Awards and Associations

Best Lawyers in America

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Certified Civil Trial Law Specialist

Minnesota State Bar Association

President's Award

Minnesota State Bar Association 2008

Professionalism Award

Hennepin County Bar Association 2016

Martindale Hubbell Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Peer rated for highest level of professional excellence

Top 40 Personal Injury Attorneys

Minnesota Law & Politics

Member of the Year

Minnesota Association of Justice 2006

Professional Excellence Award

Minnesota State Bar Association 2009

Top 50 Women Super Lawyers

Thomson Reuters

American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys

Ten Best Personal Injury Attorneys

2008 Outstanding Service to the Profession

Minnesota Lawyer

Women to Watch

Business Journal

Top 100 Super Lawyers

Thomson Reuters

2005 Attorney of the Year

Minnesota Lawyer

Top 100 Trial Attorneys

The National Trial Lawyers

Super Lawyer - Thomson Reuters

PI General - Plaintiff

America's Top 100 Attorneys

Lifetime Achievement Member

American Association for Justice Leader's Forum

Member

Anoka County Bar Association

Member

Hennepin County Bar Association

President 1999-2000

Minnesota State Bar Association

President 2005-2006

Hennepin County Bar Foundation

Board of Directors

Minnesota Association for Justice

Member

Minnesota Continuing Legal Education

Board of Directors

Minnesota Women Lawyers

Advisory Board

Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers

Member

American Inns of Court

Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers

American Bar Association

Member

American Association for Justice

Member

American Bar Foundation

Fellow

National Conference of Bar Presidents

Member

National Conference of Bar Presidents

Member

American Board of Trial Advocates

Member

International Society of Barristers

Fellow

Achieve Services, Inc., Training and Habilitation Agency

Board of Directors

Lakeland Public Television

Board of Directors

Citizen's Commission to Preserve An Impartial Judiciary a/k/a The Quie Commission

Member

League of Women Voters

Member, Minneapolis Chapter

University of St. Thomas Law School

Mentor

Verdicts & Settlements

$1,000,000
Man Dies Trying to Stop Friend from Driving after Drinking

Litigation Type - Drunk Driving Accidents

Client Injury - Death

Our clients' 18-year-old son was leaning on the driver's side door of his 20-year-old friend's pick-up truck outside a bar where they had been drinking. The 18 year old was trying to convince his friend not to drive because he was drunk. However, the friend drove ahead, knocked down the 18-year-old and ran over his head, causing fatal injuries.

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$960,000
Trench Collapse Causes Death of Worker

Litigation Type - Construction Accidents

Client Injury - Death

Our client's husband, a 33 year old plumber, died as a result of injuries sustained at a residential job site. An employee of one of the subcontractors was operating a back hoe digging a trench for the plumbing to be installed to the street. One wall of the trench collapsed covering the plumber while he was working in the trench. Workers on site were able to dig him out and he was rushed to the hospital and died three days later due to the effects of oxygen deprivation. He was survived by a spouse and young children and his death was an enormous loss for his family. Susan Holden settled this case with the excavation company for $960,000.

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$541,000
Defect in Escalator Traps Foot

Litigation Type - Product Liability

Client Injury - Foot Injury

Our client, an eleven year old boy, was seriously injured while riding up an escalator at a department store. The boy was riding up the escalator with his mother when his foot became caught between two steps near the top. He was unable to pull his foot free before it was forced under the comb plate at the top platform. The escalator continued running causing crush injuries to three toes and other crush damage and lacerations to his foot.

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$500,000
Car Accident Disfigures Young Woman With Facial Injuries

Litigation Type - Car Accidents

Client Injury - Pelvic and Femur Fractures. Facial injuries

This case arose out of an automobile collision that occurred at an intersection when a driver ran a stop sign and broadsided a vehicle operated by our 38 year old client. She suffered serious injuries, pelvic fractures and a femur fracture that required surgery. Her facial injuries were repaired and reconstructed by a plastic surgeon but at the time of trial she still had facial disfigurement and needed further surgery.

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$340,000
Bicyclist Killed Crossing Intersection With Green Light

Litigation Type - Bicycle Accidents

Client Injury - Death

This fatal automobile/bicycle collision occurred at an intersection in Plymouth, MN. Our client, an active 88 year old, was riding his bicycle westbound in the crosswalk when he was struck broadside by a vehicle traveling south.  The driver apparently did not see our client crossing at the intersection, though our client, in fact, crossed several lanes of traffic before being hit. An eye witness, who was traveling directly behind the at-fault driver indicated he could clearly see our client riding slowly across the intersection and observed that the at-fault driver did not slow down, apply her brakes, or take any evasive action before striking the bicyclist. Our client died as a result of his injuries.

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$225,000
MTC Driver Disabled By Drunk Driver

Litigation Type - Drunk Driving Accidents

Client Injury - Permanent Disabilities

After heavy drinking at a downtown St. Paul bar, a man stumbled to his car (.32 blood alcohol level) and roared out of his parking spot along a city street. He ran a red light at the end of the block and hit an MTC bus driven by our client, forcing the bus to crash into a building. The MTC driver suffered severe injuries that left her with permanent disabilities. Ironically, the entire accident was caught on film by the bus stop security camera nearby.

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$198,000
Wrongful death action filed for 17 year old killed in car accident.

Litigation Type - Wrongful Death Accidents

Client Injury - Death

A wrongful death action arose out of a two vehicle collision at the intersection of two highways in rural Minnesota. Our client's son, a 17 year old rear seat passenger in one of the vehicles, was fatally injured. Susan Holden represented the surviving father and three surviving younger brothers.

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Confidential
Train accident in railroad crossing without flashing lights or guard is deadly

Litigation Type - Train Accidents

Client Injury - Death

Our client's 28 year old husband was tragically killed when his vehicle collided with a train at a crossing in suburban Twin Cities. He was survived by his young wife and children, and his death was an enormous loss for his family.

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Confidential
Woman Slips On Wet Floor and Injures Back

Litigation Type - Slip, Trip and Fall

Client Injury - Back Injuries

A 49 year old woman fell at a retail store and suffered back injuries that necessitated surgery on her low back. Our client had undergone three prior fusion surgeries to her low back before this incident. She was recovering from the third surgery when she fell at the store and aggravated the healing fusion. She lost 15 months of work, incurred substantial medical treatment expenses for a fourth surgery, and suffered permanent disability which her treating surgeon related to the aggravation of her prior condition caused in this incident.

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Confidential
Fatal Motorcycle Crash Caused by Texting Teen

Litigation Type - Motorcycle Accidents

Client Injury - Death

Our clients’ family members were both killed when their motorcycle was struck head-on by a distracted teen driver whose pickup truck crossed the center line while the truck driver was texting.

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Case Studies

Melinda's Story – "She saved my life"

You should have seen my lawyer in the courtroom…she didn't miss a thing. It was great watching her in action with her professional approach and

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John's Story – "Just biking to work"

It couldn't have been more ordinary for my 88-year old husband, John, to be riding his three-wheel battery powered bike home from work, until the.

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Linda's Story – "Back to square one"

During the Labor Day holiday weekend of 2005, my husband and I entered a retail store in Brooklyn Park to do some shopping. We were walking slowly.

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Matt's Story – "She gave us an answer"

When Matt was injured in 1997, he wasn't quite 12 yrs old. We were riding up an escalator at a department store when his foot suddenly became caught.

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Articles