Madgett LawMinneapolis · Minnesota

General Litigation

Civil litigation in Minneapolis, Minnesota: contract, real estate, insurance, employment, consumer, and estate disputes.

Practice
03 / 13
Sections
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2 min

Most lawsuits aren’t dramatic. Somebody didn’t do what they promised, didn’t pay what they owed, or didn’t treat you fairly, and talking it out didn’t fix it. The other side can be a person, a business, or a government entity.

The disputes we handle

  • Breach of contract. When one party fails to fulfill its obligations under a contract, the other party may have legal recourse.
  • Real estate disputes. Between landlords and tenants, buyers and sellers, or neighbors, over property rights and obligations.
  • Insurance claims. If an insurance company denies your claim, you may have legal options to pursue compensation.
  • Employment disputes. Disputes between employers and employees over discrimination, wrongful termination, or unpaid wages can be addressed through litigation.
  • Personal injury. Handled as its own practice — see Personal Injury for Minnesota’s comparative fault rule, the no-fault threshold, and the deadlines that govern an injury claim.
  • Family law. Guidance and representation in matters such as divorce, child custody, and property division.
  • Consumer law. Claims over unfair business practices, deceptive advertising, and defective products.
  • Estate litigation. Disputes over wills, trusts, and probate.

How a case runs

  • Evaluation. We look at what happened, what you can prove, and what your options are, and we give you a realistic cost range at the outset.
  • Negotiation and mediation. Where it makes sense, we try to resolve the dispute that way before filing suit.
  • Discovery. Gathering the documents and deposing the witnesses.
  • Trial. Preparing you for trial and presenting the case to the court.
  • Appeal. Representing you on appeal if it comes to that.

If a case stops making economic sense, we’ll tell you.

What to do first

Gather the documents: contracts, emails, texts, invoices, photographs, and anything you signed. Write down what happened, in order, while you still remember it clearly. Stop discussing the dispute with the other side in writing until you have advice. And keep everything, including the messages that don’t help you. I’d rather see the bad email now than meet it for the first time in a deposition.

Talk to us

Send us a message or call 612-470-6529.

Common questions

How much does it cost to sue someone in Minnesota?

The filing fee is the smallest part of it; the real cost is the work between filing and resolution. That varies enormously with how hard the other side fights and how much discovery a case needs. We give a realistic range at the outset, revisit it when something changes, and will tell you when a case has stopped making economic sense.

How long does a civil lawsuit take in Minnesota?

Many disputes resolve in months through negotiation or mediation. A case that goes through discovery, motions, and trial commonly takes a year or more, and appeals add to that. The answer for any particular dispute depends on the court, the complexity, and whether the other side has a reason to delay.

Should I try mediation before filing a lawsuit?

Frequently, yes — it is faster and cheaper, and it keeps the outcome in your hands rather than a judge's or jury's. But mediation works best when both sides see real risk in not settling, which usually means your position has to be developed enough to be credible. Going in unprepared tends to produce a bad number, not a fast one.

What is the deadline to bring a civil claim in Minnesota?

It depends entirely on the type of claim, and Minnesota's limitation periods differ sharply between contract, property, injury, consumer, and statutory claims. Some deadlines run from the date of the wrong and others from when you discovered it. This is worth confirming early, because a missed deadline ends a case regardless of its merits.

What should I do before I talk to a lawyer about a dispute?

Gather the documents — contracts, emails, texts, invoices, photographs, and anything you signed — and write down the sequence of events while it is fresh. Stop discussing the dispute with the other side in writing until you have advice. Preserve everything, including messages that are unhelpful to you; the surprise ones are the ones that damage cases later.

From Minnesota Employment Guide

The firm's plain-English employment guides, written for employees

Every statement checked against the statute or the opinion that says it, quoted verbatim, linked, and dated. Honest about the "no" answers. Nothing for sale there.

Just fired, or about to beMisconduct Your Employer Discovers After Firing You Does Not Erase the Claim — It Cuts Off Reinstatement and Front Pay and Stops the Back-Pay Clock on the Day of DiscoveryMcKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Co. holds that after-acquired evidence of employee wrongdoing is no defense to liability under the ADEA, and that the employer must first prove the wrongdoing would in fact have caused a discharge. What it does is limit the remedy. Whether a Minnesota court applies the same limits to a Human Rights Act or Whistleblower Act claim was not decided by any decision retrieved for this page.Sources checked 2026-09-11Still employedMinnesota's Age Protection Starts at 18, Not at 40 — and a Second Statute Puts Mandatory Retirement at 70Minn. Stat. § 363A.03, subd. 2, protects anyone over the age of majority, where the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects only those 40 and older and only at employers with twenty employees. Minnesota then adds Minn. Stat. § 181.81, a separate statute with its own cause of action that makes it unlawful for a private employer to discharge anyone for reaching an age under 70.Sources checked 2026-09-11Still employedMinnesota's break rules got numbers on January 1, 2026 — and being salaried is not what makes you exempt from overtimeSince January 1, 2026 Minnesota requires a rest break of at least 15 minutes within each four consecutive hours worked and a 30-minute meal break at six consecutive hours, each with its own liquidated-damages remedy. Minnesota's overtime threshold is 48 hours a week; the federal threshold is 40.Sources checked 2026-09-06

All guides at minnesotaemploymentguide.com →

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Business LitigationMinneapolis business litigation attorney for contract disputes, business torts, and shareholder & partnership conflicts across Minnesota. Message us for a free consultation.