Notable Cases & News
Cases, news clips, published articles, and company updates
Cases & News
– RIVER VALLEY LAW, PA, JOINS THE MN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
River Valley Law, PA, joined the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce in September 2024, becoming part of the largest statewide business organization and network in Minnesota.
– HELPING THOSE IN Roatan, Honduras
In March 2024, Sarah Jewell joined a mission trip to Roatan, an island in Honduras. River Valley Law provided donations that Sarah and a group were able to deliver to a local orphanage and church. She and the group also volunteered at some community events, such as a youth program providing food, water, and games for kids.
– MARCH 2024: CASE OVERTURNED, REVERSED AND REMANDED BACK TO THE DISTRICT COURT
Keller v. Monumental Sales, Inc.: Appellant challenged the summary-judgment dismissal of his claims against respondents for discriminatory discharge in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA). Appellant argued that the summary judgment was improper because there were issues of material fact related to his age and disability claims, and his reasonable-accommodation claim. The Court of Appeals concluded that there were material issues of fact concerning appellant’s essential job functions, whether he could perform those functions, and whether appellant was replaced by a non-member of a protected class. Reversed and remanded.
– Attorney Sarah Jewell presented a CLE
Attorney Sarah Jewell presented a CLE for the Minnesota State Bar Association’s (MSBA) Agricultural and Rural Law Section on Minnesota Road Laws, entitled, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road.” The CLE was recorded by the MSBA and was available for viewing as an “on-demand” CLE.
– TOP HATTERS
River Valley Law has joined the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and recently had our “Top Hatters” photo taken.
– SARAH JEWELL PRESENTED ON RURAL ROAD ISSUES
Sarah Jewell presented at the Where the Rubber Meets the Road – Rural Road Issues – Past and Present Cases. She provided an overview of Historic and Current Rural Road cases of interest for practitioners.
– SARAH JEWELL SWORN INTO THE NORTH DAKOTA BAR
Sarah Jewell was sworn into the North Dakota bar on November 17, 2023, before Judge Webb in Cass County District Court in Fargo, ND. River Valley Law is now offering legal services in North Dakota and Minnesota.
– MINNESOTA NATIONAL BARREL HORSE ASSOCIATION
River Valley Law recently supported the Minnesota NBHA. Here are their words of thanks: “Thank you so much for your continued support of the MN NBHA State Finals. We have a new website: www.mnbha.com, which includes a full year of acknowledgement for your support. We thank the E. Family for bringing you to our organization and sure enjoy watching P. compete. She is representing MN at the World Show this week! Thank you again!” – Sue A. MN NBHA State Director
– GOLD SPONSOR
River Valley Law is a Gold Sponsor for the Mid-MN Legal Aid fundraising luncheon on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
– RIVER VALLEY LAW FEATURED ON WDAY TV IN FARGO, ND
River Valley Law was featured on WDAY TV (the ABC affiliate in Fargo, ND) Fargo, ND about a case. The case involved a former nursing home administrator in Fertile, MN, who filed a lawsuit against the city. Read the excerpt below from River Valley Law and watch the segment.
“The result of the lawsuit could determine whether the Mayor and other City officials wrongfully held closed session City Council meetings to “poll” for votes from Council members on firing Ms. Leiting and could determine whether Ms. Leiting was wrongfully fired and whether she should be re-instated to her former position and paid her lost wages and benefits,” a news release from River Valley Law states.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
– RIVER VALLEY LAW, PA JOINS THE ST. CLOUD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
River Valley Law, PA joined the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce in August 2023, becoming part of the mission to support this great community and to the commitment of building stronger relationships together.
– RIVER VALLEY LAW, PA ADDS TO THE TEAM
Adam Seward joined River Valley Law, PA in May, 2023 as a summer law clerk. Adam will be continuing as a part-time law clerk while completing his J.D. at University of St. Thomas School of Law. His primary areas of practice will be in general civil litigation and appellate work.
– NEW YORK TIMES
Sarah Jewell was recently nominated to the 2023 Lawyers of Distinction list, published in the New York Times on February 26, 2023. Congratulations to all the lawyers listed.
– Lawyerist Podcast
Sarah Jewell was recently a guest on the Lawyerist Podcast. In the episode, Zack and Kristin Tyler, of LawClerk, talked with lawyers Sarah Jewell and Jason Lawrence about their experience working together through the LawClerk platform.
You can find the podcast at: https://lawyerist.com/podcast/hiring-and-working-freelance-attorney/
– Practicing with Purpose Podcast
Sarah Jewell was recently a guest on Practicing with Purpose with Cindy Watson. Sarah and Cindy discussed:
- The “back door” way to enter a career change
- The key aspect of approaching clients and problems, in opposition to what they teach you in school
- How to think in a more nuanced way to keep you on the right track and not get stuck in the weeks
- Embracing downtime and even scheduling it, to avoid losing track of time
You can find the podcast on: iTunes Google Amazon Spot
– Minnesota State Bar Association
Sarah Jewell recently participated in an article for the Minnesota State Bar Association. She was posed the question: What tips/advice would you for a 1L who’s just getting started this fall? Read Sarah’s and other’s answers in the article.
– AWARD: 2018-2021 Rising Stars Honoree in Minnesota
Congratulations to Sarah Jewell for being recognized as a 2018-2021 Rising Stars Honoree in Minnesota!
River Valley Law, PA provides an array of legal services including, business, employment and real estate advice, civil litigation, agricultural law, real estate litigation and employment litigation. But, more than that – we’re focused on people.
We help individuals and businesses with their legal needs in an approachable, compassionate, and practical manner. We use the latest technology and resources to get the job done effectively and efficiently.
All of the amazing team at River Valley Law wishes to thank all of our current and past clients, referring attorneys and business partners, and other community professionals for their loyal support. Your support is one of the reasons we have grown so fast over the past year! We simply would not be where we are today without you.
Congratulations to all of this year’s Super Lawyers and Rising Stars recipients!
– AWARD: SARAH JEWELL RECOGNIZED AS NORTH STAR LAWYER
In June 2022, Sarah Jewell was recognized by the MN State Bar Association as a North Star Lawyer for providing at least 50 pro bono hours last year.
Article
– Case: Tracy schutt vs. hennepin county
Sarah Jewell Wins Case Against Hennepin County
Sarah won the case after a 4-day trial before Judge Barbara Case in St. Paul at the Office of Administrative Hearings “OAH”. This case was featured on Channel 5 news, and written up in the Star Tribune.
In 2019, Sarah was in court representing her client, Tracy Schutt. Tracy had been wrongfully terminated from Hennepin County where she was a child support worker. Fired in September 2018, Sarah was able to rightfully return Tracy to her previous position, with back pay and benefits reinstated as well.
If you need legal employment advice, contact us.
– IN THE NEWS
The firm’s legal work has been noted in various publications over the years. Here are some links highlighting the past work of the firm and its attorneys.
- Star Tribune
- Star Tribune
- Moraminn.com
- Star Tribune
- Star Tribune
- Moraminn.com
- Moraminn.com
- Star Tribune
- Star Tribune
- Star Tribune
- JacksonCountyPilot.com
- Star Tribune
If you need legal representation, contact us.
More Cases
Minnesota “Buy the Farm”
Sarah worked on one of the most notable and cited cases for Minnesota “Buy the Farm” statute, Minn. Stat. Sec. 216E.12, entitled, “Northern States Power Company v. Aleckson, et al. See: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/
Farming Partnership Dispute
Sarah handled a large farming partnership dispute involving over one million dollars worth of real property, equipment, and livestock. She was able to obtain an out-of-court settlement on one issue, took the remaining issue to trial for a win on the merits.
Employer Case
For an employer, Sarah was able to successfully avoid claims by a former executive for wrongful termination based on the executive’s own harassment of other co-workers.
Employee Case
Sarah obtained an out-of-court settlement for an employment law client based on racial discrimination and a hostile work environment involving a large food company.
Real Estate Case
Sarah took a disputed real estate matter to trial and successfully defended against several claims while reducing overall liability for the client.
Severance Pay Case
She successfully assisted a client in negotiating a longer severance pay agreement when separating from employment.
Real Estate Case
Sarah took a real estate partition case to the district court and successfully obtained a sale of the property on behalf of several co-owners.
Published Articles
– Cartways—An Ancient Relic Disturbing Today’s Rural Landscape?
Read Sarah Jewell’s published article on Cartways published in the Mitchell Hamline Law Review.
Let’s Work Together
Fax: 1 (320) 640-2828 | Email: info@rivervalleylaw.com
Minnesota
River Valley Law, P.A.
183 Seventh Avenue South, Waite Park, MN 56387
Phone: (320) 497-7977
Mon - Thur: 8 am - 5 pm
Friday: 8 am - 4:30 pm
North Dakota
River Valley Law, P.A.
3523 – 45th Street South, Suite 100, Fargo, ND 58104
Phone: (701) 612-2777
By appointment only
DISCLAIMER: All content on this website is intended to be informational only and does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not intend to constitute legal advice.