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Gerald H. Fornwald

The most rewarding part of my job is helping people find simple solutions to complex problems.

Contact: P /612.604.6584E /[email protected]

Education

University of St. Thomas School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2005

• Senior Editor, University of St. Thomas Law Journal

Creighton University College of Business, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 2001

Bar Admissions

Minnesota, 2005
U.S. District Court, D. Minn., 2005
U.S. District Court, W.D. Mich., 2014

My Approach

My job as a lawyer is to be a resource for clients to help them identify opportunities and solve problems that they can’t navigate on their own.  Sometimes, that means working with clients in their brightest moments, where I get to help them turn ideas into reality in a way that complies with the law. Other times, that means working with clients in their lowest moments, where I help them solve life-altering problems that they can’t fix on their own.  While those tasks require different skill sets, and trigger vastly different emotions, both are tremendously rewarding.

The opportunity to work with clients through their highest highs and lowest lows is most clearly on display in the regulatory and compliance areas where I practice. In that role, I get the thrill of helping clients obtain new licenses, start new businesses and healthcare practices, and grow beyond their wildest dreams.  At the same time, I work with businesses and professionals to keep their licenses – their livelihoods –when unexpected surprises arise. With the ever-changing legal landscape, a constant influx of new rules and regulations, and a steady rotation of administrations enforcing them, no licensee or business owner should try to navigate those issues alone.

Practice Areas

Practicing Health Law

My Experience

I represent a variety of healthcare providers in sub-specialties ranging from radiology to dentistry to mental health. I help new practitioners start practices, acquire practices, and hire new associates.  I also help established providers sell their practices, working with them to reap the rewards of what they have built, while also preserving their well-eared legacy. In between, I counsel health care practitioners and providers regarding avenues for risk mitigation in their health care operations spanning a wide array of topics, including the use and dissemination of patient health information, contract concerns, employment matters, regulatory and licensing issues, and billing and compliance matters, among other things. My familiarity with state and federal regulations governing health care providers, and in particular privacy regulations such as HIPAA and 42 C.F.R. part 2, enables me to counsel clients regarding the issues at hand, while also helping them avoid mistakes that could lead to future disputes. I also provide privacy compliance training and advice to health care providers, including drug and alcohol treatment centers, in order to assist them in navigating the complexities and ever-changing landscape of handling patient health information.

Representative Matters

• Represent numerous doctors, dentists, and veterinarians with merger and acquisition matters including practice buy-ins, full acquisitions and sales of practices, and formation of management services organizations.
• Advise and assist clients with employment and contract matters.
• Represent health care providers in investigations and civil litigation brought by or on behalf of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Attorney General, the United States Attorneys’ Office, qui tam litigants, and private parties in a variety of contexts, including shareholder disputes, employment actions, and alleged violations of the False Claims Act, the Minnesota Health Records Act, and various state statutes including the Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) program, the Children’s Therapeutic Services and Support (CTSS) program, and others.
• Represent and advise health care providers, practice groups, and individual practitioners with respect to ownership, membership, and employment issues and related litigation. For example, in Kapoor v. Medical Scanning Consultants, P.A. and Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Inc. (Hennepin County District Court, Minnesota), represented a radiology practice group and a medical imaging provider and obtained a full victory on summary judgment, defeating all claims brought by a radiologist seeking millions of dollars in damages for alleged violations of the Minnesota Whistleblower statute, breach of an employment contract, defamation, and related claims.
• Counsel, advise, and educate drug and alcohol treatment centers and other health care providers regarding privacy compliance issues, including HIPAA, 42 C.F.R. part 2, the Minnesota Health Records Act, and other state and federal obligations regarding the handling, use, and disclosure of patient health information.
• Advise and assist health care providers in the creation of best practices, policies, procedures, and compliance manuals.
• Represent health care providers in conjunction with third-party information requests, subpoena responses, court orders, and administrative requests for the production of protected health information.

Practicing Cannabis Law

My Experience

The legal landscape for cannabis is ever-evolving around the country, and nowhere is that more true than Minnesota. Anytime laws change, there are new business opportunities for entrepreneurs, and cannabis is a leading example.  In my practice, I have represented a variety of businesses and licensees in the cannabis industry on matters involving corporate formation and governance, licensing, risk mitigation, distribution and labeling issues, and unwanted attention from regulators.  Our experience navigating regulatory issues across multiple industries, and interfacing with agencies like the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Health gives us knowledge and credibility that can prove invaluable when clients are faced with licensing challenges.

Representative Matters

• Advise clients regarding corporate formation, governance, and risk mitigation issues.
• Represent licensees with respect to cease and desist orders and other licensing disputes with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and other state boards and agencies.
• Advise clients regarding product manufacturing, labeling, and distribution rules, regulations, and requirements with respect to cannabis products.
• Advise food and beverage producers regarding incorporation of cannabis-derived ingredients and subsequent sale and distribution of such products.

Practicing Shareholder Disputes

My Experience

I represent clients in ownership disputes involving closely-held companies. I have represented minority owners, 50/50 owners, controlling owners, and even the companies involved in such disputes. These have spanned numerous industries, including construction, real estate, restaurants, manufacturing, and health care, and have included enforcement of the reasonable expectations of owners (including expectation of ongoing employment and voice in management), appointment of neutral appraisers, actions for court-sanctioned buy-outs, negotiation and enforcement of buy-sell agreements, enforcement of contractual and fiduciary obligations owed between owners, and enforcement of statutory protections under the Minnesota Business Corporation Act.

Representative Matters

• John William Cadotte, et al. v. Spotted Hawk Development, LLC, et al. (Elbert County District Court, Colorado) – Represented four individual plaintiffs asserting fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and statutory claims arising out of their assertion of a 61.5% membership interest in a company holding tens-of-thousands of acres of oil leases in the Bakken Formation of North Dakota.
• Café Imports Fulfillment, LLC v. Coffee Finance Management, Inc. et al. (Hennepin County District Court) – Represented closely held limited liability company in action to enforce buy-sell agreement against member who refused to sell membership interest and successfully obtained summary judgment in favor of company, ordering buy-out on terms sought by company.
• Estate of Charles E. Hohn v. United Scientific, Inc. et al. (Ramsey County District Court, Minnesota) – Represented estate and widow of deceased 50/50 shareholder in action seeking enforcement of buy-sell agreement and statutory shareholder rights.
• Premier Marine, Inc. v. Hallberg, et al. (Washington County District Court, Minnesota) – Represented boat manufacturing company in successfully obtaining injunctive relief against opposing parties, and overseeing implementation of a special investigation which resulted in the dismissal of all claims alleged against the company and its majority shareholders.
• Assist and advise members, shareholders, and closely-held companies regarding litigation, transactional, and merger solutions for dealing with ownership disputes.
• Numerous representations of companies, members, and shareholders in closely held and family-owned businesses in a variety of industries (including health care, food and beverage, construction, technology, IT staffing, and manufacturing industries) with respect to negotiating voluntary buy-outs and/or enforcing rights in buy-sell agreements, equity agreements, phantom stock agreements, member control agreements, and other contracts.

Practicing Regulatory & Government Relations

My Experience

I represent clients in a range of regulatory matters, including matters before professional licensing boards and in matters of regulatory compliance.

Representative Matters

• Represent and advise one of the largest private security providers in the state of Minnesota in licensing investigation and application process involving the Board of Private Detectives and Protective Agents and the Board of Criminal Apprehension.
• Advise licensees across numerous regulated industries including healthcare, construction, pharmacies, security, and cannabis navigate licensing issues and provide representation in disputes with regulators, boards, and agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Commerce, and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Also experienced in

Business & Commercial Litigation

Data Privacy, Cybersecurity & Artificial Intelligence

Employment Litigation

Trust, Estate & Fiduciary Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Honors & Awards

The Best Lawyers in America©

Commercial Litigation, 2023-2025

Benchmark Litigation

40 & Under Hot List, 2018-2019
Under 40 Hot List, 2016-2017
Local Litigation Star, 2016-2024
Future Star, 2015

Minnesota Super Lawyers®

2013-2020

Rising Stars

Minnesota Super Lawyers®, 2012

2005 Excellence in Employment Law Award

Minnesota Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section

Top Lawyers in Minnesota

Minnesota Monthly, 2023

Associations & Memberships

Minnesota Bar Association

“Barrister’s Breakfast”

Co-chair

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society

President