Carl E. Christensen
Top rated Consumer Law attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Christensen Sampsel PLLC
Practice Areas: Consumer Law, Real Estate, Intellectual Property; view more
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2005
Education: William Mitchell College of Law
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612-823-4427

Christensen Sampsel PLLC
305 N 5th AveSuite 375
Minneapolis, MN 55401 Visit website
Details
Carl E. Christensen is an attorney and the founding shareholder of Christensen Law Office PLLC in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. Christensen practices in the areas of consumer law, intellectual property, and real estate law, with a focus on litigation. Related to consumer law, Mr. Christensen's speciality is in the area he colloquially refers to as "banks behaving badly." He generally represents clients throughout Minnesota and, related to consumer law and intellectual property litigation, nationwide.
Mr. Christensen graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree and earned his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. While attending law school, he studied land reform law in South Africa, a country in which he previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer. He also clerked at the National Arbitration Forum as a law clerk supporting arbitrators adjudicating domain name disputes under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Protocol. He has been licensed to practice law in Minnesota since 2005 and in New York since 2018.
Before founding his firm, Mr. Christensen acquired legal experience by clerking for a state court judge and serving as a prosecutor. In addition to his law practice, he also served as an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law, teaching Intellectual Property Foundations.
Passionate about sharing his legal knowledge, Mr. Christensen has given presentations on various legal topics to groups including the Hennepin County Bar Association, the Ramsey County Bar Association and at Minnesota based continuing legal education events. In 2012, he also authored an informational article on defenses to foreclosure actions for a Minnesota continuing legal education publication. In 2022, he authored the consumer law section of the Complete Lawyer--a Minnesota continuing legal education publication.
Practice areas
Consumer Law, Real Estate: Consumer, Intellectual Property, Civil Litigation: PlaintiffFocus areas
Copyrights, Intellectual Property Law, Mortgage & Refinance, Trademarks
- 20% Consumer Law
- 40% Real Estate: Consumer
- 20% Intellectual Property
- 20% Civil Litigation: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2005, Minnesota
Professional Webpage: https://www.clawoffice.com/teams/carl-christensen
- Hennepin County Bar Association, 2008 - Present
- Co-chair, Hennepin County Bar Association, Debtor/Creditor Remedies Section, 2011 - 2013
- Minnesota State Bar Association, 2005 - Present
- Member, National Association of Consumer Advocates, 2008 - Present
- Consumer Law Litigation Section Council Member
- Member, Better Business Bureau, 2008 - Present
- Hennepin County Bar Association, Lawyer Referral and Information Service Oversight Committee, 2010
- Admitted to Practice Law in the State of New York
- Admitted to Practice Law in the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
- Admitted to Practice Law in the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- Admitted to Practice Law in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- Admitted to Practice Law in the U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
- Admitted to Practice Law in the U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
- Assisted clients in paying judgment debt underlying a foreclosure by action to avoid over $30,000 in purported arrearages and foreclosure redemption amounts claimed to be owed by mortgage servicer in current foreclosure., 2023
- Court ordering mechanic's lien foreclosure was invalid and voiding junior creditor redemption of property, awarding property to consumers., 2023
- Court of Appeals affirmed lower courts temporary injunction preventing junior creditor redemption through mechanic's lien., 2023
- Settling claims against debt collector for collection of dismissed debt against consumer. Prior debt was dismissed in previous firm matter., 2023
- Settled Fair Credit Reporting Act Claims for consumer for total of low six-figure settlement amount., 2023
- Court of Appeals affirmed buyers' claims against seller of real estate. It affirmed the district court on buyers' quiet title claim and reversed and remanded district court on slander of title claim, all relating to a telecommunication easement recorded after date of purchase agreement. Howard v. Sun Trust Fin. LLC, A21-1634, Oct. 10, 2022
- Settled case with Wells Fargo for its failure to make property tax payments from escrow account for $125,000.00 and a letter of explanation stating that plaintiffs had timely made all of their mortgage payments., 2021
- Supreme Court unanamously reversing the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint alleging two counts under the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act, Minn. Stat. § 325F.69, holding that a person who is targeted by a fraudulent demand and consequently pays an attorney to investigate his liability in response to that demand has been “injured” within the meaning of the private attorney general statute, Minn. Stat. § 8.31, subd. 3a. Engstrom v. Whitebirch, Inc., Case No. A18-0366, Minn. July 31, 2019
- Court granting preliminary injunction for trademark infringement. Munster Real Estate, LLC v. Webb Bus. Promotions, Inc. et al., Case No. 18-cv-2120-DWF-ECW, Minn. Dist. Ct. Oct. 26, 2018
- Granting summary judgment in favor of Defendant on Plaintiff’s claims for trademark infringement, false advertising, declaratory relief, and trademark cancellation, Nutraceutical Corp. v. Affordable Naturals, LLC., 2:14-cv-00907-JNP-PMW, 2017 WL 4564739, D. Utah Sept. 9, 2017
- Denying Defendants’ motions for summary judgment, in part, and allowing Plaintiffs’ claims for declaratory judgment and quiet title to proceed to trial, Langer v. JP Morgan Chase, 27-CV-15-21901, Minn. Dist. Ct. Oct. 3, 2017
- Granting partial summary judgment and dismissing all ten of Defendant’s counterclaims, including breach of contract, common law unfair competition, federal trademark infringement (15 U.S.C. § 1114), federal unfair competition (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)), dilution (NY Gen. Bus. Law § 360), deceptive trade practices (NY Gen. Bus. Law § 360), deceptive trade practices (Minn. Stat. § 325D.44), statutory consumer fraud (Minn. Stat. § 325F.69), conversion, and veil piercing, Food Market Merchandising, Inc. v. Stubby Strip, LLC, 27-CV-15-11442, Minn. Dist. Ct. Sept. 7, 2016
- Granting Defendant’s motion, dismissing all claims, including copyright infringement claims where Plaintiff merely held a non-exclusive copyright license and, therefore, lacked standing to assert a copyright infringement claim, Stubby Strip, LLC v. Food Market Merchandising, Inc., 15-CV-1410, N.D.N.Y., Sept. 26, 2016
- At a bench trial, finding that Defendant agreed to indemnify Co-Defendant against any loss incurred by Defendant’s failure to convey title in real property free and clear of all liens, mortgages, and other encumbrances, and granting $350,000 judgment plus attorney fees, Bridgewater Bank v. Hessburg, 27-CV-11-6954, Minn. Dist. Ct. Nov. 3, 2016
- Denying Defendant’s Motion to Stay Proceeding pending the outcome of an unrelated trademark action in the District of Utah where Defendant sought a stay of indeterminate length and failed to make an adequate showing of hardship or inequity, Affordable Naturals, LLC v. Hidden Valley Group, Inc., d/b/a Designing Ducks, LLC, 14-CV-04527, D. Minn. June 4, 2015
- Granting sua sponte summary judgment, holding that Plaintiff’s claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft, and conversion all failed, TCI Business Capital, Inc. v. Five Star American Die Casting, LLC,19HA-CV-14-2708, Minn. Dist. Ct. Aug. 19, 2015
- Settled an equity stripping matter involving client's loss of home., 2014
- Successfully defended $47,000 attorney fees claim in Aarnio v. Village Bank, case no. A14-0218, Minn. Ct. App. Nov. 3, 2014
- Defended and Settled Trademark Infringement Lawsuit brought by Fortune 200 company in the form of a coexistence agreement., 2014
- Granting summary judgment and holding that plaintiff's loss of her property, due to the foreclosure of a mortgage that preceded her purchase of the property, was the result of defendant title insurer's negligent failure to issue title insurance policy, Glassick v. Wells Federal Bank, case no. 27-CV-12-2308, Sept. 20, 2013
- Granting of Defendants' Summary Judgment Motion, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Nelson, case no. 48-CV-10-1496, Jan 8, 2013
- Denial of Defendants' Motion to Dismiss on Count to Void Foreclosure, Anderson v. Countrywide Home Loans, 2011 WL 1627945, case no. 10-2685, Apr 8, 2011
- Ordering that a note and mortgage be voided, the sheriff's sale by defendant be set aside, and title in fee restored to plaintiffs, Cole v. Primary Mortgage, case no. 27-CV-09-16146, July 1, 2010
- Holding that receiving a blank notice of right to rescind and contradictory Truth-in-Lending disclosures at closing create an issue of fact whether the lender made clear and conspicuous disclosures to the borrower pursuant to the Truth-in-Lending Act and whether the borrower can rescind the transaction, Peterson-Price v. U.S. Bank Nat. Ass'n, 2010 WL 1782188, Civ. No. 09-495, May 4, 2010
- Denial of Defendants' Summary Judgment Motion, Peterson-Price v. U.S. Bank Nat. Ass'n, 2010 WL 1782188, Civ. No. 09-495, May 4, 2010
- Holding that the lender's mortgage loan of 13.49% was in violation of Minnesota's usury laws and ordering that the note and mortgage be voided, the sheriff's sale by Primary Mortgage be rescinded, and title in fee restored to plaintiffs, Cole v. Primary Mortgage, case no. 27-CV-09-16146, July 1, 2010
- Trademark Prosecution Services for Pro-Choice Resources, 2012
- SBA Emerging 200, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2012
- Washington University, St. Louis. B.A., in English Literature, Minor: Mathematics, 1993
- Presenter, "How to Foreclose a Mortgage in Minnesota: Defenses to Foreclosure," Minnesota CLE, September 19, 2023
- “Legal QuickSheets on Consumer Law”, Minnesota CLE,, 2022
- Presenter, "The Complete Lawyer: Consumer Law," Minnesota CLE June 7, 2022
- Presenter, "Mortgage Foreclosures A to Z: Defenses to Foreclosure," Minnesota CLE Feb. 3, 2021
- Presenter, "Real Estate Issues Facing the Elderly: From Nest Egg to Nefarious Interloper," 2019 Elder Law Institute Minnesota CLE Oct. 11, 2019
- Presenter, "Strategies for Dealing with Foreclosures in Probate," Probate & Trust Law Conference 2019 Minnesota CLE June 10, 2019
- Presenter, "Attorney Liens in Minnesota: The Newly Inferior Interest," Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Real Property Jan. 24, 2019
- Presenter, "Trends in Mortgage Foreclosure Law," Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Creditor/Debtor Dec. 21, 2016
- Presenter, Pro Se Project Consumer Rights Seminar, 2014
- Presenter, "Obtaining Discovery from Large Institutional Parties," Winning Discovery, Minnesota CLE, Jan. 28, 2013
- Presenter, "Distressed Real Estate: Legal Defenses and Workouts," Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Creditor/Debtor Jan. 16, 2013
- "Legal QuickSheets on Defenses to Foreclosure Actions", MN CLE, 2012
- Presenter, "Representing Consumer Debtors/Substantive Defenses and Firewall Strategies," What Lawyers Handling Debt Collection Matters Need to Know, Minnesota CLE, Apr. 25, 2012
- "Helping Distressed Homeowners Rise from the Ashes of Foreclosure", Henn. Co. Bar Assoc. Real Prop. Mar. 8, 2012
- Presenter, "THE ANSWER," That Old Judgment or Claim May Have Value: Tips to Collect, Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Dec. 1, 2011
- Presenter, "Top Ten Defenses to Foreclosure Actions," 2011 Real Estate Institute, Minnesota CLE Nov. 4, 2011
- Presenter, "Foreclosure Defense Litigation," Debtor and Creditor Conference 2011, Minnesota CLE Oct. 10, 2011
- Presenter, "New Cases in Foreclosure Defense", Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Creditor/Debtor Sept. 21, 2011
- Presenter, "Foreclosure Defense Litigation," Foreclosure Law & Practice -- Hot Issues, Minnesota CLE Mar. 22, 2011
- Presenter, "Consumer Scams: Collection and Foreclosure", Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Creditor/Debtor Mar. 16, 2011
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Teaching Intellectual Property Foundations, William Mitchell College of Law, 2011
- Contributing Author, Chapters 4, Joint Ventures, 15, Trade Associations, 22, Intellectual Property, and 86, Law of Advertising, Advising Minnesota Corporations and Other Business Entities, 2011
- Co-Presenter, Carl E. Christensen and Todd Murray, "Consumer Law Basics," Minnesota Continuing Legal Education New Lawyer Experience, Minnesota CLE July 29, 2010
- Presenter, "Foreclosure Defense Litigation", Ramsey Co. Bar Assoc. Real Estate Sect. Feb. 16, 2010
- Presenter, "Foreclosure Defense Litigation", Henn. Co. Bar. Assoc. Jan. 20, 2010
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Teaching Intellectual Property Foundations, William Mitchell College of Law, 2010
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Teaching Intellectual Property Foundations, William Mitchell College of Law, 2009
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Teaching Intellectual Property Foundations, William Mitchell College of Law, 2008
- Chapter 4: Joint Ventures, Contributing Author: Advising Minnesota Corporations and Other Business Entities
- Chapter 15: Trade Associations, Contributing Author: Advising Minnesota Corporations and Other Business Entities
- Chapter 22: Intellectual Property, Contributing Author: Advising Minnesota Corporations and Other Business Entities
- Chapter 86: Law of Advertising, Contributing Author: Advising Minnesota Corporations and Other Business Entities
- Banking
- Consumer
Office location for Carl E. Christensen
305 N 5th Ave
Suite 375
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: 612-823-4427
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