A deadly explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig released 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the largest U.S. offshore oil spill and the hiring of tens of thousands to manage the environmental cleanup ..read more

The Justice Department is ramping up its efforts to reduce violent crime in the U.S., launching a specialized gun intelligence center in Chicago and expanding task forces to curb carjackings ..read more

Michael Reger, a former Minnesota oil executive who was found civilly liable for securities fraud, filed a lawsuit against the Associated Press in September 2023, claiming defamation for inaccuracies in reporting on that case ..read more

Workers’ Compensation Compensable Disorder At issue here was a disputed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) claim. Respondent was employed as a social worker for relator county and reported a PTSD injury during her employment related to her exposure to details of a murder committed by one of her clients. The county initially provided workers’ compensation benefits ..read more

Illegal Firearm Possession Public Place Defendant was charged with carrying a BB gun in a public place in violation of Minn. Stat. § 624.7181, subd. 2. The state alleged that defendant drove a motor vehicle while a BB gun was under the driver’s seat. The District Court dismissed the complaint for lack of probable cause ..read more

Summary Judgment Evidence In this dispute involving the provision of transportation services to school districts, appellants, transportation-service providers, challenged the summary-judgment dismissal of multiple claims against respondents, transportation-service coordinators and consultants, arising out of allegations that respondents engaged in misdeeds causing appellants to lose or forgo actual and prospective business opportunities. The Court of Appeals ..read more

Mail Fraud Breach of Plea Agreement; Adequacy of Remedy Defendant appealed the judgment of sentence imposed after the district court denied defendant’s motion claiming the government breached the plea agreement. Defendant pled guilty to mail fraud in exchange for the U.S. Attorney’s Office sending a letter to immigration authorities outlining defendant’s cooperation in other cases ..read more

Drug Conspiracy Appeal Waiver; Substantive Reasonableness of Sentence Defendant challenged the substantive reasonableness of the sentence imposed following his guilty plea to a drug conspiracy pursuant to a plea agreement containing an appeal waiver. Where defendant’s appeal waiver was valid, enforceable, and applicable to his challenge, the court dismissed the appeal. Appeal is dismissed. U.S ..read more

Auto Insurance Totaled Vehicle; Calculation of Actual Cash Value Defendant appealed the partial denial of its motion to dismiss plaintiff’s putative class action under the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act challenging defendant’s policies for calculating actual cash value of totaled vehicles. Plaintiff alleged that defendant imposed downward adjustments on values that did not reflect market realities ..read more

The U.S. Department of Transportation said the states, which include Minnesota and Wisconsin, will help ensure that government enforcement activities keep up with a current boom in air travel ..read more