|
Mark Carpenter has focused his practice primarily on defending clients in product liability litigation. In addition, Mark practices in the areas of insurance and commercial litigation, as well as contract and warranty drafting, negotiation, and counseling. Mark also helps clients analyze the risk involved when they seek to launch new products or test new markets. In the fall of 2003, Mark tried a complex, 5½-week dairy production case in Winona, Minnesota, involving issues of cattle genetics and dairy health and nutrition. From 2001 through 2004, he served as lead defense counsel in crop damage litigation in Florida comprising 15 separate cases. The litigation settled in March 2004, shortly after the client obtained favorable rulings from the court on various pretrial motions. Since 1997, Mark has obtained summary judgment, dismissal, or trial defense verdict in 20 cases as first-chair lawyer. Currently, Mark is defending a proposed national class action in Louisiana involving dairy cattle feed. Mark has assisted clients in the construction, insurance, machinery, household appliance, floor coating, web-based incentive program, crop protection, and animal feed industries with new product risk analysis, warranty disclaimers, product warnings, and contract drafting and negotiation. In 2006, Lawdragon.com, a source of legal rankings and legal news, identified Mark as one of 500 New Stars nationwide. In 2001, Minnesota Law & Politics named Mark one of the Rising Stars in the Minnesota legal community. Mark currently serves as the co-editor of Defending Pesticides in Litigation (Thompson and West 2007). Mark has provided extensive pro bono assistance to the community. Recently, Mark was nominated for a Minnesota Justice Foundation Outstanding Service Award for pro bono representation. This nomination stemmed in part from his work in 2006 with the public interest group Appleseed to study the integration of Hurricane Katrina evacuees into their new communities. The resulting report -- A Continuing Storm: The On-Going Struggles of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees -- received national media interest. Mark also regularly staffs two clinics for low income individuals in Minneapolis. Published Opinions and Other Reported Cases Braun v. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., 2006 WL 290552 (D.S.D. Feb. 7, 2006) Kalmes Farms v. J-Star Industries, 2004 WL 114976 (D. Minn. Jan. 16, 2004),Netland v. Hess & Clark, Inc., 284 F.3d 895 (8th Cir. 2002) Sprietsma v. Mercury Marine, a Division of Brunswick Corp., 729 N.E.2d 45 (Ill. Ct. App. 2000) and 757 N.E.2d 75 (Ill. 2001) Hainlen v. Atofina Chemicals, Inc., 2001 WL 1781922 (S.D. Ind. Nov. 21, 2001) Gooch v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, 40 F. Supp. 2d 857 (W.D. Ky. 1998); 40 F. Supp. 2d 863 (W.D. Ky. 1999) Ackles v. Luttrell, 561 N.W.2d 573 (Neb. 1997),Ryan v. Brunswick Corp., 557 N.W.2d 541 (Mich. 1997). | 