Michael J. Tomsche

Experience

Mike has been a trial lawyer for nearly 30 years. His diverse practice includes everything from premises liability claims to complex litigation relating to multi-million-dollar construction defects.  Mike gives every case the same focus and attention.  He is well-known and respected in the Minnesota legal community for his straight-forward, pragmatic approach.  Mike’s experience and legal acumen allows him to resolve cases for his clients in a cost-effective manner, while at the same time protecting them from further litigation.  Mike is an accomplished and effective trial lawyer who has handled dozens of trials to verdict as well as hundreds of arbitrations.  He has also successfully argued a number of cases at the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

Education

• University of Minnesota, J.D. Cum Laude, 1990
• College of St. Thomas, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 1987

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 1990
• Wisconsin, 2001
• U.S. District Court, Minnesota
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. Supreme Court

Practice Areas

Personal Injury Litigation

• Boating and Recreational Vehicle Accidents
• Motor Vehicle Accident
• Premises Liability
• Products Liability
• Retail and Hospitality
• Sex Abuse
• Wrongful Death and Catastrophic Injury

Professional Liability

• Appraisers
• Insurance Agents and Brokers
• Design Professionals
• Engineers
• Directors and Officers (D&O)
• For-profit and Non-profit Boards

Other Civil Litigation

• Commercial
• Construction Defect
• Defamation
• Employment
• Fire

Insurance Coverage

Subrogation

Professional Associations

• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Wisconsin State Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute

Professional Recognition

• Super Lawyer, 2003 – 2019
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated

Representative Cases

• State Farm Fire & Casualty v. Haulcy, 2000 WL 1664890 (Minn. App. 2000)
• Am. Nat. Gen. Ins. Co. v. Solum, 641 N.W.2d 891 (Minn. 2002)
• Schneider ex rel. Schneider v. Erickson, 654 N.W.2d 144 (Minn. App. 2002)
• Midwest Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Schmitt, 651 N.W.2d 843 (Minn. App. 2002)
• Schuster v. Welton, 2004 WL 1728094 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug 3, 2004)
• Ittel v. Pietig, 705 N.W.2d 203, 207 (Minn. App. 2005)
• Berston v. Oakwood Builders, 2005 WL 2847221
• Weston v. McWilliams & Assocs., 716 N.W.2d 634, 638 (Minn. 2006)
• Haefele v. Franson, 2007 WL 1815859, (Minn. App.)
• State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Kistner, 2009 WL 2852618 (Minn. App.)
• Brown v. Commonsense Mortgage, 2010 WL 1657754 (Minn. App.)
• Kalenda v. Veit & Company, Inc., 2011 WL 589619 (Minn. App.)
• Target Corp. v. All Jersey Janitorial Serv., Inc., 916 F. Supp.2d 909 (D. Minn. 2013)
• State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. ARC Mfg., 11 F.Supp.3d 898 (D. Minn. 2014)
• Thornberg v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 638 F. App’x 578 (8th Cir. 2016)
• Christiansen by & through Christiansen v. Kobus, No. A17-0528, 2018 WL 414329 (Minn. Ct. App. Jan. 16, 2018)