St. Jude Medical, Inc. (medical device) (class action certification denied)

Multi-District Litigation

• In re:  Levaquin Prods. Liab. Litig. (pharmaceutical)
• In re:  Mirapex Prods. Liab. Litig. (pharmaceutical)
• In re:  Medtronic, Inc. Implantable Defibrillators Prods. Liab. Litig. (medical device)
• In re:  Baycol Prods. Liab. Litig.(pharmaceutical)
• In re:  Silzone Heart Valves Prod. Liab. Litig. (medical device)

Employment

• Dillaway v. Ferrante (FMLA)
• H & R Block v. Short (non-compete)
• Mohammed v.  America West (race discrimination)
• Beveridge v. Northwest Airlines, Inc. (disability discrimination)
• Staples v. Delavan (gender discrimination/harassment)
• Baehr v. Northwest Airlines, Inc. (gender discrimination)
• Noree v. Northwest Airlines, Inc. (national origin discrimination)
• Fahrman v. Fredd (wrongful termination)

ERISA

• Tillery v. Hoffman Enclosures (health plan)
• Carey v. Connecticut General Life (health plan)
• Barsotti v. ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (disability plan)
• Bretton v. Primerica (life insurance)
• Slomka v. ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (disability plan)
• Sanville v. ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (disability plan)

Professional Recognitions/Honors

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute
• International Association of Defense Counsel
• Federal Bar Association
• United States District Court, District of Minnesota Federal Practice Committee
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota State Courts
• United States District Court, District of Minnesota
• United States Appellate Court, Eighth Circuit
• United States Supreme Court

Other Education

• B.A., University of Illinois, cum laude