Star Tribune
Minnesota Supreme Court considers transgender weightlifting lawsuit with wide-ranging implications
There was an additional element to this case that raised its stature, and that was Hall’s request that not only should the Minnesota Supreme Court side with her client and reinstate the summary judgements from the Ramsey County District Court, but they should also undo the 2001 state Supreme Court decision in Goins v. West Group.
That case set a standard not only in Minnesota but in legal cases around the country regarding transgender rights in public accommodations. In that case, Julienne Goins, a transgender woman, accused her employer, West Group, of discriminating against her by not allowing her to use the women’s restroom at their office in Eagan.
The state supreme court ultimately ruled “an employer’s designation of employee restroom use based on biological gender is not sexual orientation discrimination in violation of the MHRA.” Justices Alan Page and Paul Anderson added a special concurrence to that opinion which went a step further and noted that Goins had failed to prove she was biologically female.
Hall said that while Cooper’s case vs. USA Powerlifting could be decided without it, “this court should overrule the Goins decision.” Hall noted that courts across the country have become more attuned to discrimination against transgender people, “because in reality treating transgender women different from other women is at the heart of gender discrimination.”
Viksnins argued that Goins “has been good law in Minnesota for 23 years.”
“It should be followed,” Viksnins said. “What’s the proper analytical tool for this case? It’s exactly how Goins analyzed the issue about transgender women using the bathroom … that is biological sex separation and that is exactly what we say here and why the exemption has applicability.”
According to prosecutors:
Around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2022, Nunn approached a woman in Arden Hills who had just parked her vehicle outside her workplace. Brandishing a handgun and while masked, Nunn forced her to drive him to an ATM in Minneapolis and withdraw cash so he could pay his rent. He then ordered the victim to drive to Matthews Park in the city’s Seward Neighborhood, where he drove away in her vehicle.
Surveillance videos from surrounding businesses showed Nunn exiting the vehicle, removing his hood and mask, and entering a corner grocery store. Four days later, he returned to the store in a vehicle registered in his name and address. That led to his arrest on Sept. 22, 2022.
A search of Nunn’s residence turned up evidence from the kidnapping and revealed Nunn that had stolen a backpack from Twin Cities Orthopedics in Oak Park Heights and used the owner’s debit card and personal identification at various local retailers.
He also robbed a third person at gunpoint in a Target parking lot in Hudson, Wis., and threatened to kill her if she didn’t hand over her purse. He then used her credit cards to siphon money from bank accounts.
Star Tribune
Prominent Twin Cities racehorse owner, businessman Barry Butzow accused of drugging, sexually assaulting bartender
Barry Butzow, a prominent Twin Cities racehorse owner and businessman, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a bartender who worked a private party at his Eden Prairie home earlier this year.
The charge of third-degree sexual assault was filed in Hennepin County District Court, along with a warrant for his arrest. He has no prior Minnesota criminal history in Minnesota.
Butzow, 78, was reached by phone Wednesday and said he had no comment on the allegations and was unaware of the charges. Butzow was a senior vice president with C.H. Robinson Worldwide and has been a fixture in the horse racing community at Canterbury Park for years. He and his wife Joni reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2022 when their horse, Zozos, ran in the Kentucky Derby.
According to the charges:
On May 18, a woman was hired to work as a private bartender for a cocktail party at Butzow’s home. The two knew each other well from a Shakopee bar where the woman worked as a bartender and Butzow was a frequent customer.
Two days later, the woman returned to the house after Butzow asked if she would help him clean up and package some leftover food.
The two began drinking wine and Butzow attempted to kiss the woman several times. She repeatedly told him to stop and pushed him away. She tried to leave, but Butzow told her she was in no condition to drive. That was the last thing she remembered before losing consciousness.
She woke up in Butzow’s bed and “felt fuzzy and disoriented.” She told investigators Butzow had his hand down her pants and was assaulting her. She tried to leave but Butzow blocked the door and led her back to the bed. She was eventually able to grab her purse, run out of the house and call her boyfriend for help.
The situation escalated, the letter read, when Tran allegedly asked the police chief about obtaining a gun for protection from council members. The letter alleges she took initial steps toward acquiring a firearm.
In another example, Tran sent a Sept. 18 email to City Manager Jay Stroebel and wrote there “was a conspiracy to shut me up” and that drug use led to a death in City Hall. The subject line read, “Mafia in City Chamber.”
The letter, which Winston read aloud at an October meeting, said officials were increasingly concerned about safety risks and Tran’s wellbeing. It stated Tran had filed several police reports, which were determined to be unfounded, including the death at City Hall.
Tran’s lawsuit argues the mayor and council members made several false and defamatory statements about her, saying that she does not have a mental illness and does not pose a danger to herself or others. The suit claims Winston, for example, falsely stated Tran wanted to bring a gun to council meetings.
The lawsuit says Tran has endured “widespread bullying and harassing behavior, including the use of the Police Chief to falsely imply that the Plaintiff presented a danger to members of the public.”
Months earlier, in January, a staff member filed a complaint against Tran accusing her of creating a hostile work environment and violating city policies by disparaging the employee’s performance. The council later held a closed-door meeting to discuss the allegations, where members agreed to issue Tran a letter of reprimand.
