Attorneys Shawn Wanta and Joni Thome won a victory for a former manager for Storage Management, Inc. when a Hennepin County jury returned a verdict in favor of their client. The plaintiff was terminated from his job after reporting an on-the-job injury over the course of several months that lead to his termination. The verdict was read on August 27, 2021.
The jury awarded Plaintiff Matt Lennander wage-loss damages and punitive damages for violations of the anti-retaliation provisions of the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act. The jury also found that the former employer violated Plaintiff’s rights when they perceived him as having a disability and terminated him as a result. The jury found the former employer failed to continue to offer employment to Plaintiff after he sought workers’ compensation benefits which entitles Plaintiff to an additional award of damages under the statute. Congratulations to Shawn, Joni, and team on this win.
Shawn Wanta represents employees and consumers in complex litigation. Shawn regularly presents on topics concerning employment law, consumer law, and civil litigation. Shawn leads the firm’s class and complex litigation practice group and has been named to the lists of Best Lawyers in America and Minnesota Rising Stars by his peers.
Joni M. Thome has focused her nearly three-decade long practice working on behalf of employees who have been wrongfully terminated from their jobs due to discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation. Joni has been certified as an Employment Law Specialist since 2010 and has been repeatedly named to the lists of Minnesota’s Top 50 Woman Super Lawyers, Top 100 Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.
