Massive Water Pollution Settlement
In a widely publicized case, 3M agreed to pay the State of Minnesota $850 million to avoid a trial over allegations that 3M contaminated water with perfluorochemicals (PFCs). The settlement is minuscule compared to the billions of dollars sought by the State in actual and punitive damages. Settlement funds could be used for water restoration projects as well as water infrastructure projects, such as new wells or connecting additional homes to municipal water. This settlement does not end 3M’s legal troubles. It faces many other lawsuits seeking to recover for environmental damage. 3M continues to maintain that there is no... Read More
Wells Fargo and Arbitration Clauses
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson wants Wells Fargo to let customers sue the bank to resolve disputes over accounts opened without consumer authorization. That means Wells Fargo will have to forgo enforcing the mandatory arbitration clause included in its consumer contracts. Earlier this month regulators fined Wells Fargo $185 million for opening checking and credit card accounts on behalf of customers who had no idea that was happening. Over a five-year period some 2 million credit cards and deposit accounts were opened that were not authorized by the bank’s customers. While Wells Fargo has promised to make restitution, the bigger... Read More
Wrongful Death Settlement
Farrish Johnson Attorney Daniel Bellig recently settled a substantial and complex wrongful death claim arising out of an accident that occurred in Southern Minnesota. The decedent, a father of four, was driving a semi-tractor and pulling a tanker of anhydrous ammonia. He was killed when a farm tractor made a sudden left turn into a field approach. The farm tractor struck the semi tractor and trailer. The semi-tractor and trailer rolled into the ditch and adjoining field. Annhydrous ammonia leaked from the semi’s tanker and the vapors entered the cab. In addition to obtaining a lump sum monetary settlement from... 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