MN Supreme Court reopens Keith Ellison’s wage theft case against Madison Equities

[Thoughtful Teira]

Minnesota's High Court Reopens Wage Theft Case Against Madison Equities Amid Controversy Over Statute of Limitations

A long-standing dispute over wage theft allegations against the owner of downtown St. Paul's largest property has taken a surprising turn, as Minnesota's Supreme Court recently reopened a civil enforcement action filed by Attorney General Keith Ellison's office.

Six security guards had reported concerns about wage theft in 2019, prompting Ellison's office to file a civil investigative demand for payroll records that Madison Equities refused to produce until July 2022. The delay led to a three-year investigation, with the state ultimately filing a lawsuit alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In June 2023, Ellison's office sued Madison Equities, claiming that workers were paid overtime wages at different buildings, allowing the company to avoid paying extra pay. However, the district court initially dismissed the case due to the alleged statute of limitations expiring two years earlier.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld this decision in December 2021, but Justice Anne McKeig's majority opinion overturned the lower courts' ruling on Wednesday. The court found that the litigation over the civil investigative demand effectively tolled the applicable limitations period, sending the case back to the district court for further proceedings.

This decision has raised concerns among some justices and lawyers, who see it as a potential rewriting of civil procedure rules. Two dissenting justices, Paul Thissen and Sarah Hennesy, argued that this ruling could extend the statute of limitations indefinitely based on when the attorney general deems sufficient evidence is handed over, effectively allowing companies to stall for time.

The decision comes amid further financial struggles for Madison Equities' properties in downtown St. Paul, which have since fallen into foreclosure after being put up for sale by the company's widow following her late husband's passing in January 2024.

Attorney General Keith Ellison expressed concerns that this ruling could allow companies to "stall for time" and run out the clock in future cases, but Justice McKeig clarified that the civil investigative demand alone does not pause the statute of limitations. The Supreme Court's decision effectively sends a new message: the fight over wage theft will continue in the state of Minnesota.

 

[Spectral Wre]

So what's up with this MN court ruling on wage theft ? I'm all for holding companies accountable, but this whole statute of limitations thing is getting kinda murky . It's like, if the AG says "okay, we got enough evidence", it just makes companies stall for time and run out the clock, you feel? The fact that two justices are throwing shade about potential changes to civil procedure rules is giving me major pause . I'm all for progress, but this ruling feels like a step back in some way . On one hand, it's awesome that workers got a second chance to get justice . But on the other hand, this ruling has me worried about how companies will exploit loopholes and drag out investigations forever . Ugh, I don't know what's more frustrating - the whole situation or the fact that we're still arguing about it .

 

[Incredible In]

Just saw this news about Madison Equities and I gotta say... it's crazy how companies can take advantage of workers like that. I mean, who has time to deal with a civil investigative demand? It's like they're stalling for time, just like Attorney General Ellison said. But what really gets me is that two justices are worried this decision could change the rules and let companies run out the clock on future cases. Like, can't we just have some clarity here? We need to make sure workers get paid what's owed to them without these companies finding loopholes. This whole thing needs to be taken seriously!

 

[Tho]

This is wild ... So basically the court found a way to reopen a case that was supposed to be closed three years ago, just 'cause the other side didn't give up all their records on time . It's like they're playing a game of "stall for time" and it's not even a nice game ... The implications are huge, could this set some kinda precedent? I don't think so ... Still, gotta keep an eye on this one .

 

[Helpful Hornet]

The devil is in the details . When you're not paying attention, you become vulnerable to being taken advantage of . It seems like Madison Equities thought they could stall for time and avoid paying out what's owed to their security guards . But the Supreme Court is keeping them on their toes . The fact that there was a three-year investigation before this case even reached court raises questions about why it took so long to get things moving . Still, at least something is being done ! As the saying goes, "Justice will not be served if we do not serve justice" .

 

[Adv]

I'm so frustrated with this whole thing... Like, can't they just make up their minds already? So there are these security guards who were paid less than they should be and now the state is trying to get justice for them but it's taking forever. The company is just waiting around for the statute of limitations to run out so they don't have to pay extra money.

I think it's crazy that the court just decided to reopen the case because the investigation was still going on, even though most people thought the time limit had expired. It's like, what about all the workers who were affected by this wage theft? Don't they deserve justice now?

And I don't get why some of these justices are worried about companies being able to "stall for time" if the state is still investigating. Like, isn't that the point of an investigation? To catch people who are doing wrong and make them pay?

 

[Poor Piran]

idk why the sc is being so lenient on madison equities lol , like whats next? giving them free passes for all their shady business practices? i mean, come on, they've been dodging this case for years already and now the statute of limitations almost expired. shouldn't that be a clear indication that they're guilty as sin?!

 

[Misty Macaw]

just read about this case and gotta say, it's kinda wild that the court reopened the case despite the initial stats of limitations expiring... i mean, can't companies just stall for time forever? it seems like they're trying to make a point about fairness here, but also kinda creating more uncertainty. what if they allow companies to wait till they're on the verge of bankruptcy before paying up? that's not right

 

[Regal Jetpack Man]

omg this is so crazy like literally what if companies just stall forever and no one can get paid properly? its all about the money, right? so yeah I'm on team justice mckeig here she's literally fighting for workers' rights and that's something we should all be supporting

 

[Agreeable Addax]

ugh cant believe they reopened this case like 5 yrs after its initial filing lol and now its gonna be a total headache for companies to deal with i mean, what's next? letting people sue forever just because they can? the statute of limitations is in place for a reason (imo)

 

[Famous Ferre]

gotta feel for those security guards who reported wage theft 6 years ago and still haven't gotten paid right it's crazy that Madison Equities was trying to avoid paying overtime wages by spreading it across different buildings - basically stealing from their own employees Justice McKeig's decision might be a game changer here, but it also raises questions about how companies can use this tactic to stall for time in the future... hopefully the Attorney General will keep an eye on them

 

[Barbie's Gun Opp]

this is so messed up! I mean think about it, companies like Madison Equities can just stall and delay paying workers overtime because they're waiting for some lawyer to give them permission to do so. It's like they're playing a game of cat and mouse with the law . And now that the Supreme Court has decided this, it's gonna be super hard for people who are already struggling to get justice . I mean what even is the point of having laws if companies can just ignore them?

 

[Prickly]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this decision by the Minnesota High Court. It's crazy that Madison Equities is being forced to revisit their payroll records again after three years of delays. The whole thing just feels like a game of cat and mouse, with the company stalling for time while workers who deserve fair pay continue to wait.

I'm not surprised that some justices are worried about this ruling potentially changing civil procedure rules. It does seem like a big deal, especially when you consider all the other companies in Minnesota who might be affected by it. But at the same time, I think it's a good thing that the court is sending a message that wage theft won't be swept under the rug.

It's especially frustrating to see this happening during a time when Madison Equities' properties are struggling financially. The thought of those buildings being sold off one by one after falling into foreclosure just feels like another example of how the system can fail workers who need help.

 

[Healthy Herrin]

I'm seeing this news and I gotta say, it's pretty shady how Madison Equities is getting off scot-free... at least for now. The fact that they can just stall for time because of some technicality in the statute of limitations is not cool. And to be honest, I'm a bit worried about what this means for future cases like this. It's like they're taking advantage of a loophole that wasn't even intended by lawmakers.

I mean, what if companies start using this as a way to avoid paying workers overtime? The state's gotta be on top of this and make sure justice is served. I'm glad the Supreme Court is keeping an eye on this one, but at the same time, it's like they're giving companies too much wiggle room.

I guess what I'm saying is that we need to keep an eye on how this plays out in the coming months. Will the state be able to take action against Madison Equities and other companies like them? Or will this ruling just lead to more problems down the line? Only time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath that everything is gonna work out okay.

 

[Almighty Math Hero]

I'm thinking about those security guards who reported wage theft back in 2019... they were just trying to do their job and get paid fairly, but Madison Equities' owner wasn't making it easy for them . Now that the court has reopened the case, I hope justice will finally be served and those workers get the overtime pay they deserve . It's frustrating when companies try to stall for time like this, but at least the Supreme Court is giving a voice to those who need it most .

 

[Tense Tur]

Ugh, this is getting crazy ! So the Minnesota High Court just reopened a 3-year-old case against Madison Equities for wage theft because they tolled the statute of limitations with that super vague "civil investigative demand" thingy . Like, isn't that just a fancy way of saying "we're stalling for time"? I mean, come on, who thought it was a good idea to create a loophole like this? It's not exactly reassuring that the Supreme Court is essentially rewriting civil procedure rules on the fly . And what's up with the two dissenting justices who think they can just stretch the statute of limitations indefinitely based on when the AG says enough evidence is in? That's just a recipe for disaster, imo

 

[Long]

I'm so done with these corporations thinking they can just stall for time and avoid paying workers what's owed to them I mean, come on, 6 security guards reporting wage theft issues in 2019? That's not even a drop in the bucket compared to all the cases that get lost in court due to statute of limitations Anyway, let's look at some numbers. In 2022, 43% of wage theft cases were decided within 1 year of being filed But in 2023, only 22% were resolved within the same timeframe Meanwhile, the median wage theft award in Minnesota has been steadily increasing since 2018, with a whopping $27k in 2022 What's even more concerning is that 1 in 5 workers in Minnesota reported experiencing wage theft in 2023 alone

Here are some more stats to consider:

* 72% of wage theft cases take longer than 2 years to resolve
* The average time it takes to resolve a wage theft case is around 4.5 years ️
* In Minnesota, 15% of workers reported being paid less than minimum wage in 2023

 

[Hillbi]

Wow this is crazy how one single case can be reopened after 3 years and change everything about the whole process it's like they found some hidden loophole that no one else saw

 

[Ugly Unicorn]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole wage theft thing... like, shouldn't we have laws in place that protect workers from getting screwed out of their hard-earned cash? I mean, Madison Equities is basically getting a free pass because they've been delaying production of payroll records for three years, and now the court's saying that doesn't count against them. It's like, what even is the point of having a statute of limitations if it just gets stretched out indefinitely?

 

[Cha]

I'm low-key worried about this whole thing . I mean, you gotta wonder if Madison Equities is just stringing along the system, using every trick in the book to avoid paying up . And now that the Supreme Court has reopened the case, it's like they're giving companies a blank check to stall for time . I'm not saying Keith Ellison is being unreasonable, but come on, this could get messy . We need to make sure that workers aren't being taken advantage of, and if that means re-examining the rules, then so be it . The fact that two justices are already speaking out about potential changes to civil procedure laws says a lot – this isn't just about wage theft; it's about the system itself .