Attorney Timothy Murphy Phillips's Legal Cases

Criminal defense

State of Minnesota v. A.K., E.J., S.L., and B.J.

Oct 09, 2018

OUTCOME: Acquittals

A.K. and E.J. traveled to the rural town of Leonard, Minnesota with the intention of shutting down petroleum pipelines at a valve station located nearby. A.K. and E.J. used bolt-cutters to cut the chai ... n securing the valve enclosure, entered, and then cut the chain securing the valve device itself. B.J. accompanied A.K. and E.J., and he contacted Enbridge—the company operating the pipelines—in order to inform it of what was occurring and to provide the company an opportunity to remotely shut down the pipeline valves, which it ultimately did. S.L. also accompanied the group for the purpose of documenting the events of the day in video recordings. A.K., E.J., S.L., and B.J. were charged with various offenses, but S.L.'s charges were dismissed before trial. Tim Phillips, Lauren Regan, and Kelsey Skaggs represented A.K., E.J., and B.J. at a two-day trial, and a Clearwater County judge granted Mr. Phillips's motion for judgment of acquittal.

Criminal defense

State of Minnesota v. E.S. and J.K.

Jan 05, 2017

OUTCOME: Acquittals

E.S. and J.K. attended a Black Lives Matter protest outside Target Field in April 2016. They were charged with trespassing and interfering with public transit. Tim Phillips represented them at a three- ... day trial, and a Hennepin County jury returned not guilty verdicts.

Civil rights

N.H. v. City of Richfield, et al.

Aug 16, 2016

OUTCOME: Settled for $120,000

N.H. was subjected to excessive force by Richfield police officers. The case is described further in the following news article: http://www.fox9.com/news/video-released-concerning-lawsuit-naming-of ... ficer-involved-in-jamar-clark-shooting

Criminal defense

State of Minnesota vs. K.S.

Dec 10, 2015

OUTCOME: Acquittal

K.S. attended the Black Lives Matter protest at the Mall of America in December 2014. Bloomington police arrested her in the parking ramp for trespassing at the Mall. Tim Phillips represented her at a ... four-day trial, and a Hennepin County jury returned a not guilty verdict after five hours of deliberation.

Criminal defense

State of Minnesota v. H.J.

Jun 23, 2014

OUTCOME: Case dismissed

Believing that a grocery store employee had given him expired food for free, H.J. walked past the registers without making any effort to pay for three packages of chicken. Minneapolis police officers a ... rrested him for theft. On the first day his trial, he was also charged with violating the Minneapolis disorderly conduct ordinance, because he allegedly shouted when he was wrongfully accused of theft. Tim Phillips represented H.J. at trial. A Hennepin County jury returned a not guilty verdict as to the theft charge and a guilty verdict as to the disorderly conduct charge. Mr. Phillips promptly appealed the guilty verdict to the Court of Appeals. At the Court of Appeals, Mr. Phillips argued that the Minneapolis disorderly conduct ordinance must be narrowly construed so as not to criminalize constitutionally protected expression. He asserted that the trial court’s instructions to the jury, to which he had objected, did not fully protect H.J.’s right to freedom of speech. The Court of Appeals ruled in H.J.’s favor, holding that the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury as Mr. Phillips requested. The Court remanded the case for a new trial due to the jury instruction error. The prosecutor subsequently dismissed the case.

Litigation

Communities United Against Police Brutality v. City of Minneapolis

May 16, 2013

OUTCOME: Prevailed on summary judgment motion

In October 2012, CUAPB asked the City of Minneapolis to provide it with a list of all complaints filed with the Civilian Review Authority (CRA), including the name of each complainant and his or her co ... ntact information, for a period of 28 months. Minneapolis provided the list, but did not include complainant contact information for complaints designated as pending or open. Tim Phillips initiated litigation on CUAPB's behalf. On May 16, 2013, Judge Sipkins agreed with Mr. Phillips that “the names of, and contact information for, complainants on pending and open CRA complaints is public information.”

Discrimination

Christopher Hanson vs. Swank Audio Visuals

Mar 27, 2012

OUTCOME: Settled for $80,000

Swank Audio Visuals employed Christopher Hanson from February 2010 until April 2011, when Swank terminated Mr. Hanson due to his psoriasis. Tim Phillips and attorney Jessica Juarez represented Mr. Han ... son in a lawsuit for monetary damages. The case is described further in the following news article: http://www.sfbg.com/2011/05/17/fear-beard

Personal injury

C.H. vs. M.R.

Aug 10, 2011

OUTCOME: Resolved

C.H. was riding her bicycle in Golden Gate Park when M.R.'s vehicle struck her. The San Francisco police concluded that the collision was caused by M.R. driving her vehicle forward at a stop sign befo ... re such movement could be made with reasonable safety. Tim Phillips and attorney Ben Rosenfeld represented C.H. in a lawsuit for monetary damages.

Criminal defense

People of the State of California vs. B.G.

Jun 07, 2010

OUTCOME: Case dismissed due to insufficient evidence

B.G. was one of more than 60 activists arrested for allegedly participating in an open occupation of a UC Berkeley building as a form of political protest. He allegedly received a notice of exclusion ... ordering him to stay away from the UC Berkeley campus for seven days, and allegedly re-entered the campus with a protest sign two days later. He was arrested for campus disruption, a misdemeanor. Tim Phillips negotiated with the Deputy District Attorney, who originally offered B.G. three years of court probation and a fine. Through his advocacy, Mr. Phillips convinced the Deputy District Attorney to dismiss the case. Attorney Paula Crow stated that Mr. Phillips's "generous contribution" in defending B.G. was "an inspiration."

Litigation

AFS Assignee of Washington Mutual Bank K vs. M.B.

Aug 04, 2009

OUTCOME: Default judgment set aside and case dismissed

M.B. was unaware of any debt he owed to Washington Mutual, but an assignee of Washington Mutual filed a lawsuit against him for damages for breach of contract and common counts, interest on the damages ... , and attorneys' fees. M.B. did not receive proper service of the lawsuit and lacked actual notice of the suit in time to defend himself. As a result, a default judgment was entered against him. Tim Phillips filed a successful motion to vacate the default judgment. Mr. Phillips then sought proof that the debt actually existed. This request prompted the assignee of Washington Mutual to dismiss the case.

Timothy Murphy Phillips's Legal Cases (10)

State of Minnesota v. A.K., E.J., S.L., and B.J.

State of Minnesota v. E.S. and J.K.

N.H. v. City of Richfield, et al.

State of Minnesota vs. K.S.

State of Minnesota v. H.J.

Communities United Against Police Brutality v. City of Minneapolis

Christopher Hanson vs. Swank Audio Visuals

C.H. vs. M.R.

People of the State of California vs. B.G.

AFS Assignee of Washington Mutual Bank K vs. M.B.