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Fred Morris is the former chair of Leonard, Street and Deinard’s Product Liability and Tort Litigation practice group. While a significant portion of his practice has concerned tort and commercial litigation involving products, he also has been lead counsel in a wide variety of other litigated matters. For example, he has been lead counsel in employment, patent licensing, contract, ERISA, medical malpractice, franchise, and civil rights litigation. Because of his extensive jury trial experience, Fred has been co-counsel in patent and copyright infringement litigation. In addition, Fred has been lead counsel in several complex class action cases. He has appeared before state and federal courts in more than 35 different jurisdictions as well as before state and federal appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court.
Part of Fred’s practice has involved counseling clients with regard to product literature in an effort to minimize risks in product liability litigation. He has worked with outside consultants and focus groups in connection with counseling clients regarding their product literature.
Fred has appeared in several continuing legal education programs focused on teaching trial skills and has been identified by his peers as one of the best trial attorneys in Minnesota. Fred was a contributor to Dr. Donald E. Vinson’s book Jury Persuasion: Psychological Strategies and Trial Techniques (Prentice Hall Law & Business, 1993). In recognition of his jury trial experience and regard among his peers, Fred has been admitted into the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Society of Barristers. He has also been named among The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of commercial litigation and product liability litigation, and has been named a "Super Lawyer®" by his peers, as noted by Minnesota Law & Politics.
Fred’s representative cases include Ball v. A.O. Smith Corp., 451 F.3d 66, 2006 WL 1579545, 46 Bankr.Ct.Dec. 178, Bankr. L. Rep. P 80,632, , C.A.2 (N.Y.), June 09, 2006(Docket No. 05-1152-bk.); FinishMaster, Inc. v. Wausau Benefits, Inc., 425 F.Supp.2d 933, 2006 WL 889737, , S.D.Ind., March 24, 2006(No. 1:04-CV-1766-LJM-WTL.); Jack H. Winslow Farms, Inc. v. Dedmon, 360 N.C. 64, 621 S.E.2d 625, 2005 WL 3025203, , N.C., October 06, 2005(No. 466P05.); Minnesota Specialty Crops, Inc. v. Minnesota Wild Hockey Club, L.P., 210 F.R.D. 673, 2002 WL 31387726, , D.Minn., August 09, 2002(Civ. No. 00-2317 (JRT/RLE).); McCaleb v. A.O. Smith Corp., 200 F.3d 747, 2000 WL 18674, RICO Bus.Disp.Guide 9816, 13 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. C 344, , C.A.11 (Ala.), January 12, 2000(No. 99-12901Non-Argument Calendar.); Klehr v. A.O. Smith Corp., 521 U.S. 179, 181 (1997); Ilhardt v. A.O. Smith Corp., 168 F.R.D. 613, 1996 WL 479122, 36 Fed.R.Serv.3d 986, , S.D.Ohio, August 16, 1996(No. C-1-92-635.); Frank v. Winter, 528 N.W.2d 910, 1995 WL 90162, , Minn.App., March 07, 1995(No. C9-94-1755.); Buller v. A.O. Smith Harvestore Products, Inc., 518 N.W.2d 537, 1994 WL 278173, , Minn., June 24, 1994(No. C5-93-138.); Veldhuizen v. A.O. Smith Corp., 839 F.Supp. 669, 1993 WL 521736, , D.Minn., December 14, 1993(Civ. No. 4-92-1131.); Insurance Co. of State of Pennsylvania v. Hoffman, 814 F.Supp. 782, 1993 WL 48222, , D.Minn., February 22, 1993(Civ. No. 4-91-297.); Parker v. MVBA Harvestore Systems, 491 N.W.2d 904, 1992 WL 314518, , Minn.App., November 03, 1992(Nos. C4-92-704, C8-92-706 and C7-92-731.); Filippi v. Inter-City Products Corp., Not Reported in N.W.2d, 1992 WL 89536, , Minn.App., May 05, 1992(No. C7-91-1786.); VERTA Corp. v. Cooper Industries, Inc., Not Reported in N.W.2d, 1990 WL 84665, , Minn.App., June 26, 1990(No. C2-89-1811.); Dubbe v. A.O. Smith Harvestore Products, Inc., 399 N.W.2d 644, 2 UCC Rep.Serv.2d 1532, , Minn.App., January 27, 1987(No. C0-86-1016.); Maas v. Allstate Insurance Co., 365 N.W.2d 256 (Minn. 1985); Westland Capital Corp. v. Lucht Engineering Inc., 308 N.W.2d 709, , Minn., July 24, 1981(No. 51462.); Levienn v. Metropolitan Transit Commission, 297 N.W.2d 272, , Minn., August 22, 1980(No. 50239.); and Mead v. U. S. Fidelity & Guaranty Co., 442 F.Supp. 109, 18 Fair Empl.Prac.Cas. (BNA) 136, , D.Minn., August 15, 1977(Civ. Nos. 4-77-16, 4-77-42.).
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES
Past chair, Leonard, Street and Deinard’s products liability and tort
litigation department
Frequent faculty member, National Institute of Trial Advocacy programs
EDUCATION
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1975
B.A., Yale University, 1969
ADMISSIONS
State of Minnesota, 1975
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of
Wisconsin, Western District of Missouri, District of Columbia and District of
Minnesota
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh
U.S. Supreme Court |
