Dawn Van Tassel is a trial lawyer in Maslon's Litigation Group, serving clients in the areas of complex commercial litigation, business torts and employment disputes. She has represented clients ranging from individuals to small-business owners to global corporations throughout all stages of state and federal court proceedings and privately arbitrated disputes. Dawn has successfully first- and second-chaired numerous bench and jury trials and arbitration hearings and has also appeared before state and federal appellate courts.
Although her practice focuses primarily on complex commercial disputes, Dawn's experience spans a wide breadth of litigation matters, including insurance coverage, employment discrimination, and appellate work. She also maintains a robust local-counsel practice, guiding out-of-state lawyers and clients through the intricacies of Minnesota's state and federal courts.
Dawn earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). She earned her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Augsburg College. Dawn is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Minnesota, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and 11th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California,
1999, J.D. Honors: Chair, Moot Court Board, 1998-1999 Honors: Boalt Hall Teaching Fellow, 1998-1999
Law Journal:
Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Articles Editor and Member, 1997 - 1999
Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
1995, B.A. Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Major: Communication
In re Estate of Kinney, __ N.W.2d ___, 2007 WL 1704137 (Minn. June 14, 2007) (clarifying requirements for antenuptial agreements under Minnesota common law, reversing summary judgment previously entered against client).
Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. ETHEX Corporation and KV Pharmaceutical Co. (D. Minn. 2007): Served as local counsel for generic pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor on claims of false advertising under Lanham Act and Minnesota False Advertising Act. Assisted in achieving total defense verdict after six-week jury trial in federal district court.
Ad Associates, Inc. v. Coast to Coast Classifieds, Inc., 2005 WL 3372968 (D. Minn. Dec. 12, 2005): Defended small-business owner against claims of copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition. First-chaired bench trial, at which client prevailed on all claims.
Unity Church of St. Paul, et al. v. State of Minnesota, 694 N.W.2d 585 (Minn. Ct. App. 2005) Drafted successful amicus curiae brief on behalf of American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota in challenge to firearm conceal/carry statute on basis of state constitution's "single subject" clause.
i-Systems, Inc. v. Softwares, Inc., 2004 WL 742082 (D. Minn. March 29, 2004) (denying motion for summary judgment on claims of copyright, trade secret misappropriation, deceptive trade practices and contract claims brought by software developer). Assisted in obtaining $830,000 jury verdict at trial.
Anderson v. Crossroads Capital Partners, LLC, 2004 WL 256512 (D. Minn. Feb. 10, 2004) (granting partial summary judgment to employer in sexual harassment case); 2004 WL 483196 (D. Minn. March 10, 2004) (granting motion to dismiss on remaining claim against employer).
Kerns v. Kerns, 53 P.3d 1157 (Colo. 2002) (granting extraordinary writ petition and upholding validity of out-of-state notices of lis pendens to prevent disposition of assets in fraud/constructive trust action).
Hoehne v. Kerns, 2002 WL 31260000 (per curiam) (8th Cir. 2002) (affirming entry of preliminary injunction and payment of funds into court to prevent disposition of assets in fraud/constructive trust action).
D.E. Frey & Co., Inc. v. Luedke, 2001 WL 11155704 (Minn. Ct. App. 2001) (upholding dismissal of alleged counterclaim for back wages).
