Jeffrey Ernest Grell - Attorney at Law

Born: Cherokee, Iowa; 1965.

Education

High School: Willow Community High School, Quimby, Iowa.

• Graduated, with honors, May 1983.
• National Honor Society.
• All-conference Team - Baseball (first base) - 1983.
• All-area Team - Basketball (forward) - 1982-83.
• All-conference Team Football (offensive guard) - 1982.
• Best Actor in a School Play - 1983.
• Disk-jocky - KCHE Radio (commercial station) - 1982-83.

College: Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

• Graduated, magna cum laude, May 1987.
• Major: Government / International Affairs.
• Minors: History and English Literature.
• Blue Key National Honor Society.
• Phi Alpha Theta - History Honor Society.
• A.J. Hotz Pre-law Scholar.
• English Finalist Award Recipient.
• Student Body President - 1985-86.
• Student Council Representative - 1984-85, 1986-87.
• Intern for Congressman Tom Daschle - 1984-86.
• Intern for Senator Tom Harkin - 1986.
• Field Representative - South Dakota Democratic Party - 1986.
• News Reporter - KELO Radio (commercial station) - 1986-87.
• News Reporter / Anchor - KRSD Radio (public station) - 1987.
• Play-by-play announcer Augustana Men's Basketball - KAUR Radio (college station) - 1986-87.

Law School: Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.

• Graduated, magna cum laude, May 1990.
• Summer Associate - Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue - Washington, D.C. - 1988, 1989.
• Summer Associate - Dorsey & Whitney - Minneapolis, Minnesota - 1989.
• Law Clerk - Koonz, McKenney & Johnson - Washington, D.C. - 1988-1990.

Employment

• Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue - Washington, D.C. - Associate in the General Litigation Practice Group - 1990-1993.
• Leonard, Street and Deinard - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Associate in the Products Liability Practice Group - 1993-1997. Shareholder in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group - 1998-2003.
• University of Minnesota School of Law - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Adjunct Professor - 1999-present.
• Ricoact.com LLC - Edina, Minnesota - 2003-present - Founder / sole proprietor.

Reported Cases

• Gibson v. Coldwell Banker Burnet, 659 N.W.2d 782 (Minn. Ct. App. 2003).
• Christianson v. Poly-America, Inc., 2002 WL 31421684, 29 Employee Benefits Cas. 2134 (D. Minn. 2002).
• Lund Industries, Inc. v. Wonder Industries, Inc., 2002 WL 1327012 (Minn. Ct. App. 2002).
• Larsen v. Lauriel Investments, Inc., 161 F.Supp.2d 1029 (D. Ariz. 2001).
• R.W. Docks & Slips v. Chicago Title Ins. Co., 2001 WL 856431 (Minn. Ct. App. 2001).
• Simitar Entertainment, Inc. v. Silva Entertainment, Inc., 44 F. Supp.2d 986 (D. Minn. 1999).
• Fluoroware, Inc. v. Dainichi Shoji, K.K., 999 F. Supp. 1265 (D. Minn. 1997).
• Gold Star Taxi & Transp. Serv. v. Mall of America Co., 987 F. Supp. 741 (D. Minn. 1997).
• Klehr v. A.O. Smith Corp., 521 U.S. 179 (1997).
• Achatz v. Rollerblade, Inc., 642 N.Y.S.2d 250 (N.Y. App. Div. 1996).
• Farrel Corp. v. United States Int'l Trade Comm'n, 949 F.2d 1147 (Fed. Cir. 1991).

Teaching

• Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations - University of Minnesota School of Law - Fall Semesters.
• Minnesota Business Torts - Minnesota CLE - March 7, 2008.
• How RICO Actions Apply in Dependency and Neglect - CCC Inc. First Annual Family Law Conference - March 18, 2006.
• RICO's Statute of Limitations - Lorman Educational Services - November 15, 2005.
• Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations - Minnesota Institute of Continuing Legal Education - February 21, 2003.
• Financial Investigations and Forensic Accounting - Minnesota Institute of Continuing Legal Education - December 13, 2001.
• RICO: Something so Simple yet so Complicated - Minnesota Institute of Continuing Legal Education - June 5, 2001.
• Taking and Defending Effective Depositions - Lorman Educational Services - July 28, 1999.

In The Media

• "Firms Use RICO to Fight Union Tactics," The Wall Street Journal (December 10, 2007).
• "A Law of Unintended Consequences," Conde Nast Portfolio (October 29, 2007).
• "PTC Fends Off Legal Heat from the Land of the Rising Sun," Catalyst (August 13, 2007).
• “Vivendi Raises Stakes in Fight with Deutsche Telekom,” The New York Times (March 2, 2007).
• "RICO, Illegal Aliens, and other Issues," The George Putnam Show, Cable Radio Network (October 3, 2006).
• "High Court Reins In RICO: Anti-civil RICO forces get a win - but it's not over," The National Law Journal (June 12, 2006).
• “Morpheus Parent Company Sues eBay Over Skype Technology,” Tech News World (May 24, 2006).
• "StreamCast Targets Skype, Kazaa for Alleged RICO Act Violations," Tech News World (March 28, 2006).
• “RICO Act Takes Aim at Facility Near Pahrump; Founder Piazza Says Allegations Without Merit,” The Pahrump Valley Times (November 11, 2005).
• "Plaintiffs Try to Use RICO to Curb Illegal Immigration," Corporate Legal Times (October 2005).
• "Ruling Hurts Tobacco Fraud Suit, Judge Says Government Can't Strip $280 Billion from Cigarette Makers," Richmond Times-Dispatch (February 5, 2005).
• "U.S. Department of Justice v. Big Tobacco," Market Place Morning Report (nationally syndicated public radio news program) (Sept. 20, 2004).
• "Stakes High in Fraud Case Against Tobacco Industry," Winston-Salem Journal (Sept. 19, 2004).
• "Suit Alleges Abuse Linked to Two Firms," Boston Globe (June 10, 2004).
• "RICO First Used to Battle Mafia, Law Focuses On Pattern of Corruption," New Jersey News (May 27, 2004).
• "Smokey's Denied Betting License," The Forum (May 19, 2004).
• "RICO Law, Powerful Tool in '80s, Takes Back Seat in New Scandals," Investor's Business Daily (August 21, 2002).
• "The Commissioner's Racket: David Moore won election with his business reputation. A RICO suit claims he's little more that a loan shark," Cleveland Scene (August 7, 2002).
• "Expos: A Lawsuit Against a Criminal Organization," La Presse (June 7, 2002) (in French).
• "Lawsuit Accuses DMV of Systemic Corruption," Citizen-Times (May 23, 2002).
• "The Long Arm of Abuse: Problem Priests Cross Not Just States But Oceans as Well," U.S. News & World Report (May 6, 2002).
• "Experts Question Use of RICO Against Clergy," Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 1, 2002).
• "Mitered in the Mob: What RICO Lawsuits Could Mean for the Catholic Church in the United States," National Review (March 28, 2002).
• "The PNP Qualifies as a Criminal Organization," Primera Hora (March 25, 2002) (in Spanish).
• "Leonardo Associate may Face Federal Racketeering Charges," Democrat & Chronicle (Dec. 29, 2001).
• "RICO and the Mafia," Voice of America, National Public Radio (May 17, 2001).
• "The RICO Act," The Lionel Show, Eyada.com Internet Talk Radio (Jan. 30, 2001).
• "An Interview with RICO Expert Attorney Jeff Grell," AmericanMafia.com and GamblingMagazine.com (Oct. 2, 2000).
• "RICO Viewed as Cop Suit Sidelight," National Law Journal (Sept. 25, 2000).
• "The Use of RICO Against Big Tobacco and Others," The Dark Star Show, WCCO Radio, Minneapolis, Minnesota (April 11, 2000).