MINNESOTA

EMPLOYMENT LAW

REPORT

The Minnesota Employment Law Report is our award – winning blog offering expert insight to the business community concerning employee relations, labor law, employee benefits, employment litigation and much more.

2026 Minnesota Legislative Session Wrap-Up: What Employers Need to Know

Brian Benkstein

The 2026 Minnesota legislative session adjourned on May 18, 2026. Although last year’s session delivered a wave of changes to meal and rest breaks, earned sick and safe time, and…

Eighth Circuit Affirms Minnesota’s Peer Review Immunity Statute

Zachary A. Alter

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that Minnesota’s peer review immunity statute barred a surgeon’s defamation and tortious interference claims against his former employer and colleagues. In the…

Open Mouth. Insert Foot. Lose Case

Dennis J. Merley

In one of our most popular pieces (Just. Stop. Talking) we wrote about how even justifiable employment actions can be undermined by improvident or improper remarks about an employee’s protected…

Man Suing Former Employer Must Pursue Case Under His Newly-Changed Name

Dennis J. Merley

William Shakespeare asked in Romeo and Juliet: “What’s in a name?” One fellow answered that question by petitioning a Federal District Court in New York to allow him to sue…

Employer Sues Whistleblower For Failure to Report Illegal Conduct Internally

Dennis J. Merley

Here’s an interesting twist – a hospital employer being sued by a former executive for a whistleblower claim is now suing that whistleblower for failing to report the unlawful conduct…

Ex-Employee’s Lawsuit Demonstrates That Some People Sue Over Absolutely Nothing

Dennis J. Merley

Employers often complain that they feel at risk of being sued even if they have done absolutely nothing wrong. Unfortunately, a recent Minnesota case seems to support their lament. Everett…

Three Worrisome Rulings From Other States in 2017 – And One We Love

Dennis J. Merley

Even though decisions from other jurisdictions do not apply to Minnesota employers, those rulings are important. If a case arises in Minnesota for which there is no judicial precedent, our judges often…

Top 5 Minnesota Employment Law Cases in 2017

Dennis J. Merley

As 2017 comes to a close, let’s look back on five significant decisions from the Minnesota courts: Court Delivered Wrong Analysis of Pregnancy Discrimination We wrote this year in Employer Needn’t Be Angry…

Talk is Cheap but Age-Based Remarks Will Cost you

Dennis J. Merley

When Will Rogers advised “Never miss a good chance to shut up”, he probably was talking to the hiring manger in a recent age discrimination case. Frank Branham applied for…