In Minnesota, Is Workplace Bullying Against the Law?

Minnesota workers are protected under employment law from discrimination at work on the basis of their gender, race, age, disability or religion. But, what happens when the perpetrator is an equal opportunity offender? A recent news story examines this new trend in the workplace – bullying. This behavior consists of supervisors hassling their subordinates byway of poor …

Voting Barriers for Persons with Disabilities

Halunen Law’s João da Fonseca reports on an important presentation “Addressing Barriers to Voting by Persons with Disabilities.” Minnesota Chapter Sponsors CLE and Webinar Addressing Barriers to Voting by Persons with Disabilities By João da Fonseca Protecting the right of every American to vote is most fundamental to a robust democratic process. Yet, this right …

Halunen Attorney Benjamin Kwan Serves as President of Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Halunen Law attorney Ben Kwan was appointed to a one-year term as president of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MNAPABA) on October 1. As president, Ben leads a board of nine directors overseeing the non-profit association of Asian and Asian American attorneys in Minnesota. MNAPABA counts approximately 200 attorneys, judges, and law students …

Forged Under Civil War Fire, The False Claims Act Continues To Serve As Basis For Private Citizens To Blow The Whistle On Would-Be Fraudsters Of The Government Trust

Forged Under Civil War Fire, The False Claims Act Continues To Serve As Basis For Private Citizens To Blow The Whistle On Would-Be Fraudsters Of The Government Trust Under a little-known law, private citizens with knowledge of fraud against the government can bring a lawsuit against the offending organization. Called the False Claims Act, the …

Employees Take a Stand – Women’s Economic Security Act: New Protections for Minnesota Employees!

Whether or not you were aware of it, Minnesota recently took another giant leap forward in protecting its employees from unfair discrimination in the workplace.  On Mother’s Day 2014, Governor Dayton signed into law the Women’s Economic Security Act. While the title suggests that the act’s focus is equal pay for women, it actually provides …

Are you an Employee or an Independent Contractor under Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Laws?

It was just another day at work, and you were going about your usual tasks. You never anticipated getting injured on the job, but it happened. After a trip to the emergency room, numerous doctor visits, and a week of time off from work, the medical bills are piling up and the mortgage payment is …

Employees Take a Stand – Discrimination Because of “Race Association” is Illegal

Did you know that Minnesota law protects employees from discrimination because of the race of their family and friends? For example, if your boss tells you that you can’t have photos of your bi-racial child in your cube or office, but allows white employees to leave up photos of their white children, you may be …

Legislature Updates Minnesota False Claims Act – Expands Time to File Whistleblower Claim and Persons Covered by the Act

On April 22, 2013, Governor Dayton signed HF 290 into law, which modified Minnesota’s False Claims Act found at Minn. Stat. § 15C. The bill primarily changed the statute so that it would reward and facilitate False Claims Act cases at least as effectively as the federal law. By making these changes Minnesota should be …