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 Abigail S. Crouse
Tel: 612/632-3044
Fax: 612/632-4044
Attorney - Minneapolis
abigail.crouse@gpmlaw.com
Support Staff: Lois B. Siljander, 612/632-3337
Abigail is a principal at Gray Plant Mooty and practices in the areas of Employment and Labor Law and Higher Education Law. Prior to joining the firm, she clerked for the Honorable Gerald W. Heaney of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Abigail regularly counsels clients on employment law and student services issues. In addition, Abigail has been involved in litigating various employment and labor law cases, including cases related to sexual harassment, disability discrimination, ERISA benefits, noncompetition covenants, trade secrets, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She was named a "Rising Star" by Minnesota Law & Politics for 2007.
Abigail graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1998, with majors in political science and French. She received her law degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2001, where she was awarded membership in the Order of the Coif. While in law school, Abigail served as Lead Note and Comment Editor of the Minnesota Law Review, and was named the Phillip M. Grier Fellow by the National Association of College and University Attorneys for her work in the field of higher education law. In addition, Abigail was awarded the Excellence in Labor Law Citation by the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment.
EXPERIENCE - Obtained summary judgment on behalf of employer in sexual harassment case brought by a former employee
- Advised fast-growing company regarding personnel issues and potential legal claims
- Provided employment law advice and contract-drafting for company involved in the spin-off of a subsidiary
- Counseled college regarding Title IX issues related to its athletic program
- Advised college regarding FLSA classifications of employees
- Obtained dismissal of Minnesota Human Rights Act charge of disability discrimination
- Drafted appellate briefs in case involving ERISA claim for benefits
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
Publications
“Troubled Students and FERPA: How to Share Important Information,” Connections, The Bi-Annual Newsletter of MNCUPA-HR, Winter-Spring 2008
"7th Circuit: Officer Fired After Controversial Arrest Loses Claim," Society of Human Resource Management, November 23, 2007
“Retaliation: How to Prevent Costly Claims,” Connections, The Bi-Annual Newsletter of MNCUPA-HR, Summer-Fall 2007
"Student Workers - Students or Employees?" Connections, The Bi-Annual Newsletter of MNCUPA-HR, Winter-Spring 2007
"ID Theft and Liability: How to Reduce the Risks Facing Your Business," Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, August 25, 2006
"Applying Rule 1 in the Information Age," co-authored with Stephen J. Snyder,4 Sedona Conf. J. 165, Fall 2003
"Models for Just and Inexpensive Resolutions of E-Discovery Disputes," co-authored by Stephen J. Snyder, Digital Discovery and e-Evidence: Best Practices & Evolving Law, vol. 3, no. 8 (August 2003),
"Equal Athletic Opportunity: An Analysis of Mercer vs. Duke University and a Proposal to Amend the Contact Sport Exception to Title IX," Minnesota Law Review, 2000
Presentations
“Legal Requirements and Restraints on Employee Affirmative Action Measures” (with Kathryn Nash), Gray Plant Mooty Higher Education Breakfast Briefing, May 13, 2008
“Violence Prevention and Response Planning in the Wake of Virginia Tech” (with Megan Anderson), MNCUPA-HR Fall Conference, October 25, 2007
"Student Admissions: Achieving Diversity without Breaking the Law" (with Jennifer Reedstrom Bishop), Gray Plant Mooty Higher Education Breakfast Briefing, April 17, 2007
"Employment Law Update for Higher Education HR Professionals" (with Tamara Olsen) MNCUPA-HR Spring Conference, April 18, 2007
"Identity Theft, Computer Misuse, Privacy and Liability: Human Resources Role in Reducing Risks Facing Employers," Human Resources Professionals of Minnesota Mini-Seminar on Today's Technology and its Impact on Human Resources, October 11, 2006
"Inside Job: How to Identify, Prevent, and Recover Losses from Employees' Bad Acts," Gray Plant Mooty Corporate Counsel Breakfast, May 17, 2006
"Race, Sex, and Money: Restrictions on Race and Gender Conscious Student Aid," Minnesota Association of Financial Aid Advisors Conference, May 4, 2006
"Race, Sex, and Money: Can Colleges and Universities Provide Race or Gender Conscious Scholarships and Financial Aid?," Gray Plant Mooty Higher Education Breakfast Briefing, April 11, 2006
"Effective Records Management," Gray Plant Mooty Health Law Conference, July 21, 2005
"Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Conduct Codes, and Crimes," Gray Plant Mooty Higher Education Breakfast, May 10, 2005
"Litigation 101: What the College Needs to Know When it Gets Sued," Gray Plant Mooty Higher Education Breakfast, September 14, 2004
"Title IX Law and Current Developments," Midwest Regional Conference for Women and the Law, April, 2004
"Harassment and Sports: Recent Issues in Title IX Law," Gray Plant Mooty Higher Education Breakfast, October 7, 2003
"From Creation to Destruction: Managing the Life Cycle of Your Corporate Records," Gray Plant Mooty Corporate Counsel Breakfast Group, January 15, 2003
"Managing Employee Leaves of Absence" Gray Plant Mooty Employment Law Institute, September 26, 2003
"Password Protected: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)," Minnesota Association of Financial Aid Advisors, December 2, 2003
"The Contact Sport Exception to Title IX," Minnesota Institute of Legal Education Higher Education Law, September 28, 2001
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