Retail & Hospitality Committee

The Retail and Hospitality Committee focuses on the defense of retailers, restaurants, and hospitality businesses against a wide variety of types of lawsuits, including dram-shop suits, premises liability claims, falling merchandise lawsuits, allegations of negligent security, suits brought to recover for food-borne illnesses, alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and more. These types of lawsuits present unique challenges to defense counsel and require attorneys who are well-versed in the nuance of the statutory claims and experienced in the challenges inherent to the representation of retailers.

Juries have different expectations of conduct when a retailer is sued. They want to see tripping and slipping hazards entirely eliminated, employees trained to guard against every possible accident, and standard operating procedures designed to protect the customer and followed at every turn. Jurors cannot be blamed for these expectations. Retailers elicit customers to visit their establishments and spend money. When something goes wrong, jurors may expect the store to fix it because “the customer is always right.” These realities can provide an inherent advantage to the plaintiff and present an uphill battle for defense counsel.

The Retail and Hospitality Committee is a great opportunity to share strategy, exchange information, discuss legal developments, network, and mentor. The Committee meets five times a year, three in the winter/spring, and twice in the fall, and provides CLE at our meetings.