Nibbe Family Statement
The following is the complete statement made by Leslie Johnson, sister of James Nibbe, made after a settlement was reached in the wrongful death lawsuit pursued by the heirs and next of kin of James Nibbe: We are very grateful for the verdict and judgment issued against James Nibbe’s killer. The jury members listened carefully to the evidence and obviously put a lot of thought and deliberation into a fair and just award of damages. We appreciate the jury and their hard work in what we recognize is a difficult decision. Although no amount of money will ever bring James... Read More
Settlement Reached in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
A confidential settlement agreement was reached Thursday between the heirs and next of kin of James Nibbe and Jenifer Nibbe . The settlement was for the punitive portion of a wrongful death case that was filed against Jennifer Nibbe by James Nibbe’s family. During the first portion of the trial, a jury found that Jennifer Nibbe had caused the wrongful death of 26-year-old James Nibbe and should pay his family $220,000 in compensation for losses incurred as a result of his death. “We appreciate the jury and their hard work in what we recognize is a difficult decision,” Leslie Johnson,... Read More
Verdict Reached in Wrongful Death Trial
The jury has reached a verdict in the wrongful death civil suit against Jennifer Nibbe: the jury awarded the Nibbe family, James’ mother and three siblings, $220,000 for his wrongful death. Today the jury was asked to decide how much in damages Jennifer Nibbe owed to the Nibbe family. Nibbe family attorney, Scott Kelly, says, “It’s very difficult to put a number on the death of a loved one.” The jury returned a verdict including damages in the amount of $220,000, taking into consideration the wages Jim would have earned, assistance he provided to his family, and the loss of... Read More
Wrongful Death Trial Begins
The heirs and next of kin of James Nibbe bring a wrongful death against Jennifer Nibbe. The lawsuit is seeking punitive damages for what they say is the wrongful and malicious death of James. Attorney Scott Kelly, in his opening statement, said the Nibbe family suffered a significant loss. The family was very close, very caring and loved each other very much. They have never recovered from this cold blooded murder. Four years ago in August, Jennifer Nibbe shot and killed her husband James in her Lake Crystal home. She is currently serving time in Shakopee for that crime and is now... Read More
Scott Kelly Named The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100
Scott Kelly has been named as The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers. The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 is an invitation-only organization composed of the premier trial lawyers from each state who meet stringent qualifications as civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense trial lawyers. Selection is based on a thorough multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third-party research. Membership is extended solely to the selected few of the most qualified attorneys from each state who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature and public profile. Each distinguished Top 100 member possesses the knowledge, skill, experience and success... Read More
Newborn Screening Lawsuit Against Minnesota Department of Health Settled
A settlement was reached with the State of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health over the illegal and improper use of blood samples obtained under the Newborn Screening Program by the Minnesota Department of Health. The settlement is a victory for privacy advocates. Attorneys Scott Kelly and Dan Bellig of Farrish Johnson Law Office and Robert Bennett and Robert Vaccaro, civil rights lawyers with Gaskins Bennett Birrell & Schupp of Minneapolis, represented 21 families against the Minnesota Department of Health. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) secretly established a bio-bank of blood samples and test results from blood left... Read More
Will Contest Case Succeeds at Appeal
Attorney Scott Kelly, representing the defendant, prevailed at the Court of Appeals in a will contest matter. In this appeal from a district court order in probate proceedings, the plaintiff challenged the district court’s adoption of the county taxing authority’s estimated market value as the fair market value of certain real property. The Court of Appeals agreed with the district court that the district court’s finding of fair market value had meaningful and adequate evidentiary support and was not clearly erroneous. This was the second appeal arising from a dispute over the administration of the estate and Scott worked closely... Read More
Scott Kelly Presents Stray Voltage Update at NRECA Seminar
Attorney Scott Kelly presented his Stray Voltage Update at the 2013 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Legal Seminar on June 7 in National Harbor, MD, just outside Washington, D.C. NRECA is the national service organization for more than 900 not-for-profit rural electric cooperatives and public power districts providing retail electric service to more than 42 million consumers in 47 states and whose retail sales account for approximately 12 percent of total electricity sales in the United States. The NRECA Legal Seminar provided updates on key legal, regulatory, legislative and governance issues by industry experts. Scott’s Stray Voltage seminar focused... Read More
Protecting Data Privacy Rights!
Farrish Johnson Law Office continues having an impact in the area of data privacy as several attorneys are currently working on a class-action lawsuit involving the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and one of its former managers for the illegal downloading of driver’s license information. A group of individuals are suing the DNR, the state of Minnesota, and former Dept. of Natural Resources Employee John Hunt for the illegal use of the Driver and Vehicle Services database (DVS). The DVS database contains individual photographs, addresses and driving records and is protected under state and federal law from illegitimate use. According... Read More
Newborn Screening
Farrish Johnson attorneys Scott Kelly and Daniel Bellig successfully represented several plaintiffs in a case that challenged the Minnesota Health Department’s practice of storing blood samples taken from newborns indefinitely. Under the program, blood samples are taken from newborn babies in the hospital and sent to the Health Department, in order to be tested for health disorders. The screening, however, only uses a portion of the sample. The Health Department has been keeping the remaining indefinitely, unless requested to have the sample destroyed. Farrish Johnson attorneys argued that the practice was in violation of the state’s Genetic Privacy Act and... Read More