MN Courts Want to Help Parents Battling Opioid Addiction

While opioid addiction continues to ravage families across the United States, Minnesota is working hard to help keep drug offenders from prison.

They do so by helping them into treatment programs through specialized Drug Courts. They’ve even created a sub-court system, Drug Courts for Families, which caters to those families battling addiction in order to help them stay together.

Here’s what you need to know about addiction and the court system in Minnesota and how family-based treatments are working to keep families together instead of being torn apart.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths due to prescription opioids are on the rise. In 2010, a little over 21,000 people died from [...]

Duluth Police More Focused on Property Crimes Than Violence

When you turn on the news today, you hear a lot of talk about law and order. In Duluth, there’s a focus on law and order but not in the way you may think.

According to the Duluth Police Chief, violent crime in the city is not on the rise. Violent crimes such as homicide. In fact, if there are crimes that are on the rise, then it’s crimes involving physical property. Theft continues to be a problem in Minnesota, in Duluth and beyond.

In Minnesota, property crimes are known as “criminal damage to property” which is defined as intentional damage done to public or private property. It is divided into distinct charges based on the severity of the crime.[...]

What MN Parents Can Do If Their Child Is in Their Car Wreck, Too

Car accidents happen, but when there are children involved it can turn something terrible into something even more tragic. Case in point, a freight truck struck a car in Minneapolis, killing two of the three occupants in the car and seriously injuring the minor child in the backseat.

When accidents like this happen, it’s a good idea to know the steps to take to ensure you’re protecting you and your children’s interests.

Here are some of the steps Minnesota parents should take if their child is involved in a car accident with you.

If you are involved in a car accident with your children in the car, the first thing you [...]

Pros and Cons of MN’s Newly Proposed Parental Custody Split

Recently, the Minnesota Legislature has proposed a new set of legislation for child custody agreements. This new legislation, known as HF 887 and HF1666/SF 1295, is significantly more strict in how it views parental custody.

Specifically, it holds that both parents of a child are entitled to equal parenting time. If this legislation becomes law, it would be a dramatic change for many Minnesota parents.

Having a 50/50 custody split as the primary custody agreement may help people in some situations, but not all. In fact, this change has some significant downsides compared to current Minnesota custody laws.

Currently, the state of Minnesota’s child custody law includes a presumption that parents are entitled to 25 [...]

Your Guide to Minnesota Record Expungements

In Minnesota, there are certain criminal records that can be expunged. However, it’s a complicated and somewhat slow process – or at least it can be if you don’t have an attorney who can help.

There are a lot of questions about record expungements in Minnesota that are asked regularly, which is why this list of frequently asked questions has been compiled.

Read on to find out all you need to know about having your Minnesota criminal record expunged.

Expungement is a process where the legal record of a criminal conviction or arrest is sealed. It doesn’t disappear from your record completely, but it won’t come up on background checks and you will no longer [...]

Injured in a Minnesota Semi Accident? Here’s How Liability Works

Semi-trucks are vital to our nation’s infrastructure and are a primary means for transporting essential goods all over the country.

Most semis are operated by skilled professionals, and the vehicles are well-maintained by either the vehicle’s independent operator or the driver’s managing company. However, semi-truck accidents can and do happen, often with devastating results.

In 2018, nearly 3,000 Minnesotans were involved in semi-truck accidents, and 44 were killed. Moreover, traffic deaths are currently increasing in Minnesota. Tragically, many of these accidents could have been prevented but for the negligence [...]

Did Your Loved One Suffer a Wrongful Death in MN? What to Do

The sudden and untimely loss of a loved one is emotionally devastating, and even more so if the death could have been prevented. Even if the responsible party did not act intentionally, your loved one paid with their life and has been taken from you just the same.

In some cases, an entire family can suffer due to lost income and emotional support, for example, if the decedent was the family’s primary earner and is survived by young children.

Money won’t bring your loved one back or fill the void you are left with. However, a wrongful death suit can help you recover from the often-devastating financial consequences of wrongful death, and help your family adjust to living without the [...]

MN Law on Child Supervision is Vague — Your Ex’s Attorney Won’t Be

Minnesota law does not provide a specific age or circumstances under which a child can be left home alone or under the care of another child. However, there are general laws that require adequate and appropriate supervision of minor children.

In general, Minnesota child supervision guidelines are vague and suggest that parents use common sense regarding child supervision.

That said, if you are facing a potential divorce or child custody case, it’s likely that your ex (and their attorney) will be carefully tracking the supervision of the children while they’re in your care, looking for slip-ups that could paint you as a negligent parent.

We’ve put together a guide covering the general child supervision guidelines laid out by the state, [...]

Believe It Or Not, the Drunk Driver Isn’t Always at Fault in MN

Drunk driving, despite the best efforts of those in law enforcement and the community, continues to happen. In Minnesota specifically, the number of deaths related to drunk driving accidents continues to increase.

In 2018, there were 371 traffic fatalities reported, up almost six percent from the previous year. Of those fatalities, 84 were caused by a drunk driver.

What may come as a surprise is that when these issues go to court, the drunk driver isn’t always found at fault. In fact, in Minnesota’s no-fault system, there are some scenarios where a drunk driver may not be held liable for the other driver’s injuries. Read on to find out more.

Minnesota is one of only 12 [...]

Two Rules to Know About MN Car Accident Claims

With its icy winters and busy city roads, Minnesota sees its fair share of car accidents. Recent data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) reveals the extent of our state’s traffic crash problem.

According to the report, there are 207 car crashes per day on average in Minnesota. In 2018 alone, more than 79,000 crashes were reported to the DPS.

As a Minnesota driver, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the laws surrounding traffic accidents in our state. In the unfortunate event that you are involved in an accident, an understanding of state laws can help you protect your rights.

Although there are many different laws that apply to car accidents, there are two, hard and fast rules [...]