Vincent Louwagie

Practice Areas

Complex Commercial Litigation with an emphasis in Complex Investment Disputes and Complex Shareholder Disputes.

Career

Vincent Louwagie is a successful senior trial lawyer who practices in all areas of business litigation with an emphasis in complex investment and shareholder matters. During his 32-year career Vince has been consistently and widely recognized as one of the top business litigators in the state of Minnesota and has tried numerous cases to verdict or arbitration award in Minnesota and throughout the country.

Vince’s experience is enhanced by his previous work as a financial auditor with KPMG. That background allows him to better understand the transactions and financial reports that form the backbone of his clients’ investments. It also helps him probe those transactions for financial fraud. He has litigated disputes involving investments of all kinds, and has tried numerous cases to arbitration award, court or jury verdicts.

Professional Memberships

Past President, Board of Directors, Hennepin County Bar Foundation (HCBF)

Chair of the Development Committee (2014-2016), Hennepin County Bar Foundation (HCBF)

HCBA Representative, Minnesota State Bar Association Assembly

Member, Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association

Member, Hennepin County Bar Association Member, Minnesota State Bar Association

Member, Private Business Governance Committee, Minnesota State Bar Association’s Business Law Section

Member, Federal Bar Association

2016-2017 Chair, Partners in Excellence Annual Fund for University of Minnesota Law School

Publications

Unsettled: When Fraud Defeats The Effect of a Release, Minnesota Lawyer and Finance & Commerce – Partner Content, May 2021

OK Boomer, You Do Have Special Civil Remedies for Consumer Fraud; Minnesota Lawyer and Finance & Commerce – Partner Content, December 2019

Vincent Louwagie featured in Hennepin Lawyer: 2018-2019 HCBF President; November/ December, Vol. 87, Issue 6

Lessons From Jury Service, Attorney At Law Magazine – Twin Cities Edition, September 2015

Minnesota Public Benefit Corporation: Vehicle for Public Good or Abuse?, Attorney At Law Magazine – Twin Cities Edition, November 2014

Damages in Fraud Cases, Not Just Out-Of-Pockets, co-authored with Andrea Davenport, The Hennepin Lawyer, July 2013

Business Valuations in Marital Dissolutions, Attorney At Law Magazine – Twin Cities Edition, February 2013

Cutting the Cost of Derivative Claims: The Role of the Special Litigation Committee, co-authored with Cory D. Olson, Bench & Bar of Minnesota, March 2009

Will Counsel Please Take the Stand? The Hennepin Lawyer, February 2001

Minority Shareholder Disputes. Seminar – 2001, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 2001

When Abel Sues Cain: How Minority Shareholders Seek Redress for Corporate Wrongs in Light of Wessin v. Archives, The Hennepin Lawyer, September 1999

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Investors’ Rights, The Hennepin Lawyer, March/April 1996

Personal

Committee Member, drafting or amending the Minnesota Business Corporations Code, Revised

Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, and the Minnesota Public Benefits Corporation Act

Experience

Great Plains Educational Foundation, Inc. v. Student Loan Finance Corporation, — N.W.2d —, 2020 WL 7690269 (Minn. Ct. App. Dec. 28, 2020) Reversed the trial court's dismissal of fraud claims made by Anthony Ostlund's client; after taking discovery and winning a motion to plead punitive damages, negotiated a $3.5 million settlement payment for the client.

Family Business Dispute in Wisconsin (2018)

Represented the majority owners of a large agricultural company in Wisconsin in a shareholder dispute, which settled on a confidential basis after trial.

Towley v. Tavernetti

Served as a special litigation committee (SLC) in a business dispute between the owners of PowerBlock, Inc., a Minnesota Corporation. PowerBlock appointed Vince Louwagie to investigate, evaluate, and make a determination as to whether it was in the best interests of the corporation to pursue certain claims asserted on behalf of the corporation.

Confidential AAA Arbitration

Pursued significant accounting malpractice claims against a Big Four accounting firm on behalf of a group of individual clients. After months of discovery including over a dozen depositions and two weeks of arbitration during which numerous representatives of the accounting firm were cross examined by Mr. Louwagie, Anthony Ostlund was able to negotiate a settlement for its clients.

Govern, et. al. v. Berthel Fisher

Successfully defended broker dealer through FINRA arbitration hearing on customer claim. Claimants sought hundreds of thousands of dollars but were awarded zero. Panel ordered claimants to pay the vast majority of the hearing session deposits.

Tucker, et. al v. Berthel Fisher

Successfully defended broker dealer through FINRA arbitration hearing on customer claim. Claimants sought millions of dollars but were awarded zero. Panel ordered claimants to pay the vast majority of the hearing session deposits.

Soderstrum v. Berthel Fisher

Successfully defended broker dealer through FINRA arbitration hearing on customer claim. Claimants sought hundreds of thousands of dollars but were awarded just $20,000.

Double Black Diamond d/b/a Red Cow v. City of Minneapolis

Successfully obtained restraining order against city in dispute and subsequent settlement relating to a parking restriction which would have had a serious impact on the restaurant business.

Markuson v. Crossroads Mall

Successfully defended mechanics lien case through trial in Dakota County District Court.

Hamelink v. Hamelink

Marital Dissolution case tried to Scott County District Court verdict.

Piper Jaffray v. Dain Rauscher

Successfully prosecuted raiding claim through FINRA arbitration hearing.

ROA Inc., et. al v. Nicholson, et al.

Served as Consensual Special Magistrate presiding over 8-day trial. Decision on the merits affirmed on appeal on all substantive grounds. ROA, Inc. v. Nicholson, No. A12-1695, 2013 WL 2460354 (Minn. Ct. App. June 10, 2013)

Confidential Settlement Dispute

Successfully obtained confidential settlement for client in dispute with competitor and employee involving misuse of confidential information and competitive hiring.

Employment Law

Successfully represented Susan Thornton in dispute with certain Republican members of state legislative staff over her employment as director of Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

Recent Broker Dealer Representation Vince has successfully represented broker dealers and registered representatives in defending against literally hundreds of claims since the start of the Great Recession. While many of these matters are resolved on a confidential basis, in the past several years several have gone through a hearing, and Vince’s clients have prevailed. Vince has represented clients through arbitration hearings since 1989.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

State of Minnesota

U.S. District of Minnesota

U.S. Tax Court

U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals

U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

Education

Awards