Bert Black

Minnesota Supreme Court Unanimously Hands Down Decision for Homeowners in Foreclosure

The law firm of Schaefer Halleen, LLC, is pleased to announce that on April 2, 2014, the Minnesota Supreme unanimously handed down a decision that gives the firm’s client, a homeowner who lost her house to foreclosure, the right to sue the servicing company that was handling her mortgage.  Attorney Bert Black helped brief the case.  Read More.

Human Resources Executive Denied Promotion

The Client:  Senior Human Resources executive with a large consulting firm.
Problem:  Was denied promotion to head of HR after being promised the job.
Approach:  Sent proposal letter to company and later filed EEOC Charge and engaged in mediation.
Solution:  Obtained more than a year’s severance pay for client.

Pharmaceutical Product Liability Litigation

The Client:  Represented several plaintiffs in a product liability multi-district litigation (MDL); all had suffered heart attacks or were pursuing heart attack claims for deceased family members.
Problem:  Drug caused heart attacks resulting from atherosclerotic plaque rupture.
Approach:  Tried test cases to verdict.
Solution:  Defense verdict in one case was reversed and case eventually settled; in a second case got a plaintiff’s verdict far larger than the amount demanded.

Condo Conversion Budgeting and Construction Defect Case

The Client:  Condo Association
Problem:  Condo conversion project was not completed properly (garage was about to be condemned, fifty year old windows required replacement, and other common elements were not completed or repaired properly), and monthly fees were grossly inadequate to fund reserves.
Approach:  Served complaint and mediated case.
Solution:  Settled for enough money to repair garage and at least partially fund reserves

Architect Terminated Because of Gender Discrimination

The Client:  Staff architect at large nationwide architectural engineering firm.
Problem:  Was terminated, supposedly as part of a staff reduction, but actually because of gender bias.
Approach:  Sent proposal letter to company and engaged in direct negotiations through counse
Solution:  Obtained settlement that more than covered the compensation client lost while looking for a new job.

In the seminal Supreme Court case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bert represented the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science on an amicus brief that was cited by the Court in its decision.

Publications

• Peer Review and Discrimination: No Place for Employers to Hide Improper Bias, MD News, April 2015
• Bert is also the author of numerous articles on law and science that have appeared in various publications including:
  • Fordham Law Review
  • Science Magazine
  • The New England Journal of Medicine

Teaching Experience

• Professor, Products Liability, Southern Methodist University of Law School, 2002-2003
• Professor, Fluid Mechanics and Small Dam Design, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Member, American Law Institute
• Past Chair, American Bar Association Section of Science and Technology Law
• Past Member and Chair, National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists
• Committee Member, Committee that drafted the Restatement of Torts