Trust and Estates Litigation
Successfully tried case on behalf of personal representative to construe will so that the terms “children” and “descendants” reflected testator’s intent to devise his estate to his step-children.

Successfully tried case to terminate a trust on behalf of surviving grandchild by petitioning that a claimed measuring life for the trust was ambiguous and violated the Rule Against Perpetuities and was therefore invalid.

Matter involving the establishment of a constructive trust over real property deeded to one sister by donor for the disputed benefit three sisters.

Represented at trial and before Supreme Court trustee’s opposition to multi-million dollar claims by the personal representative of decedent’s estate; In Re Pamela Andreas Stisser Grantor Trust Under the Second Amendment and Restatement of Trust Agreement Dated June 6, 2001, No. A10-1646 (Minn. 2012).

Significant trial and appellate decisions on duties of trustee, damages for breach of trust and use of attorney/client privilege for lawyers representing trust; In re Williams Trust, 631 N.W.2d 398 (Minn. Ct. App. 2001); 2000 WL 1920038 (D. Minn. 2000) 591 N.W.2d 743 (Minn. Ct. App. 1999).

Intellectual Property Litigation
Copyright infringement matter involving photographs posted on website.

Dispute involving the use of a copyrighted work in a television advertisement.

Lead counsel in successful defense of trademark infringement and dilution claims brought by producers of Lord of Rings movies against travel agency that operates under the name Hobbit Travel; Saul Zaentz Co. v. Wozniak Travel, Inc., 627 F. Supp. 2d 1096 (N.D. Cal. 2008).

Lead counsel in opposing trade dress infringement claim based on the plaintiff’s registration of a color blue for ice fishing shelters; Clam Corp., Inc. v. Innovative Outdoor Solutions, Inc., 2008 WL 5244845, 89 U.S.P.Q.2d 1314 (D. Minn. 2008).

Represented plaintiff in gray market/counterfeiting unfair competition matter regarding auto parts sold under plaintiff’s trademark.

Successfully prosecuted breach of contract claims and defended trademark infringement and cyber-squatting claims; Convey Compliance Systems, Inc. v. 1099 Pro., Inc., 443 F.3d 327 (4th Cir. 2006).

Patent inventorship dispute; Stern v. Columbia University, 434 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2006).

Represented plaintiff in business method patent infringement matter.

Trial addressing successor liability and remedies for transferring trademarks post trial to avoid judgment creditors.

Significant case addressing misuse of trade dress, unfair competition, and false advertising; Ott v. Target, et al., 153 F. Supp. 2d 1055 (D. Minn. 2001).