Bloomington police officers on duty at the Mall of America thought that Michael Jointer, an African American male, was someone else. They thought that he was another African American male named Leon Combs, who was on trespass at the mall. So they stopped Jointer and asked for his ID. (more…)

(Minneapolis; March 7, 2019)—Alice James will join Attorney General Keith Ellison and Department of Human Rights (MDHR) Commissioner Rebecca Lucero in suing a plasma collection company for its discriminatory ban on donations by transgender persons.

In 2011, Ms. James began donating plasma at CSL Plasma locations in Minnesota. For nearly four years, CSL refused to acknowledge Ms. James’ gender identity. In 2015, CSL stopped allowing Ms. James to donate plasma, citing a company policy barring transgender persons from making such donations. That policy violates the Minnesota Human Rights Act. In 2016, Ms. James filed a discrimination complaint with the MDHR. That complaint led to the lawsuit filed this week by the MDHR and Attorney General.

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Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers were free to discriminate against employees for almost any reason – whether it be their race, religion, or, of course, their gender.  Even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, employers continued to post gender- (and race-) specific help-wanted ads:

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Associate Attorney Cody Blades will be giving a FREE workshop on Motherhood in the Workplace on February 10, 2018  at Blooma prenatal yoga studios in Minnespolis. This workshop will empower pregnant women and mothers by educating them on their rights in relation to their employment. The workshop is perfect for pregnant women, new mothers, doulas, and other professionals guiding women through their pregnancies and postpartum care. Details below.

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First of all – if you’ve just been terminated or laid off from your job and you’re looking for answers – we’re sorry that you’re going through this experience. In our country, we often identify with our jobs as part of who we are: losing a job can feel like losing part of your identity. Especially if you’ve given years of your life to a company, built relationships and friendships with your coworkers, and enjoy the work, losing a job can be devastating. On top of that, you’ve likely got more immediate concerns about how you’re going to pay the bills after losing your job and continue to support yourself and your family. We’re truly and sincerely sorry that you’re dealing with this. And I hope this article can help provide some answers.

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Madia Law’s Joshua Newville was quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding the Supreme Court’s consideration Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission and a similar case pending in Minnesota federal court. Newville debated Alliance Defending Freedom‘s Jordan Lorence at the University of Minnesota Law School on November 8.

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Workplace Fairness Law in Minnesota – the Basics.

Here’s a quick primer on workplace fairness in Minnesota.  Unfortunately, there’s no state or federal law mandating “fairness” at work.  There’s no law saying that employers need to hire good bosses or kind employees, or that employers need to make good business decisions.  So the bad news is that your employer doesn’t have to be “fair” to you.

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We Represent Minneapolis Employees.

Corporations and big businesses will always be able to pay corporate lawyers to defend them.  For most corporations, paying hourly rates of $400 – $500 to attorneys to litigate their cases is no big deal.  And – there’s no shortage of corporate law firms willing to accept the money and do their bidding.

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Wrongful Termination in Minneapolis

Minnesota is an “at-will” employment state and Minneapolis is an “at will” employment city. That means that your employer can fire you for any reason or no reason at all – even a stupid, incorrect, unfair, or unethical reason – provided that it’s not an illegal reason.

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Last week, Madia Law secured a complete plaintiffs’ victory in an age discrimination employment lawsuit against the City of Richfield, Minnesota. The Hennepin County jury found that unlawful age discrimination was a motivating factor when the City declined to promote two veteran police officers in 2013.

The jury ordered the City to pay a total of $125,000 to Madia Law clients Greg Peterson and Souphanny Dean. The total award includes $25,000 in punitive damages for each officer, which is the statutory maximum that a jury can award in cases arising under the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

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Last week, a Minnesota man was awarded $3.5 million after he was ousted from a family banking business.

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On March 23, 2016, a three-judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals will hold a non-oral hearing in Sanchez v. Dahlke Trailer Sales, Inc., No. 15-1183. The precedent-setting case has enormous implications for undocumented workers who are injured on the job in Minnesota.

As civil rights attorneys, we’re often asked our views about subjects that touch on or relate to discrimination but are not necessarily illegal. For example, a friend of mine from high school recently referenced a piece the New York Times ran last week regarding a group of California girls attempting to persuade the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) to allow girls to join its membership.

The girls are not making a legal argument, and they probably don’t have one. Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which was meant to prohibit gender discrimination in education, specifically carves out an exception for organizations such as the BSA. Please bear with me for a bit of personal, non-legal commentary, as I think this discussion is nonetheless very much related to our gender discrimination work. (more…)

In just a few short weeks, an amendment to the Minnesota Human Rights Act (“MHRA”) that will provide a right to a jury trial for claims arising under that law will go into effect.

The MHRA  prohibits discrimination and retaliation for opposing such discrimination in a variety of contexts, including public and private employment, housing, education, public accommodation, and more. Protected classes under the MHRA include race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, status with regarding to public assistance, sexual orientation, and age. (more…)

https://madialaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Minnesota-Jury-Trial-Attorneys.pngYesterday, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law an amendment to the Minnesota Human Rights Act that will ensure victims of discrimination and retaliation are entitled to a jury trial.  The bill, SF2322, was passed by the House and Senate in previous weeks and will go into effect on August 1, 2014.

Previously, there was uncertainty over whether a victim of workplace discrimination, harassment, or retaliation would receive a jury trial, and to what level the jury’s verdict was entitled to deference.  Due to a legal intersection of federal, state, common, and statutory law, and depending on what claims were brought and in what venue, there were often instances were individuals who have been the target of illegal activity by their employer have only been allowed a trial by judge.   (more…)

The Argument of the Month Club describes itself as, “The Men’s Forum for Catholic Apologetics.”  Started 14 years ago, the wildly successful forum now attracts more than 500 men to its monthly discussions.  Tackling tough and wide-ranging topics, the group’s mission is to enlighten both Catholics and non-Catholics in order to better teach and defend the Catholic faith.

Madia Law’s Joshua Newville is honored to speak at the forum on May 13, 2014.  Newville will join Attorney Joel Oster, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, and moderator Michael Olson from Providence Academy, in discussing a topic that intersects employment law and constitutional law: to what extent can private schools terminate employees who speak out against the institution’s principles, teaching, etc.?  Can Catholic schools fire employees who are openly opposed to the very faith tradition of the school itself?

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As strides are continually made in the civil rights movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans, citizens from some foreign countries who are temporarily the United States are finding themselves in tough positions.  The post that follows is a submission from an anonymous

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Madia Law settled an age discrimination case on behalf of “Joan” after defeating her former employer’s motion for summary judgment.

The terms are confidential pursuant to the parties’ settlement agreement.

This case presented a challenge because “Joan” did not have direct evidence of age discrimination.  None of her supervisors ever made any comments to her about her age (she was 55 years old at the time of her termination), nor were any emails revealed during discovery that made any reference to her age.  Joan’s employer therefore believed that it had a strong chance to dismiss Joan’s case by summary judgment.

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I’ll admit it.  When I first learned about ” The Woman Question” during my first year of a law school, I wasn’t impressed.  I immediately equated this feminist approach to the world (and particularly, to the law) with what I felt was as an overly radicalized modern feminism.

This week, I was reminded of The Woman Question.  A new study (conducted by the University of Toronto and published September 16) shows that I wasn’t alone in my thoughts on feminism.  As a society, the study determines, we tend to distrust movements heavily supported by overt activism.  Salon’s Tom Jacobs concludes:

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