Minnesota Supreme Court
Key Minnesota Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries.
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the state’s highest court. Its decisions are binding on all lower courts in Minnesota. Below are curated summaries of 23 landmark Supreme Court decisions that affect everyday legal issues.
The Supreme Court has seven justices and hears cases on appeal from the Court of Appeals or, in some cases, directly from district court. The court’s published opinions establish the rules that all Minnesota courts must follow.
Cases by Topic
Family Law — Pikula v. Pikula (custody best interests), Hecker v. Hecker (spousal maintenance), Moylan v. Moylan (child support modification), Nardini v. Nardini (property division), McKee-Johnson v. Johnson (prenuptial agreements)
Employment — Phipps v. Clark Oil (wrongful termination), Abraham v. County of Hennepin (whistleblower retaliation), Rasmussen v. Two Harbors Fish Co. (sexual harassment), National Recruiters v. Cashman (noncompetes), Schmitz v. U.S. Steel (workers’ comp retaliation), Anderson v. Hunter, Keith (employment discrimination), Dukowitz v. Hannon Security (at-will employment)
Housing & Landlord-Tenant — Fritz v. Warthen (implied warranty of habitability), Colonial Court v. Kern (constructive eviction), State v. Larson (security deposits)
Criminal Law — State v. Askerooth (search and seizure), State v. Lester (automobile exception), State v. Scales (interrogation recording), State v. Ambaye (expungement), Axelberg v. Commissioner (DWI implied consent)
Civil Procedure — Thiele v. Stich (legal malpractice/limitations), Roehrdanz v. Brill (small claims removal), Kjesbo v. Ricks (tortious interference)
All Cases
For the full archive of recent opinions, visit the Minnesota Judicial Branch.
Thiele v. Stich
425 N.W.2d 580 (Minn. 1988)
Legal malpractice case establishing that claims are time-barred when service of process is not completed within the statutory limitations period, and that appellate courts may not raise new issues sua sponte.
State v. Scales
518 N.W.2d 587 (Minn. 1994)
Used supervisory power to require electronic recording of all custodial interrogations where feasible, with suppression as a remedy for noncompliance.
State v. Lester
874 N.W.2d 768 (Minn. 2016)
Applied the automobile exception to the warrant requirement in Minnesota, holding that police may search a vehicle and its closed containers without a warrant when they have probable cause to believe the search will reveal evidence or contraband.
State v. Larson
605 N.W.2d 706 (Minn. 2000)
Held that security deposits create a debtor-creditor relationship (not a trust), so deposits are not 'property of another' under the theft statute. The court reversed and vacated the defendant's theft convictions.
State v. Askerooth
681 N.W.2d 353 (Minn. 2004)
Held that the Minnesota Constitution (Art. I, sec. 10) requires application of the Terry framework to evaluate the reasonableness of each incremental seizure during a traffic stop, finding that confining a driver in a squad car was an unreasonable escalation.
State v. Ambaye
616 N.W.2d 256 (Minn. 2000)
Held that a Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Illness (NGMI) verdict does not qualify for expungement because it is not a 'resolution in favor of the petitioner,' and recognized courts' inherent authority to expunge records in limited circumstances.
Schmitz v. U.S. Steel Corp.
852 N.W.2d 669 (Minn. 2014)
Held that an employee has a constitutional right to a jury trial in a retaliatory discharge claim under Minn. Stat. § 176.82, and that even a supervisor's threat to discharge for filing a workers' compensation claim is actionable without actual termination.
Roehrdanz v. Brill
682 N.W.2d 626 (Minn. 2004)
Addressed conciliation court removal procedures, holding that a party may effectively serve a demand for removal to district court by first-class mail without requiring a signed acknowledgment of service.
Rasmussen v. Two Harbors Fish Co.
832 N.W.2d 790 (Minn. 2013)
Clarified the legal standards for sexual harassment claims under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, holding that hostile work environment claims do not require proof of economic loss.
Pikula v. Pikula
374 N.W.2d 705 (Minn. 1985)
Established the 'primary caretaker' preference in child custody disputes, holding that the parent who served as the child's primary caretaker should generally be awarded custody.
Phipps v. Clark Oil & Refining Corp.
408 N.W.2d 569 (Minn. 1987)
Established the public policy exception to at-will employment in Minnesota, holding that an employer cannot fire an employee for refusing to break the law.
National Recruiters, Inc. v. Cashman
323 N.W.2d 736 (Minn. 1982)
Held that a noncompete agreement signed after employment begins is unenforceable unless supported by independent consideration beyond continued employment.
Nardini v. Nardini
414 N.W.2d 184 (Minn. 1987)
Established that the increase in value of nonmarital property attributable to spousal efforts during the marriage is marital property subject to equitable division, while increases from market forces remain nonmarital.
Moylan v. Moylan
384 N.W.2d 859 (Minn. 1986)
Established the framework for child support modification in Minnesota, requiring a two-step analysis: first, whether a substantial change in circumstances exists, and second, what modification is warranted.
McKee-Johnson v. Johnson
444 N.W.2d 259 (Minn. 1989)
Held that antenuptial (prenuptial) agreements allocating marital property are valid under Minnesota common law but must satisfy both procedural and substantive fairness, with the proponent bearing the burden of proof.
Kjesbo v. Ricks
517 N.W.2d 585 (Minn. 1994)
Established the standard for tortious interference with contract in Minnesota, holding that technical compliance with a statute does not justify interference when the exercise defeats the statute's purpose.
Hecker v. Hecker
568 N.W.2d 705 (Minn. 1997)
Addressed modification of spousal maintenance when a recipient fails to become self-supporting, holding that frustrated expectations of self-sufficiency constitute a substantial change in circumstances.
Fritz v. Warthen
213 N.W.2d 339 (Minn. 1973)
Held that statutory covenants of habitability under Minn. Stat. 504.18 are mutually dependent with the tenant's covenant to pay rent, creating the 'Fritz defense' to eviction for nonpayment.
Dukowitz v. Hannon Security Services
841 N.W.2d 147 (Minn. 2014)
Declined to expand the public-policy exception to at-will employment, holding that the exception does not cover termination for filing for unemployment benefits where the legislature has addressed the issue but not created a civil remedy.
Colonial Court Apartments, Inc. v. Kern
163 N.W.2d 770, 282 Minn. 533 (Minn. 1968)
Held that a tenant is constructively evicted when the landlord fails to control another tenant's persistent disturbances rendering the premises unsuitable, and the tenant abandons within a reasonable time.
Axelberg v. Commissioner of Public Safety
848 N.W.2d 206 (Minn. 2014)
Held that the necessity defense is not available in civil implied consent license revocation proceedings, even when the driver was fleeing domestic violence.
Anderson v. Hunter, Keith, Marshall & Co.
417 N.W.2d 619 (Minn. 1988)
Pregnancy discrimination case where LaVonne Anderson was fired after announcing her pregnancy and the employer secretly interviewed a replacement. The Supreme Court affirmed the discrimination finding but reversed the attorney fees award.
Abraham v. County of Hennepin
639 N.W.2d 342 (Minn. 2002)
Held that retaliatory discharge claims under both the Whistleblower Act and MOSHA may be pursued concurrently in one action, and that whistleblower claims seeking only money damages entitle the claimant to a jury trial under the Minnesota Constitution.