Joni Thome

Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, MN, J.D.; Journal of Law and Policy, Associate
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, B.A.

Minnesota Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota

Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, Founder, Past Chair and Board Member Emeritus
National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, Past Chair and Board Member
Minnesota State Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
Minnesota Women Lawyers
Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter
Hennepin County Bar Association
Cancer Legal Care, Attorney Referral Program Volunteer
Minnesota AIDS Project, Volunteer Attorney Program
OutFront Minnesota, Attorney Referral Program Volunteer
Just Us Health, Attorney Referral Program Volunteer

Best Lawyers in America©, Litigation – Labor & Employment, 2018-2023
Top 50 Minnesota Women Super Lawyers®, 2012-2022
Top 100 Minnesota Women Super Lawyers®, 2007-2009
Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyers®, 2014-2016, 2020-2022
Super Lawyers® Super Lawyer, Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, 2002-2004, 2006-2022
Karla Wahl Award Recipient, National Employment Lawyer Association, Minnesota Chapter, 2012
Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, Community Service Award, 1999
MSBA Certified Employment Law Specialist, since 2010

Anti-Harassment Policies and Complaint Procedures – Best Practices, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist with Leonard B. Segal, May 24, 2022
Remote and Hybrid Workplaces, Minnesota CLE, Aug. 11, 2022
Employment Claims Arising Out of Workers’ Compensation Claims, Minnesota CLE Workers’ Compensation Institute, Panelist with Tom Atkinson, Apr. 22, 2022
Who Will Work Remotely, How Often, and Who Decides, Chapter 5, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute Handbook (2022), Author with Megan Anderson
LGBTQ+ Employee Rights – 17 Common Questions and Their Answers, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Co-panelist with Megan Anderson, 2021
Employees with Cancer—Finding Compliant, Effective Solutions to Workplace Challenges Employees with Cancer Face, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist, 2020
8 Most Important Whistleblower Cases – The Cases You Must Know and How They Impact Plaintiffs and Defense, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist with Sara McGrane, May 20, 2019
Investigations of an Employee’s Alleged Misconduct, Minnesota CLE, Panelist with Leonard Segal, Feb. 8, 2019
The Impact of Political Polarization: Proving Discrimination Through Political Speech, MDHR Human Rights Symposium, Co-Presenter with Dustin Massie, Dec. 5, 2018
Winning the Reprisal Case – Top Employment Litigators Tell How, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist with Kathleen Bogas, and Lucas Kaster, May 22, 2018
Winning the Harassment Case – Strategies and Tactics, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist with Kathleen Bogas, Jim Kaster and David Schlesinger, May 22, 2018
Transgender Rights-Persistence in Advocacy, Eighth Circuit National Employment Lawyers Association Conference, Panelist with Phil Kitzer, Ferne Wolf and Jill Silverstein, Apr. 6, 2018
Wait…That Happened at Work?: When Inappropriate Workplace Conduct Becomes Actionable, Mitchell Hamline School of Law Alumni CLE Series, Panelist with Frances Baillon, Jan. 12, 2018
“Uptown Diner Fires 2 Workers Photographed Wearing Nazi Uniforms,” Star Tribune, Interview, Aug. 17, 2017
2017 ADA Update, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist with Kathryn Mrkonich-Wilson, May 22-23, 2017
Employment Claims Arising Out of Workers’ Compensation Claims, Minnesota CLE Workers’ Compensation Institute, Panelist with Tom Atkinson, Apr. 27, 2017
Sexual Orientation Discrimination: Recent Developments in Employment Law, MLBA Annual Conference, Panelist with Dustin W. Massie, Feb. 4, 2017
Top 10 Employment Claims Plaintiffs Lawyers Overlook, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Panelist with Chris Jozwiak, May 24, 2016
Reflection on the 20th Anniversary of the 1995 HCBA Report, William Mitchell College of Law, Law Review, Volume 41, Issue 1: LGBTQ Issues, 2015
Disability Discrimination, Caregiver Discrimination, FMLA Violations, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Annual Presenter
Minneapolis Fire Department, The Kris Lemon Story, Insider Exclusive, Attorney Interview, 2013
Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity, University of St. Thomas, Panelist, 2010
Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History, Documentary, Attorney Interview, 2010
Ethics and Bias Seminar, Minnesota Institute for Legal Education, Presenter, 2001
Lavender Law Conference, National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, Speaker, 1993, 2001-2004, 2017
American Association of Law Libraries, Annual Conference, Speaker, 2001
Reconciling Nondiscrimination with the Affirmation of Cultural Diversity, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Volume 13, Number 2, Fall 1997

Ritter v. Auntie Ruth’s Furry Friends, No. A14-1044 (Minn. Ct. App. Feb. 9, 2015) (reversing dismissal of MHRA age discrimination case wherein just 45 days after new owners of the business took control, plaintiff’s manager made derogatory comments about plaintiff’s age, including complaining to plaintiff that “you cost a lot” (referencing her insurance premiums) and “we can’t afford to keep you,” criticizing plaintiff’s clothing as being “from the 70s,” and being told by the manager repeatedly that plaintiff was not close enough in age to the rest of the staff to relate to them and that there were “generational things” or “generation gaps” between plaintiff and the younger employees)
Adamson v. Mattamy Homes, No. 27-CV-13-2612 (Dist. Ct. Minn. Oct. 17, 2013) (denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim for age discrimination under the MHRA because genuine issues of material fact existed as to whether defendant’s reasons for termination were pretext where two younger employees replaced plaintiff after she was terminated)
Harnan v. Univ. of St. Thomas, 776 F.Supp. 2d 938 (D. Minn. 2011) (denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s FMLA interference claim where genuine issues of material fact existed as to whether plaintiff suffered from a serious health condition and whether plaintiff was entitled to the benefits of the FMLA; and denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment for plaintiff’s FMLA retaliation claim where genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether defendant’s proffered reason for termination was pretext for plaintiff’s termination)
Schwarzkopf v. Brunswick Corp., 833 F.Supp. 2d 1106 (D. Minn. 2011) (partial denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment where genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether former employee was subjected to a hostile work environment when his co-workers repeatedly made derogatory comments about his perceived disability over a period of more than a year)
Brezina et al. v. Chart (D. Minn. 2010) (order denying summary judgment for multiple employees where genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether these employees entered into valid settlement agreements with their former employer because they did not sign the agreements knowingly and voluntarily)
Truehl v. Roundy’s Supermarket, Inc., No. 27-CV-09-18698 (Dist. Ct. Minn. Apr. 23, 2010) (denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of reprisal in violation of the MHRA because several genuine issues of material fact existed as to whether plaintiff engaged in protected conduct when she requested schedule changes accompanied by notes from her doctor regarding her disability)
Bahr v. Capella Univ., 788 N.W.2d 76 (Minn. 2010) (establishing that employee need not prove underlying merits of a discrimination/hostile environment to prove retaliation claim under the MHRA; the employee need only demonstrate that she had a good faith reasonable belief that conduct she opposed was a violation of the MHRA)
Bahr v. Capella Univ., 765 N.W.2d 428 (Minn. Ct. App. 2009) cert. granted (June 18, 2009) (setting standard for statutorily protected conduct in retaliation cases under the MHRA)
Lemon v. City of Minneapolis, No. 27-CV-08-11976 (Dist. Ct. Minn. Dec. 1, 2009) (following a bench trial, the district court entered judgment in favor of plaintiff on her claims of reprisal in violation of the MHRA and reprisal under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act, finding that defendant’s insults, demotion, and attempt to fire plaintiff demonstrated a “campaign of retaliatory actions” toward her based on her complaints about her work environment)
Hollenkamp v. Jennie-O, No. 07-CV-04725 (D. Minn. June 1, 2009) (denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of disability discrimination because genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether defendant’s reasons for firing plaintiff were pretextual where defendant fired plaintiff, a longtime employee, shortly after plaintiff became disabled)
Kaufenberg v. Schwan’s Home Serv., Inc., No. A08-0114, 2009 WL 234014 (Minn. Ct. App. Feb. 3, 2009) (genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether employee’s termination for the alleged falsification of medical records was pretext where employee presented legitimate explanation for the omissions on her medical report, employer had a policy of not terminating employees for mistakes and termination followed worker’s compensation claim)
Frieler v. Carlson Mktg. Grp., Inc., 751 N.W.2d 558 (Minn. 2008) (setting precedent that a plaintiff alleging sexual harassment by a supervisor in violation of the MHRA is not required to prove employer knew or should have known about the harassment and failed to take timely and appropriate action; and setting precedent that employer is subject to vicarious liability for an actionable hostile environment created by supervisor with immediate or successively higher authority over victimized employee)

“Joni and her team were first class all the way! They kept me well informed on the progress of my case. Joni would often call just to check on me and my family. I will definitely recommend them to others.” —Scott M.
“There really are no words to describe now thankful I am to Joni and her team. Joni held my hand the entire way, and fought for me. She stood up for me when I couldn’t for my self. She stayed on top of things and was in contact with me the entire way.” —Chris
“Joni took what was an incredibly scary experience for me, and made it comfortable and manageable. The process was quick, it was easy, and they kept it simple for me. If you have them represent you, I can say you are without a doubt being represented by the best out there.” —Steph
Joni Thome went out of their way to help and support me a few years ago. As a queer person they were so caring and compassionate when I was looking for a lawyer. They were unable to help me but I will never forget the time Joni Thome took to talk to me and help me reach a calmer state. I was able to find a resolution with other lawyers but will never forget and always appreciate the way they consoled me when I was in a crises.” –S. Hathaway
“I want to send a SPECIAL Thank You to Nick Kaylor and Joni Thorne. When everyone else turned my case down, they took it on. When I felt like I was drowning, they gave me that breath of hope. They definitely know when an employee has been wronged by an employer. Again Thank You Nick and Joni!!!!” –Jacob T.