Meagher & Geer attorneys Mary O'Brien and Jacalyn Chinander obtained full dismissal of all six claims asserted by a former employee against a Minnesota construction company. The former employee claimed that while working on a construction project in western North Dakota, she was discriminated against based on gender, sexual orientation, and sexual stereotypes. She also claimed discrimination with regard to her return-to-work and light-duty assignments following a workplace injury. A Hennepin County judge dismissed, without a trial, the discrimination claims brought under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, as well as claims of retaliatory discharge and failure to offer continued employment under the Minnesota Workers' Compensation Act.

The court ruled that the claims arising out of the former employee's work in North Dakota were barred by the statute of limitations and were not revived under the continuing violation theory asserted by the plaintiff. With regard to the post-injury claims, the court found no evidence that the former employee was treated differently or that the employer's return-to-work or light duty decisions were based on gender, sexual orientation, sexual stereotypes, or the filing of a workers' compensation claim.