200 Village Center Drive, Suite 800, North Oaks, MN 55127 (651) 255-9500








 

Firm successfully thwarts noncustodial parent's attempt to move child from Minnesota to North Carolina.
In a recent case, the firm represented a mother whose ex-spouse brought a motion in North Carolina attempting to modify the custody arrangement related to the parties' 14-year-old daughter, in an attempt to have the daughter move from Minnesota to North Carolina. The father was having agreed upon extended summer visitation with his daughter. Near the end of the summer, the father unilaterally enrolled the daughter in school in North Carolina. Then, just weeks before the daughter was to return to Minnesota, the father served the mother with a custody modification motion, to be heard by the North Carolina Family Court, wherein the father sought approval to have the daughter remain with him in North Carolina. This firm associated with legal counsel in North Carolina and through proceedings in Minnesota and North Carolina, successfully established Minnesota as the state that would resolve the dispute regarding the daughter's proper residence for the coming school year. The firm then vigorously litigated the matter on behalf of the mother and daughter, prevailing upon the Minnesota Family Court to examine the daughter's true preference which was to live in Minnesota. The father ultimately dropped his attempt to move the daughter to North Carolina and dropped his motion.
 
David Van House represents developer in the formation of Willow Lake Office Condominium.
David Van House recently represented Willow Lake Properties, LLC and Pratt-Ordway, LLC with the legal formation and creation of the governing documents for Willow Lake Office Condominium. The development is located in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota near the intersection of 35E and County Road F. The firm's representation included drafting the Articles of Incorporation, Declaration and By-laws for the Willow Lake Office Condominium Association, Inc., under the Minnesota Common Interest Ownership Act, commonly known as "MCIOA"; as well as representation of the developer with respect to the negotiation of the sale of the completed units within the office condominium.
 
David Van House represents suburban bank extending $5,600,000.00 development loan to a real estate developer.
David Van House recently represented a prominent suburban bank in extending a $5,600,000.00 development loan to a real estate developer for a real estate development in Buffalo, Minnesota. The credit extension involved numerous issues involving real estate title, zoning and survey matters, which were successfully concluded by Van House, on behalf of his client.
 
David Van House represents Judgment Debtor in successful claim of exemption to real estate closing escrow.
The firm recently represented a client in a personal chapter 7 bankruptcy. Prior to filing his bankruptcy, the client had closed on the refinance of his home. At the closing, the title company required the escrow of in excess of $30,000.00 to pay off a judgment against the client. In the bankruptcy, the firm on behalf of the client claimed that the funds in escrow were part of the client's exempt homestead. No objection was filed by the trustee or by any creditor and the escrowed funds were ultimately released to the firm's client.
 
The firm preserves $125,000.00 in equity by successfully defending an adverse claim to title of real property.
The firm recently represented a married couple attempting to sell a parcel of open land that had been gifted to the couple by relatives fifteen years earlier. The same relatives commenced a lawsuit to prevent the land sale, claiming that the relatives continued to own the land and never actually gifted the it to the married couple. By aggressively exposing the weakness of the relatives' position in District Court, the firm succeeded in quickly resolving the dispute, clearing the title, and permitting the couple to sell the land and realize their $125,000 in equity.
 
David Van House successfully defends motion for child support reduction and obtains child support increase and full award of attorneys' fees.
Child support Obligee, was served with a motion for reduction in child support and stay of cost of living increase based on her former husband's unemployment. The motion relates to child support for the couple's single minor child. Through a subpoena of the Obligor's former employer, David Van House learned that when the Obligor lost his job in he received $24,000.00 in continuing salary as a severance package. Through discovery and reviewing and analyzing the Obligor's federal and state income tax returns, Van House learned that the Obligor also had outside income of nearly $15,000.00 which was not reported by the obligor as earnings in his motion papers. Van House also learned that at the time of the previous motion for modification of child support, the Obligor understated his gross income by nearly $30,000.00. Based on all these factors, the court found that "without the extensive discovery conducted by counsel, the Obligor's misrepresentation and lack of candor would not have been uncovered. The Obligor unreasonably contributed to both the length and expense by misrepresenting through omission his income in his motion papers." The Obligor's child support prior to the Obligor's motion was $884.45. After the motion he was ordered to pay child support retroactively in the amount of $955.00 per month, plus the full amount of our client's attorneys' fees of $5,186.28.
 
David Van House successfully settles a claim for child support arrearages based on a workers compensation and lost wages award.
David Van House recently represented the Obligee on a post dissolution motion for an award of child support based on a wage loss award received by the Obligor. The Obligor was injured while at work and received a wage loss recovery. The Obligor was ordered to account to the court for any subsequent workers compensation or tort award related to his injuries. The Obligor failed to do so. Van House brought a motion in Washington County Court and the matter was subsequently settled with the Obligor agreeing to pay nearly $18,000.00 in a lump sum to the firm's client, the Obligee, to resolve the case.
 
David Van House represents Suburban Bank extending $2,900,000 development loan to a real estate developer.
David Van House recently represented a prominent suburban bank in extending a $2,900,000 development loan to a real estate developer for a real estate development in St. Michael, Minnesota. The credit extension involved numerous issues involving real estate title, zoning and survey matters which were successfully concluded by Van House on behalf of his client.
 
David Van House represents corporation in connection with a $3,100,000 new construction and equipment loan from the Minnesota Agricultural and Economic Development Board.
David Van House successfully represented a suburban corporation in connection with a $3,100,000 real estate and equipment loan extended by the Minnesota Agricultural and Economic Development Board. The loan enabled the firm's client to nearly double its warehouse and manufacturing capability in its new quarters. David Van House also represented the corporation in the sale of it's previously existing facility.