- 1983 – Three trailblazing attorneys founded a new plaintiffs’ law firm with a mission to proactively seek out cases with broad, public impact. Zimmerman Reed opened its first office in Minneapolis, MN.
WHY CHOOSE US
Our firm’s purpose is simple–to be the voice of those who are injured by fraud, negligence or other illegal conduct. At Zimmerman Reed we stand by our clients with dedication, purpose, and integrity. We understand that it’s not important to make history with each case. You are what’s important. Your case is our cause and we stand firmly behind doing what’s necessary to make things right for your situation.
Zimmerman Reed was founded in 1983. We’ve tailored our thinking to meet the needs of our clients and the public. We bring an intuitive understanding of our clients’ difficulties to our approach. Legal problems can and do affect all aspects of a client’s life or business. At times these problems may seem insurmountable. We understand that. It’s our goal to stand with you, find solutions for your problem and move forward.
With our attorneys’ diverse backgrounds and interests, we combine sophistication, perspective, and skill. Most of all, we approach each issue with an open mind. Our unique environment allows the development of fresh, new approaches to legal problems in an atmosphere where people enjoy their work, respect their clients, and above all, get the job done right.
Recognition
Zimmerman Reed is a nationally recognized leader in complex and class action litigation and has been appointed as lead counsel in some of the largest and most complex cases in federal and state courts across the country. Zimmerman Reed has been recognized as a Minneapolis Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs’ “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of top law firms across the country. Several of our attorneys are Super Lawyers – a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations and recognizes no more than five percent of attorneys in each state. We also have many Rising Stars of Law, a designation recognizing the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state who are 40 years old or younger or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Founding partner, Bucky Zimmerman, was selected as the 2013 Minneapolis Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs’ Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America.
Firm History Highlights
- 1991 – Represented hundreds of homeowners alleging that Household Mortgage Services routinely exceeded federal limits on how much of borrowers’ funds could be held in escrow accounts.
- 1993 – Joined a consortium of 65 law firms from across the country – called the Castano Group – that filed the first class action against the tobacco industry. When that nationwide case was decertified by the Fifth Circuit, the group filed a single state class action against the major cigarette companies. This case succeeded, culminating in a jury trial lasting three years from jury selection to final verdict. The Group ultimately litigated cases across the country in parallel with state attorneys general litigating in state court.
- 1994 – Expanded beyond Minneapolis by establishing a presence in Phoenix, Arizona. The firm also developed additional practices during this decade including mass tort, antitrust, public client, employment, privacy & data breach, and sports law.
- 1997 – Helped hundreds of women who had experienced injuries from their silicone breast implants to recover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
- 2002 – Represented hundreds of individuals injured by the largest release of anhydrous ammonia in U.S. history which occurred when a Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed in Minot, North Dakota. ZR achieved a successful settlement in the matter and took the case of two injured individuals to trial, obtaining a $1.2 million jury verdict in Minneapolis on behalf of those clients.
- 2008 – Represented various cities, towns, school districts, and other municipalities in the MTBE Water Contamination Litigation to address chemical contaminants in their water supplies. The firm helped the entities recover damages including the costs of removing MTBE and benzene from drinking water supplies.
- 2009 – Represented employees who filed a case against Merrill Lynch under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). ZR helped the employees achieve a $75 million settlement for their allegations that the investment losses they experienced in their 401ks were the result of the company improperly placing 401k investments in company stock.
- 2012 – Began representing hundreds of individual retired NFL players, working with counsel across the country on an uncapped settlement that has already paid out more than $1 billion on behalf of more than 4,500 former players. This settlement addressed—and continues to address—concussion-related lawsuits and has funded compensation for concussion-related brain diseases, medical testing and examinations, and medical research.
- 2014 – Secured a historic 9-0 Supreme Court victory for the State of Mississippi, affirming attorneys generals’ right to enforce their states’ laws on behalf of their citizens in their own state courts.
- 2015 –
- Represented investors who brought a series of lawsuits against defendants, including Regions Financial, Regions Bank, Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc., Morgan Asset Management, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Inc., alleging that violations of federal securities laws and breach of fiduciary duty caused three open-end mutual funds to tank in 2007. Regions Financial Corp. agreed to pay $125 million in 2015 to end both a putative class action and shareholder derivative lawsuits.
- Opened a new office in Los Angeles, California.
- Appointed Lead Counsel on behalf of banks and credit unions in a landmark action against Target following a massive data breach that compromised 40 million credit and debit cards and the personal information of 110 million consumers. The class action sought to hold Target responsible for the costs that payment card issuers incurred because of the data breach, including reimbursement of fraudulent charges and reissuance of new credit and debit cards. The case was one of the first certified classes in a data breach action, and ultimately achieved a $59.4 million settlement.
- 2016 – Began representing rideshare drivers in individual arbitrations alleging misclassification of the drivers as “independent contractors” to avoid paying certain expenses (such as insurance, gas, and maintenance costs of their vehicle), improper wage deductions, and damages due to misrepresentation and unfair business practices.
- 2018 – Represented the States of Indiana and Vermont in investigation of and litigation against entities who created and fueled the nation’s opioid crisis. The States’ litigations included claims against the Sackler family and pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma, Inc. and drug distributors. The combined actions—and inactions—of these companies resulted in a medical, social, and economic crisis that has still not been eliminated. These cases, along with cases across the country, achieved a $26 billion settlement.
- 2023 – Achieved a historic $60.5 million settlement for the State of Minnesota. ZR represented the State of Minnesota in litigation and at trial against e-cigarette manufacturers, JUUL and Altria, for deceptively marketing their vaping products and targeting Minnesota’s youth.
- 2024 – Represented whistleblower and helped reached a $7 million settlement on behalf of the State of California and the United States in False Claims Act case against nursing facility operation ReNew Health in first-of-its-kind case alleging misuse of COVID-19 regulations.
Your Team
Gordon Rudd is a managing partner at Zimmerman Reed, representing clients in the areas of mass tort, consumer fraud, and employment law. Gordon has been appointed class counsel in cases venued in both state and federal courts across the country.
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Hart Robinovitch is a partner with Zimmerman Reed, working in the firm’s Scottsdale, Arizona office. Hart focuses his practice in the areas of consumer actions, and sports law. He also represented consumers alleging deceptive and unlawful business conduct towards customers.
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Caleb Marker is a partner at Zimmerman Reed, working out of the firm’s Los Angeles office. He has dedicated his practice to protecting consumers, misclassified employees, mortgage borrowers, student loan borrowers, and senior citizens.
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Jennifer Sustacek is a member of the firm’s drug and device team, where she supports clients as they navigate the often challenging journey in seeking recovery from the often-debilitating injuries they experienced from these medical products
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Flinn is an associate at Zimmerman Reed, working in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He dedicates his practice to protecting consumers and workers in complex litigation, including cases involving consumer fraud and misclassified employees.
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Tina is a senior paralegal with over 30 years of dedication to Zimmerman Reed. She knows the ins and outs of the legal field and balancing cases for a multitude of clients. Tina’s experience has been focused on our Defective Drug and Device practice area.
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Jenni is a paralegal exclusively helping our clients who have been injured by defective drugs and medical devices. She assists clients and our attorneys in all phases of their case— from the initial investigation through resolution and settlement of a case.
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Heidi assists the attorneys in cases involving Wage & Hour and Consumer Protection. Maintaining client contact and case filings fill a large part of Heidi’s day-to-day activities, and her energy and dedication are known by all who encounter her.
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If you’ve called Zimmerman Reed, chances are you’ve talked to Barb. She touches base with just about all of our current and prospective clients injured by a faulty device or prescription drug, and serves as their main contact while we evaluate their potential claim.
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Melissa assists the attorneys and paralegals by reviewing client medical records and composing reports and summaries according to the specific needs of the client.
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