---
title: How Often Does a Civil Case Reach an Otter Tail County Jury?
url: https://justice-denied.org/otter-tail-county-civil-jury-trials/
date: 2026-09-04T12:35:41+00:00
modified: 2026-10-27T20:54:51+00:00
lang: en_US
---

# How Often Does a Civil Case Reach an Otter Tail County Jury?

An eight-year review of 105 scheduled civil jury cases shows how rarely Otter Tail County jurors are asked to decide the facts.

![Otter Tail County civil jury trials shown as case files approaching an empty jury box](https://justice-denied.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/otter-tail-civil-jury-attrition-hero.png)

*Many civil cases receive a jury-trial setting. Very few reach an Otter Tail County jury.*

**Otter Tail County civil jury trials are far rarer than the number of scheduled cases suggests.** A litigant can demand a jury, prepare for trial, and even receive a jury-trial date without a jury ever hearing the case. In Otter Tail County, that is not an occasional outcome. It is overwhelmingly the usual one.

Justice-Denied reviewed the public Minnesota Court Records Online hearing record for the county's three current district judges. From May 7, 2018 through August 31, 2026, we identified **105 distinct Otter Tail County civil cases with at least one hearing labeled “Jury Trial.”** By August 31, 2026, only five had reached jury proceedings. Four had produced a verdict. Just three had produced a verdict resolving contested liability.

**The central finding:** among civil cases that had already been placed on a jury calendar, approximately one in 26 had produced a completed verdict—and approximately one in 35 had produced a verdict deciding contested liability—by August 31, 2026.

## A constitutional right—and a vanishingly rare event

[Article I, section 4 of the Minnesota Constitution](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_1) provides that the right of trial by jury “shall remain inviolate” and extends to cases at law regardless of the amount in controversy. [Minnesota Rule of Civil Procedure 38](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/court_rules/cp/id/38/) governs how that right is demanded and preserved.

That right does not mean every filed case must be tried. Parties settle. Claims may be voluntarily dismissed. Courts may resolve genuinely legal questions, and [Rule 56](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/court_rules/rule/cp-56/) permits summary judgment when no genuine dispute of material fact remains. But a jury demand has practical meaning only if genuinely disputed facts can survive the procedural stages preceding trial.

The Otter Tail County record shows how narrow that passage has become:

105Cases with a jury setting100%

5Reached jury proceedings4.8%

4Produced a verdict3.8%

3Decided contested liability2.9%

Put another way, through August 31, 2026, no jury proceedings were identified in 100 of the 105 cases. A completed verdict was absent in 101. A jury had resolved contested liability in only three.

**5 of 105**reached jury proceedings

**Only 4.8% reached jurors by the cutoff**Among cases that had already received a jury-trial setting, nearly nineteen out of twenty had not reached jury proceedings by August 31, 2026.

**5 cases** reached jury proceedings**100 cases** had not by the cutoff

[See all 105 case captions and recorded jury-setting outcomes →](#jd-case-register)

## What we counted

The review used the appointment date of [Judge Kevin M. Miller](https://justice-denied.org/judge-kevin-m-miller/)—May 7, 2018—as the beginning of a common comparison period. We searched MCRO Hearing Search by judicial officer and civil case category in six-month intervals through August 31, 2026. Only entries whose case location was Otter Tail County and whose hearing type was “Jury Trial” were retained.

Repeated trial days and rescheduled settings were consolidated by court file number. The searches produced 106 judge-case assignments, but one case appeared under both [Judge Sharon Grewell Benson](https://mncourts.gov/About-The-Courts/Overview/JudicialDirectory/Bio.aspx?jid=1405) and [Judge Johnathan R. Judd](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/07-district/johnathan-judd). Removing that duplicate left 105 distinct cases. For every jury setting marked “Held” or “Held On the Record,” we then examined the docket and filed verdict or dismissal record to determine whether jurors actually returned a verdict.

**Scope:** This is not a percentage of every civil case filed in Otter Tail County. It is a more focused measure of attrition among cases that progressed far enough to receive a jury-trial setting. MCRO calendar labels describe what happened to a setting; they do not, by themselves, establish why a case settled, was dismissed, was rescheduled, or otherwise left the calendar. Outcomes are measured through August 31, 2026; cases without jury proceedings by that date may have remained pending or proceeded later.

**An earlier stage of attrition is not measured here.** In *Stevenson v. Stevenson*, the plaintiffs expressly demanded a jury trial, and a filed civil cover sheet proposed a five-day trial, but MCRO shows no hearing labeled “Jury Trial”; the case was disposed of on summary judgment before entering the jury calendar. It therefore is not among the 105 cases studied. The published percentages measure what happened only among cases that received an MCRO jury-trial setting. They exclude cases—like *Stevenson*—that demanded a jury but were resolved before any such setting appeared. Measuring that broader gap would require a separate, systematic review of jury demands in all eligible civil cases.

## Otter Tail County civil jury trials: the three-judge comparison

### Sharon Grewell Benson

Common window: May 2018–August 2026

**38**cases with a jury setting

**3**reached a jury

**3**completed verdicts

**3**contested-liability verdicts

Benson's three completed verdicts all required jurors to decide disputed liability. Her full-tenure record adds a fourth such verdict from 2017.

### Johnathan R. Judd

From March 2021 appointment through August 2026

**25**cases with a jury setting

**1**reached jury proceedings

**0**completed verdicts

**0**contested-liability verdicts

One Judd case reached two recorded jury days in May 2026, then ended through settlement and stipulated dismissal without a verdict.

### Kevin M. Miller

From appointment through August 2026

**43**cases with a jury setting

**1**reached a jury

**1**completed verdict

**0**contested-liability verdicts

Miller's only verdict was an inherited 2019 case in which the jury was asked to decide damages, not liability.

Otter Tail County · Civil jury record

## When did a jury last decide disputed liability?

Record and elapsed time through August 31, 2026

### Sharon Grewell Benson

Since the last identified qualifying verdict

**2 years**8 months · 17 days

Last verdict: December 14, 2023

*Toso v. Jewel Motel & Knutson*
56-CV-22-2814

### Johnathan R. Judd

Reviewed tenure · No qualifying verdict identified

**5 years**5 months · 30 days

From appointment: March 1, 2021

His 2026 jury proceeding ended in settlement.

### Kevin M. Miller

Reviewed tenure · No qualifying verdict identified

**8 years**3 months · 24 days

From appointment: May 7, 2018

His 2019 jury verdict decided damages only.

A qualifying verdict decides disputed liability—who was legally responsible. Benson’s interval runs from her last identified verdict; Judd’s and Miller’s cover their reviewed tenures from appointment. Findings are limited to the study’s identified civil jury settings for these three judges.

[See the 105 cases and methodology →](#jd-case-register)

## The cases that reached jurors

BensonJune 2018

***Carroll v. Barnes*, 56-CV-16-728**

The jury decided negligence, causation, fault, and damages. It found the defendant 100% at fault and awarded damages.

BensonOctober 2023

***Johnson v. Unity Bank*, 56-CV-22-635**

The jury found conversion and awarded damages. Liability and damages were both submitted.

BensonDecember 2023

***Toso v. Jewel Motel*, 56-CV-22-2814**

The jury decided negligence, causation, comparative fault, and damages.

MillerApril 2019

***Becker & Drewes v. Estate of Schenatzki*, 56-CV-18-764**

The case began under Judge Waldemar Senyk and was reassigned after Miller's appointment. The special-verdict form contained damages questions only; it did not ask the jury to determine contested liability.

JuddMay 2026

***Larsen v. GSL Enterprises*, 56-CV-25-1261**

MCRO records two jury proceedings as held. No verdict appears. A later stipulated dismissal states that all claims and counterclaims had been fully compromised and settled.

Judge Benson's full tenure supplies one additional example outside the common comparison window. In *Wright v. DVCM of the Lakes Area*, 56-CV-15-3361, an August 2017 jury rejected breach of contract but found negligence and causation and awarded $50,000. Across her full tenure through the cutoff, Benson therefore completed four civil jury verdicts among 45 cases with jury settings.

## The Miller record is narrower than the countywide problem

The countywide numbers are striking on their own. Miller's individual record presents an additional distinction. His one completed verdict occurred on April 25, 2019. From that date through August 31, 2026, no later civil jury verdict appeared in the reviewed record—a span of 2,685 days, or approximately seven years and four months.

Nor does case type supply an obvious explanation. Of Miller's 43 cases, MCRO classified 23 as personal injury, eight as civil other or miscellaneous, three as contract, two as employment, two as property damage, two as quiet title, and one each as consumer-credit contract, wrongful death, and malpractice. The docket contained conventional fact-intensive disputes ordinarily capable of jury determination.

Most did not end through an adjudicated dismissal. Twenty-five of the 43 had at least one jury setting marked “Cancelled; Settled.” Ten had a setting marked “Cancelled; Dismissed,” and Justice-Denied's case-level review located stipulations associated with those dispositions rather than ten merits dismissals imposed by the court. Because some cases received multiple settings, those categories overlap.

Settlements are a normal and often desirable part of civil litigation. But they do not erase the institutional significance of the final result: among the 43 jury-setting cases reviewed, no identified matter involving contested civil liability culminated in a verdict before Miller.

This finding adds historical context to [Before a Jury Hears the Facts: Three Cases at a Procedural Crossroads](https://justice-denied.org/before-a-jury-hears-the-facts-three-cases/). That article compares how pleading decisions, discovery limits, evidentiary rulings, summary judgment, and settlement can affect whether a scheduled civil case ultimately reaches a jury.

## Historical context: was the pattern always this pronounced?

A preliminary review of Minnesota Court Records Online provides an initial historical comparison. From July 1, 2015 through the beginning of this study's modern period in May 2018, 40 distinct civil cases assigned to retired Otter Tail County Judges Mark F. Hansen, Waldemar B. Senyk, and Barbara R. Hanson received jury-trial settings. Three produced verdicts resolving contested merits—a rate of 7.5%. By comparison, only three of the 105 cases in the modern study produced contested-liability verdicts, a rate of 2.9%.

The three earlier verdicts were not damages-only proceedings. Jurors decided negligence and comparative fault in *Fronning v. Fergus Falls Area Family YMCA*, 56-CV-13-3379; nuisance and related liability questions in *Lac Qui Parle, LLC v. Clitherall Township*, 56-CV-14-1514; and contract formation and breach in *Gunderson v. Ranum*, 56-CV-15-2560. All three verdicts occurred between September 2015 and February 2016.

**What this comparison does—and does not show:** The historical result is suggestive, not conclusive. It involves only three verdicts, does not yet include every judicial officer who may have handled Otter Tail County civil cases during the transition period, and does not establish why cases did or did not reach juries. Nevertheless, it raises a fair and testable question: whether the present scarcity of civil jury adjudication represents a continuation of longstanding practice or a comparatively recent development.

## What the numbers prove—and what they leave unanswered

The record shows that a jury-trial setting rarely led to jury proceedings within the period reviewed through August 31, 2026. It also proves that contested-liability verdicts have occurred before Judge Benson during the same period in which none appeared before Miller or Judd. Benson's record shows that such trials were possible in the same courthouse and under the same statewide procedural rules.

The figures do not assign one explanation to all 101 cases that had produced no verdict through August 31, 2026. Parties control settlement decisions. Some dismissals are stipulated. Some cases lose a jury setting for administrative or procedural reasons unrelated to the merits. A calendar search cannot measure settlement pressure, litigation cost, evidentiary loss, or the cumulative effect of pretrial rulings.

But those limitations do not make the outcome unimportant. They identify the next questions the public record should answer:

- How often does summary judgment, rather than settlement, remove the final path to a jury?
- How often are claims or damages narrowed before the evidentiary record is complete?
- Do written orders consistently distinguish legal questions from credibility disputes and competing factual inferences?
- When a jury setting is cancelled for “Other” reasons, what actually happened to the case?
- Do similar cases receive similar access to discovery and factfinding regardless of the assigned judge?

These findings raise a broader question: Does the pattern observed in Otter Tail County reflect systemic barriers for civil litigants seeking jury resolution, and does that pattern extend beyond the county? This study cannot answer that question. Justice-Denied intends to examine comparable records from other Minnesota counties and judicial districts to determine whether Otter Tail County is an outlier or part of a wider institutional pattern.

## Why this matters to civil litigants

Trial is not the measure of justice in every case. A fair settlement can be better than a verdict, and a legally deficient claim should not consume a jury's time. The concern begins when the route to a jury depends on inconsistent treatment of disputed facts, incomplete discovery, or a court's selection among competing reasonable accounts.

That is why the countywide comparison matters. The question is not whether plaintiffs should win. Jurors may reject their claims, as factfinders sometimes do after hearing the evidence. The question is whether litigants with genuine factual disputes receive the adjudicative process Minnesota law reserves for those disputes.

For Otter Tail County civil litigants, the observed results remain stark: through August 31, 2026, approximately 95% of the reviewed cases had not reached jury proceedings, approximately 96% had produced no jury verdict, and approximately 97% had produced no verdict resolving contested liability.

A constitutional right should be more than a date placed on a calendar. These figures make the distance between the promise and the observed result a legitimate matter of public concern.

**Editorial disclosure:** Justice-Denied founder and editor Craig Stevenson and his wife, Marie Stevenson, were plaintiffs in prior litigation before Judge Miller. This article reports a separately defined countywide MCRO dataset covering all three current Otter Tail County judges. Case numbers, search dates, counting rules, and the document-level classifications of every held jury setting are disclosed so readers can test the conclusions independently.

## The 105 cases behind the numbers

Behind these percentages are named litigants and identifiable disputes. The register below identifies all 105 cases included in our review. Five reached jury proceedings; in the other 100, no jury proceedings were identified through August 31, 2026. Publishing the case list allows readers to examine the individual matters behind the aggregate finding and check which cases were counted.

**Study window: May 7, 2018 through August 31, 2026.** Case captions are reproduced as recorded in the research, including initials and abbreviations. Calendar cancellation labels describe jury settings, not necessarily final case outcomes. A cancelled setting may be followed by a later jury setting or a trial before the judge. Inclusion does not assign a common explanation to each outcome.

Search the 105 cases

105 cases in the register.

No cases match that search. Try a surname, court file number, or judge.

### Five cases that reached jury proceedings through August 31, 2026

1. 1\.

   **Kellie Ann Carroll vs Dawn Barnes**

   56-CV-16-728 Judge: Benson

   Contested-liability verdict; June 2018
2. 2\.

   **Brenda Becker, Troy Drewes vs Estate of Edward Schenatzki, Dairyland Insurance Company**

   56-CV-18-764 Judge: Miller

   Damages-only verdict; April 2019
3. 3\.

   **Donald E. Johnson vs Unity Bank**

   56-CV-22-635 Judge: Benson

   Contested-liability verdict; October 2023
4. 4\.

   **Christopher Shane Toso vs Jewel Motel, Todd Knutson**

   56-CV-22-2814 Judge: Benson

   Contested-liability verdict; December 2023
5. 5\.

   **Gary Larsen, Heather Larsen vs GSL Enterprises LLC, Greg Lang, Sarah Lang**

   56-CV-25-1261 Judge: Judd

   Jury proceedings followed by settlement; no verdict; May 2026

### 100 cases with no jury proceedings identified through August 31, 2026

#### Expand the 100-case list

1. 1\.

   **Valerie Norenberg vs Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company**

   56-CV-13-1472 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
2. 2\.

   **Joseph C. Honrud, Debra Diane Honrud vs D. Peter LaCount, Laurie Baukol**

   56-CV-15-3589 Judge: Benson

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
3. 3\.

   **Jack L. Menier vs William J. Gass, Julie R Gass, David A. Anderson, Anderson Land Surveying**

   56-CV-16-1599 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
4. 4\.

   **Cynthia Horbach vs Tanya Jo Erickson**

   56-CV-16-2826 Judge: Benson

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
5. 5\.

   **Thumper Pond Resort, LLC d/b/a Thumper Pond Resort vs Stock Building Supply Midwest, LLC, Kaashagen & Sons, Inc. n/k/a BJK Construction, Inc., Badger Midwest Holdings, LLC, Gorski and Associates, LLC, MiTek USA, Inc.**

   56-CV-16-3000 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
6. 6\.

   **Dustin Evenson vs Arvig Enterprises, Inc., Chase Rydberg**

   56-CV-16-3727 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
7. 7\.

   **Terry Carlson, Janet Carlson, Amy Oeltjenbruns, Carlson Turkey Farms, Limited Partnership, Lyle Oeltjenbruns vs Soo Line Railroad Company d/b/a Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Canadian Pacific Limited, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited**

   56-CV-17-1015 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
8. 8\.

   **Douglas Paul Forys vs Thomas Floyd Ostendorf, E & H Enterprises of Alexandria, Inc., d/b/a Ellingson Plumbing, Heating, A/C Electrical**

   56-CV-17-1520 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
9. 9\.

   **Ryan Kostohryz, Celeste Kostohryz vs Mark's Fleet Supply, Inc.**

   56-CV-17-1847 Judge: Miller

   **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
10. 10\.

    **Kimberly Moske, Kimberly Schroeder vs CITY OF PARKERS PRAIRIE**

    56-CV-17-2841 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
11. 11\.

    **Yolanda Roxanna Wilson vs Aleisa Laverne Rayburn, Richard Kenneth Bratlien**

    56-CV-17-3601 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
12. 12\.

    **Ma Rosa Zavala De Urbano vs American Family Mutual Ins. Co.**

    56-CV-18-442 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
13. 13\.

    **Merwin Carlson, Individually and as Trustee for North Dakota Workforce Safety Insurance, Denise Carlson vs Richard S Collins, Raoul Collins, Carole Collins**

    56-CV-18-558 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
14. 14\.

    **Mark T Carrillo vs Colleen LaPoint, Kurtis LaPoint**

    56-CV-18-590 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
15. 15\.

    **John Max, as Parent and Natural Guardian of J. O., a Minor vs Tyler Severson, Staci Severson, P. J., a Minor**

    56-CV-18-1190 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
16. 16\.

    **Gary L Hulzebos, Kathryn L Hulzebos vs Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company**

    56-CV-18-1690 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
17. 17\.

    **Penrose Oil Company vs The Estate of Ronald G. Germain, Romona E. Germain, individually and d/b/a Ron's Ready Mart**

    56-CV-18-1745 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
18. 18\.

    **Cecilie Schumacher-Cookman, DuWayne Cookman vs Lorene Schumacher**

    56-CV-18-1954 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other

    The case proceeded to a trial before the judge on June 8, 2023. It is included here because no jury proceedings were identified, not because no trial occurred.
19. 19\.

    **Elizabeth E. Sweder vs Mike Reard, Nancy Reard vs. Kay Peck and Jane Neubauer, real estate agent for Kay Peck**

    56-CV-18-2663 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
20. 20\.

    **Harold Duane Schenck, Jr., Shirley Schenck vs Alexander Huber**

    56-CV-18-2872 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
21. 21\.

    **Julia Vigil, as Trustee of The Next of Kin of Rachel Elizabeth Tso, decease vs Dean Thomas Hedburg, Schill Trucking Service, Inc., Schill Trucking, Inc.**

    56-CV-18-2886 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
22. 22\.

    **Power Product Services Inc., a Colorado Corporation vs Ryan Wien, Travis Perrine, Lakes Area Power Solutions, LLC**

    56-CV-18-2979 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
23. 23\.

    **Gregg A Stoll vs Dustin J Heisler**

    56-CV-18-3061 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
24. 24\.

    **Brian's Repair, Inc. vs Jacob John Blum**

    56-CV-18-3073 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
25. 25\.

    **Mike Reinke, Kristin Reinke vs Hoibros Investments, LLC., Steve Hoiberg**

    56-CV-18-3345 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
26. 26\.

    **Phillip Kaste, Amanda Kaste vs The Rusty Nail, Inc., dba The Rusty Nail, Stellas, LLC, Sara Marie Boyum, Nathan Paul Boyum, Individually and Jointly**

    56-CV-19-97 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
27. 27\.

    **MHA Insurance/Covery's vs Teresa Elkin, individually and as personal representative for the estate of Thomas Elkin**

    56-CV-19-140 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
28. 28\.

    **Gary Archie Meemken vs Kelly Jo Suckow**

    56-CV-19-505 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
29. 29\.

    **Erin Kay Meyer vs Lake Region Healthcare Corporation, a Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation d/b/a Lake Region Healthcare and Bridgeway Behavioral Health**

    56-CV-19-1071 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
30. 30\.

    **Mark Moe vs Perham Stockyards, Inc.**

    56-CV-19-1708 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
31. 31\.

    **Deborah Ruth Anderson vs Ronnie Clifford Jaenisch**

    56-CV-19-1742 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
32. 32\.

    **Salon Tru & Day Spa, LLC vs Abigail Hanson**

    56-CV-19-1770 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
33. 33\.

    **Karl Christopher Miller, Darlane Miller vs Jason Karl Strege**

    56-CV-19-2221 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
34. 34\.

    **BRYAN CRANDALL and Courtney Crandall vs Sean Sullivan, Sean Sullivan Construction**

    56-CV-19-2235 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Dismissed / Cancelled; Other
35. 35\.

    **Russell H. Sauer as Trustee of the Russell H. Sauer Revocable Trust u/d/t October 19, 1998 vs Donald Hennen, Jeanne Hennen**

    56-CV-19-2343 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
36. 36\.

    **Unifund CCR, LLC vs Connie M Quaal**

    56-CV-19-2571 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
37. 37\.

    **Thomas I Strinden, Michelle L. Strinden, Avis Kay, George Retzlaff, Hazel Retzlaff vs Richard Johnson, Jeannie Johnson**

    56-CV-19-2840 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
38. 38\.

    **Amy Nettestad vs Justus Pickit, William F Neuman, Florence D Neuman, David A Conklin, Angela K Conklin et. al.**

    56-CV-19-3728 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
39. 39\.

    **Nicolas A. Teberg vs The Estate of Douglas D. Loeks**

    56-CV-20-441 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
40. 40\.

    **AGCOUNTRY FARM CREDIT SERVICES PCA vs Wayland State Bank**

    56-CV-20-471 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
41. 41\.

    **Tyran J. Carrier vs Tyler Burnside, Amy Burnside, Lucas Burnside**

    56-CV-20-616 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
42. 42\.

    **Mark J. Isaacson, Robyn J. Isaacson, Jeffrey L. Berg, Jill A. Berg vs Dana William Reinke, Sherry Reinke, Brett Reinke, Donald Reinke**

    56-CV-20-1052 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
43. 43\.

    **Wayland State Bank vs PEBS Minnesota, LLP, Jason C. Egli, Eric W. Boutte, Gregory L. Phillips**

    56-CV-20-2301 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
44. 44\.

    **Stony Hills Properties, LLC vs Rick Johnson Excavating & Construction Services LLC**

    56-CV-21-102 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
45. 45\.

    **Sverdrup Mutual Insurance Company vs RDO Agriculture Equipment Company**

    56-CV-21-226 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
46. 46\.

    **Verlan Fire Insurance Company vs Hammers Construction Inc., NCI Group, Inc. d/b/a Metallic Building Company**

    56-CV-21-723 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
47. 47\.

    **Ronald Carrlson, Patricia Carrlson vs Nathan Tobkin**

    56-CV-21-917 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Other / Cancelled; Settled
48. 48\.

    **Terry Colton, Brenda Burton, aka Brenda Colton, Terry L. Sjuts, Cheryl A. Sjuts, Steven M. Wimmer, as CoTrustees of the Steven M. Wimmer and Susan L. Wimmer Living Trust Agreement dated September 21, 2017 et. al. vs Gary A. Meemken, and as Trustee of the Francis Rix Trust Dated May 23, 2016, Teresa L. Meemken**

    56-CV-21-1568 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
49. 49\.

    **Thomas F. Harig, IV, vs Western National Mutual Insurance Company**

    56-CV-21-1801 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
50. 50\.

    **Craig Rintala vs Riley Bros. Construction, Inc.**

    56-CV-21-1806 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Dismissed / Cancelled; Other
51. 51\.

    **Pamela Burow vs Fergus Enterprises, Inc.**

    56-CV-21-2016 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
52. 52\.

    **Paulette C. Satter vs Michael Yaggie**

    56-CV-21-2044 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
53. 53\.

    **Jennifer Ann Hultin vs Jon Alan Kragness**

    56-CV-21-2047 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
54. 54\.

    **Precision Landscape and Irrigation, LLC vs. Jason Hansen**

    56-CV-21-2285 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
55. 55\.

    **IN RE: County State Aid Highway No. 34 Right of Way Acquisition Otter Tail County, Minnesota vs. Cory J.Mack and Theresa C.Mack**

    56-CV-21-2981 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Dismissed / Cancelled; Settled
56. 56\.

    **Zenala Faith Reidhammer vs DAVID ALLEN KENYON**

    56-CV-21-2982 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
57. 57\.

    **Marine Innovations, Inc. vs Hillside Lifts, LLC**

    56-CV-22-835 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
58. 58\.

    **City of Fergus Falls, Fergus Falls Port Authority vs Carleton Companies, Inc.**

    56-CV-22-1020 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Other / Cancelled; Settled
59. 59\.

    **Mark Joseph Korf, Brian Anthony Korf vs Donna M. Korf**

    56-CV-22-1099 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
60. 60\.

    **Lois Meier vs Progressive Preferred Insurance Company, Robert Lee Feyh**

    56-CV-22-1433 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
61. 61\.

    **Randall Morgan vs Gerald Henry**

    56-CV-22-1539 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
62. 62\.

    **Tanya Hanstad vs Evan Joseph Dummer, John Anthony Dummer**

    56-CV-22-1699 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Other / Cancelled; Settled
63. 63\.

    **Laszlo Szathmary, Gail Ann Szathmary vs Amy Marie Geerdes, Marcia Marie Kostrzewski**

    56-CV-22-1721 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
64. 64\.

    **Theodore Steenbock vs Pioneer Home, Inc, d/b/a PIONEERCARE CENTER**

    56-CV-22-1813 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
65. 65\.

    **Fred L. Kadel vs Daniel Henry Schubert**

    56-CV-22-1823 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
66. 66\.

    **Arazeli Silva vs Brew Restaurants, Inc.**

    56-CV-22-1981 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
67. 67\.

    **Connie Bachmeier vs Daniel Briard**

    56-CV-22-2221 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
68. 68\.

    **Sheryl Carlson vs Farmers Insurance Exchange**

    56-CV-22-2616 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
69. 69\.

    **Sharlotte Meyer vs David Martineau, David Martineau Construction LLC**

    56-CV-22-2629 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
70. 70\.

    **Otter Tail County vs Anthony Cross, Ryan Johnson, Ashley Johnson**

    56-CV-22-2815 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
71. 71\.

    **Timothy Sporre vs Mark Murphy**

    56-CV-22-2881 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
72. 72\.

    **Gary A Meemken vs North Star Mutual Insurance Co.**

    56-CV-23-443 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
73. 73\.

    **Rayven Aune vs Black Bears Prairie Inn, LLC, Black Bear Motel, LLC, Grandstay Hospitality, LLC**

    56-CV-23-910 Judges: Benson, Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Other / Cancelled; Settled

    This case appeared under both Benson and Judd and is counted once in the 105-case total.
74. 74\.

    **Andrew Bremseth vs Aaron Mikkelson**

    56-CV-23-986 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
75. 75\.

    **Amber Anderson vs Aaron Mikkelson**

    56-CV-23-987 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
76. 76\.

    **Ashley Sands vs Aaron Mikkelson**

    56-CV-23-988 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
77. 77\.

    **AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE COMPANY vs Scooby's Construction, LLC**

    56-CV-23-1033 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Other / Cancelled; Settled
78. 78\.

    **Michael Kircher vs State Farm Fire and Casualty Company**

    56-CV-23-1241 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
79. 79\.

    **Andrew Beck vs Kathleen Hoover**

    56-CV-23-1593 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
80. 80\.

    **Peter T. Quinlan vs Wendy Anne Sanborn Dougan**

    56-CV-23-1699 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
81. 81\.

    **Christiansen Keefe vs Kronemann Construction, Inc.**

    56-CV-23-1802 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled

    Miller permitted a contested psychological-examination recording and allowed Keefe to plead punitive damages. Counsel reported settlement at mediation on July 22, 2025, before the scheduled summary-judgment hearing. The later dismissal implemented the parties’ agreement. [Doc. 43, p. 5](https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch/); [Doc. 61, pp. 19–20](https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch/); [Doc. 74](https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch/).
82. 82\.

    **SB Restoration Services, Inc. vs David Awaijane**

    56-CV-23-1962 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
83. 83\.

    **Andrew Dertinger vs Papenfuss Trucking, Inc.**

    56-CV-23-1977 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Dismissed / Cancelled; Other
84. 84\.

    **Elexus Anderson vs Owners Insurance Company**

    56-CV-23-2107 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
85. 85\.

    **Rosemary Kjos vs Stetson Village Apartments, LLC, Campbell Properties, LLC**

    56-CV-23-2362 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Dismissed / Cancelled; Other
86. 86\.

    **Brent Roller, Jenny Roller vs Foam Force, LLC**

    56-CV-23-2460 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting labels:** Cancelled; Dismissed / Cancelled; Other
87. 87\.

    **Devin T. Paradis vs David John Patterson, Performance Food Group, Inc.**

    56-CV-24-171 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
88. 88\.

    **Natalie Rund Rieppel, as Trustee for the Heirs and Next of Kin of Jean Ida Rund, Jay Rieppel vs Colton Duane Lindquist**

    56-CV-24-775 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
89. 89\.

    **Jeremy Fronning vs STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY COMPANY, Rodning Insurance Agency, Inc., Mark Rodning**

    56-CV-24-1057 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
90. 90\.

    **Adrienne R Hartwell vs Kyle B Carlson**

    56-CV-24-1340 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
91. 91\.

    **Dan Barbre Construction, Inc. vs James T. Mohagen, Karla J. Mohagen**

    56-CV-24-1731 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Dismissed
92. 92\.

    **Kronemann Construction, Inc., Steve Zimmerman, Levi Lewis vs Ashley Duckwitz**

    56-CV-24-1837 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
93. 93\.

    **Dani Dahlstrom, Adam Dahlstrom, Kari Haanen vs Dennis Hultstrand, Dawn Hultstrand**

    56-CV-24-2837 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
94. 94\.

    **Terrance William Maring, Jr., trustee for the heirs and next-of-kin of Terrance William Maring, deceased vs Dexter Ray Brown**

    56-CV-25-90 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
95. 95\.

    **Alexander Habraken vs Tina Stace, Damian Lewis and John Roe**

    56-CV-25-172 Judge: Judd

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
96. 96\.

    **Precision Locating, LLC, Arvig Enterprises, Inc. vs Martin D Starkebaum**

    56-CV-25-198 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other

    A July 14, 2026 scheduling order set a jury trial for December 7, 2026, after the study cutoff. In the [October 27, 2026 order](https://justice-denied.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/starkebaum-order-mediation-2026-10-27.pdf), the court removed that setting and required mediation by January 15, 2027, with another pretrial if mediation fails. These later developments do not change the August 31 study cutoff or the counts.
97. 97\.

    **Isabella Theisen vs Don Smalley-Rader**

    56-CV-25-360 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
98. 98\.

    **Lori Ard, Duane Ard vs Alaina Christine Ard**

    56-CV-25-935 Judge: Benson

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other
99. 99\.

    **Felicia Curley vs Avila Salvador Carrillo**

    56-CV-25-2165 Judge: Miller

    **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Settled
100. 100\.

     **Bradley Hage, Leslie Hage vs Steadfast Concrete & Remodeling, Inc., Bryan Kauffman, Roger Hahn**

     56-CV-25-2416 Judge: Benson

     **Recorded jury-setting label:** Cancelled; Other

**Counting note:** The register contains 105 distinct court files and 106 judge-case assignments. *Aune v. Black Bears Prairie Inn and others*, 56-CV-23-910, appeared under both Benson and Judd and is listed once. The five cases that reached jury proceedings include four verdicts, three of which resolved contested liability.

**Reading the record:** “Cancelled; Settled,” “Cancelled; Dismissed,” and “Cancelled; Other” are the recorded calendar labels. Multiple labels can appear when a case had more than one jury setting. They should not be read as findings that a judge dismissed the merits or that a case could never reach a jury later. Use the court file number when locating a case in Minnesota Court Records Online.

## Sources and reproducibility

- [Minnesota Court Records Online Hearing Search](https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/HearingSearch), civil searches by judicial officer, reviewed through August 31, 2026.
- [Minnesota Judicial Branch biography: Judge Sharon Grewell Benson](https://mncourts.gov/About-The-Courts/Overview/JudicialDirectory/Bio.aspx?jid=1405).
- [Minnesota Judicial Branch biography: Judge Kevin M. Miller](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/07-district/kevin-m.-miller).
- [Minnesota Judicial Branch biography: Judge Johnathan R. Judd](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/07-district/johnathan-judd).
- Filed verdict forms reviewed in 56-CV-16-728, 56-CV-22-635, 56-CV-22-2814, 56-CV-18-764, and 56-CV-15-3361.
- Stipulated dismissal reviewed in 56-CV-25-1261.
- Case register: the 105 case captions and jury-setting labels recorded in the study; September 25, 2023 findings in 56-CV-18-1954 confirming a trial before the judge, and the [July 14, 2026 scheduling order in 56-CV-25-198](https://justice-denied.org/pdfviewer/precision-locating-v-starkebaum-jury-trial-scheduling-order-july-14-2026/) setting a jury trial after the study cutoff; and the [October 27, 2026 order](https://justice-denied.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/starkebaum-order-mediation-2026-10-27.pdf), Index 232, pp. 1–2, removing that setting and requiring mediation.
- *Stevenson v. Stevenson*, 56-CV-20-2928: verified complaint with jury demand, civil cover sheet, MCRO hearing history, and June 16, 2023 summary-judgment disposition.
- Historical MCRO Hearing Search review for Judges Mark F. Hansen, Waldemar B. Senyk, and Barbara R. Hanson, July 1, 2015–May 6, 2018; filed verdicts and dispositive records reviewed in 56-CV-13-3379, 56-CV-14-1514, and 56-CV-15-2560.