Shannon M. Awsumb
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Anthony Ostlund Louwagie Dressen & Boylan P.A.
Practice Areas: Business Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Professional Liability
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2005
Education: The University of Iowa College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2010 - 2016 Anthony Ostlund Louwagie Dressen & Boylan P.A.
3600 Wells Fargo Center90 South Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402 Phone: 612-492-8262 Email: Shannon M. Awsumb Visit website
Details
Shannon Awsumb has successfully represented local and national clients in a wide range of business disputes in state and federal courts across the country.
Shannon’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation (including business torts, breach of contract claims, and ownership and governance matters) and insurance coverage disputes involving fidelity and professional liability claims.
Shannon was appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court to serve on the Civil Rules Advisory Committee and has presented at CLEs relating to the Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure.
Prior to joining the firm, Shannon completed clerkships for the Honorable David G. Campbell, District of Arizona (2003-2004) and for the Honorable John S.W. Lim, Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals (2001-2002).
Shannon was included on the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
First Admitted: 2002, Arizona
Professional Webpage: https://anthonyostlund.com/attorney/shannon-m-awsumb/
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court to serve on the Civil Rules Advisory Committee, 2017 to present (two terms), 2022
- Appointee, Professional Ethics Committee, Federal Bar Association, 2011 - 2014
- Member, American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
- Member, American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee
- Editorial Board Member, International Risk Management Institute, Inc.'s (IRMI) CGL Reporter, 2014
- Member, American Bar Association Business Litigation Committee
- Committee Member, Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group 1, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2013 - 2014
- Member, American Bar Association Fidelity and Surety Law Committee
- Member, American Bar Association Trial Techniques Committee
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
- Member of the three-partner trial team that tried a five-day bench tral resulting in award to our client, Kim Lund, of a $45.2 million buyout of her interests in three Lund entities and costs for being the prevailing party in the lawsuit. http://www.startribune.com/judge-awards-kim-lund-45-2-million-for-her-stake-in-lunds-amp-byerlys/426502811/, 2017
- Successfully petitioned the Court of Appeals to engage in infrequently exercised discretionary review of a trial court privilege order and grant a writ of prohibition in favor of our client in December 2020. This resulted in a published opinion on a significant issue of first impression under Minnesota law involving attorney-client privilege held by joint clients, see In re Lawrence, 954 N.W.2d 597 (Minn. Ct. App. 2020), review denied (Minn. Mar. 16, 2021), 2020
- Following a ten-day jury trial in July 2021, a Hennepin County jury unanimously awarded our client $12 million on breach of contract and duty of good faith and fair dealing claims. In May 2022, the Hennepin County District Court awarded our client a $58.5 million buy-out in two closely held companies, which appears to be the largest shareholder buy-out in Minnesota history. See https://www.startribune.com/court-battle-over-koch-trucking-ends-as-judge-upholds-jurys-12-million-award-58-million-buyout/600172008/, 2022
- Received high six-figure jury verdict for client in Hennepin County breach of contract trial, 2017
Representative Clients:
- Working with clients to address and resolve coverage issues, including employment practices and D&O coverage, 2021
- Representing clients in closely held company business litigation, including buy-out claims and claims arising out of the sale of a business and stock purchase transaction. , 2021
- Working closely with several clients to address and resolve insurance coverage disputes involving CGL, commercial property, and professional liability lines of coverage. , 2017
- Represented a shareholder in successfully receiving a buyout ordered of her multi-millon dollar interests in closely held Minnesota companies, which proceeded to a seven-day fair value trial. , 2017
- Breach of Contract Represented a Minnesota businessman in a breach of contract action that resulted in a unanimous $878,000 jury verdict in favor of our client after an eight-day jury trial. The case involved a claim by our client that his partners had breached a contract to work cooperatively to acquire and develop certain property on the North Shore of Lake Superior and that the breach had cause damages, 2010
- Fraud Loss Claim Represented a national bank and its holding company in a coverage litigation involving a $15 million financial institution bond claim relating to a $26 million fraud loss, 2010
- $73 Million Recovery Represented a California business that led to a total recovery of over $73 million for our client in California. The case involved alleged financial self-dealing by the developer of a large residential complex in California, 2009
- Banking Litigation Represented a bank in a $1 million dispute regarding the adequacy of security interests in annuity contracts, 2007
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Admitted to practice in Arizona state court, 2001
- Admitted to practice in Minnesota state and federal courts., 2005
- Admitted to practice in Iowa state court, 2019
- Admitted to practice in Illinois state court, 2006
Honors/Awards:
- Jim Koch v. SKT/Koch Trucking, Randy Koch and Dave KochRichard T. Ostlund, Randy Gullickson, Shannon Awsumb, Joe Janochoski, and paraprofessional Shannon Flinn wrapped this landmark case with our client receiving a total award of nearly $75 million, the largest total award in Minnesota history to a minority shareholder seeking damages and a court ordered “fair value” buy-out of their ownership in a Minnesota closely held company. The Koch case spanned five years, with our Anthony Ostlund trial team locked in what Fourth District Judge Laurie Miller described as a “war”—where the defendant control group employed three law firms to fight virtually every issue. Judge Miller awarded Jim Koch $58.5 million for his shares, while also affirming a jury’s award of $12 million to Jim Koch against all four defendants based upon a lack of good faith and breach of contract. In awarding Jim Koch over $2 million in fees and expenses, Judge Miller declared that Jim Koch “won the war,” finding the court and jury had awarded him everything he sought in this case. At trial, Defendants opposed a share buy-out and asked the judge to find the value of Jim’s ownership to be less than $30 million. After the jury awarded Jim $12 million for breach of contract and lack of good faith, Defendants conceded the buy-out claim, and attempted to convince the judge to award Jim less than $25 million for his stock over 20 years. Judge Miller refused to do so, instead awarding Jim $58.5 million—the top value stated by Jim’s appraiser for 2017—the presumptive buy-out valuation date under Minnesota law. In then awarding Jim over $2 million in fees and expenses, Judge Miller ruled: “Defendant’s suggestion that Plaintiff’s fee recovery…should be reduced for lack of success is puzzling. The jury gave him everything he asked for, and more, . . . . The jury rejected every defense Defendants raised . . . .”, Minnesota Lawyer-- Attorneys of the Year, https://minnlawyer.com/attorneys-of-the-year/present-honorees/, 2022
Educational Background:
- B.A., cum laude, Miami University
- J.D., with distinction, University of Iowa College of Law
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Presented a CLE with Janel Dressen as part of Minnesota CLE's Shareholder Disputes in Closely Held Businesses Seminar, Co-Presenter, "6 'Business Divorce' Cases Everyone Should Know", 2021
- Presented an CLE with Janel Dressen for Minnesota CLE in August 2022, Co-Presenter, "7 Litigated Owner Disputes and What the Courts Have Decided", 2022
- Presented a CLE with Janel Dressen as part of Minnesota CLE's 2022 Business Law Institute in May 2022, Co-Presenter, "7 Litigated Owner Disputes and What the Courts Have Decided", 2022
- Presented with Hon. Mary Mahler, Minnesota CLE, “Discovery and Civil Justice Reform—Are We Reformed Yet?” as part of the 2020 Civil Litigator Update Live CLE and Webcast , 2020
- Presented with Hon. Mary Mahler, Minnesota CLE, “Discovery and Civil Justice Reform—Are We Reformed Yet?” as part of the 2020 Civil Litigator Update, January 30, 2020 Live CLE and Webcast, Co-Presenter, 2020 Civil Litigator Update CLE, 2020
- Presented CLE with David Herr, Justice Barry Anderson, and Roshan Rajkumar, Minnesota CLE "New Rules Civil Rules Amendments--July 1, 2018" July 26, 2018 Webcast, Co-presenter, 2018
- Presented CLE with David Herr, Judge Eric Hylden, and Peter Gregory, Minnesota CLE "New Rules Civil Rules Amendments--July 1, 2018" June 21, 2018 Webcast, Co-presenter, 2018
- Case summaries of coverage decisions involving general liability and other business-related policies (2014 to present), CGL Editorial Board Member, International Risk Management Institute, Inc.'s (IRMI) CGL Reporter, 2017
- Co-authored with the Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group 1, An Electronic Discovery Primer, 40 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 427, 2014
- Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Disclosure without Waiver of Privilege Under Rule 502(d), Bench & Bar of Minnesota, 2012
- Co-authored with Magistrate Judge Karen Roby from the E.D. La., The Intersection of Online Communications and Legal Ethics, The Federal Lawyer, 2012
- Social Networking Sites: The Next E-Discovery Frontier, The Computer & Internet J., at 16-20, 2010
- Shannon was recently featured in the Attorney At Law Magazine's Women in Law Special Issue (Twin Cities Edition), entitled "The Women of Anthony Ostlund Baer and Louwagie: Why We Stay".
- Social Networking Sites: The Next E-Discovery Frontier, Bench & Bar of Minnesota, 2009
- Navigating E-Discovery: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls,, Bench & Bar of Minnesota, 2008
- Avoiding a Career-Ending Mistake: The Line Between Witness Preparation and Coaching, The Hennepin Lawyer, 2007
- Idea Theft Claims Post-Grosso, Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Journal, Vol. 24/No. 3, 2006
- Author, Copyright Battles Over Yoga’s 5,000-Year-Old Tradition, ABA Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Journal, 2005
Office location for Shannon M. Awsumb
3600 Wells Fargo Center
90 South Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Selections
6 Years Super Lawyers
7 Years Rising Stars
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2025
- Rising Stars: 2010 - 2016