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John D. Sear 
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Partner
phone 612.672.3205
fax 612.672.3200
email john.sear@msp.bowmanandbrooke.com

John Sear has a uniquely diverse product liability defense practice.

John's toxic tort practice involves defending a leading manufacturer of institutional cleaning and sanitizing products in personal injury and property damage cases across the country involving a variety of toxic exposure scenarios and circumstances.

John's warranty practice involves defending manufacturers of recreational vehicles truck components and systems. His work has established pro-manufacturer precedent in North Dakota and Minnesota, minimizing manufacturer exposure in consumer warranty litigation.

John has tried a wide variety of cases involving products such as institutional cleaning chemicals, automobile restraint systems, motor homes, all-terrain vehicles, and recreational watercraft.  He has won summary judgment or other favorable dismissals in countless other cases, and defended them on appeal.  He frequently lectures and publishes on civil litigation practice and procedure.

Areas of Practice:
Business, Commercial and Financial Litigation
Product Liability
Toxic Torts
Motor Vehicle Warranty
Automotive
Construction and Industrial Equipment
Motorcycles, ATVs and Other Wheeled Vehicles
Benzene Litigation
Recreational Vehicle Litigation
Litigation Percentage:
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions:
Minnesota, 1991
North Dakota, 1999
U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1991
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1995
U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin, 2005
U.S. District Court District of North Dakota, 2002
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas, 2000
U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas, 2000
U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 2007
U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 2008
Education:
University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, Iowa, 1991
J.D.
Honors: With High Distinction
Honors: Moot Court Board, 1990-1991
Law Review: Iowa Law Review, Member, 1989 - 1990; Assoc. Editor, 1990 - 1991


Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 1988
B.A.
Honors: With Distinction
Major:  Political Science


Published Works:
Uncertainties of Federal Disclosure Requirements for Employee Experts, Product Liability Law & Strategy, September, 2008


Evidentiary Privileges for Corporate Counsel, The DRI Defense Library Series, 2008


Removal to Federal Court: Death of the First-Served Defendant Doctrine, Law Journal Newsletters Product Liability Law & Strategy, January, 2007


The Uniform Statute of Limitations for Maritime Torts: It Tolls for No One, 25 Prod. Safety & Liab. Rep. 908, Sept. 26, 1997


An Introduction to Warranties: Are Your Composites As Good As You Say They Are?, Composites Fabrication, April, 1997


Developing A Warning Strategy, Professional BoatBuilder Magazine, February, 1997


Psychotherapist's Duty to Warn, 40 Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel Quarterly 406, Summer, 1990


Representative Cases:
Anderson v. Crestliner, Inc., 564 N.W.2d 218 (Minn. Ct. App. 1997)
Clarys v. Ford Motor Co., 592 N.W. 2d 573 (N.D. 1999)
Williams v. Ecolab Inc., 2002 WL 31119997 (8th Cir. 2002)
Anderson v. Newmar Corp., 319 F Supp. 2d 943 (D. Minn. 2004)
Huhta v. Thermo King Corp., 2004 WL 1445540 (Minn. Ct. App. 2004)
Babin v. Ecolab Inc., 2005 WL 1629947 (W.D. La. 2005)
Bretheim v. Monaco Coach Corp., 2006 WL 3593044 (Minn. Ct. App. Dec. 12, 2006)
Classes/Seminars Taught:
Speaker, Preparing for Deposition: Strategies for Cooling the Hot Seat, 2006 Annual Product Safety & Liability Conference, July 14, 2006


Speaker, National Defense Counsel Programs: Corporate America's Secret Weapon, 2006 Annual Product Safety & Liability Conference, July 14, 2006


Speaker, Designing Warranties That Make Sense, Composites Fabricators Association, October 31, 1997, Orlando, Florida


Honors and Awards:
Selected by Minnesota Law & Politics Magazine as a SuperLawyer(R) in 2008


Professional Associations and Memberships:
American Bar Association, 1991 - Present


Hennepin County Bar Association, 1991 - Present


Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, 1991 - Present


Minnesota State Bar Association, 1991 - Present


Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, 2004 - Present


Product Liability Law & Strategy
Board of Editors


Birth Information:
1966, Iowa Falls, Iowa

From boardroom to courtroom