Anna Petosky
Partner
Overview
Anna Petosky is a partner in Maslon's Litigation Group with extensive experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of commercial cases. She focuses her practice on tort & product liability, high-stakes civil litigation, complex business disputes, and investigations. Leveraging her experience advising companies as both external and internal counsel, Anna excels in helping clients achieve their company objectives, successfully resolve disputes, and bring appropriate cases to trial.
In her tort & product liability work, Anna has represented clients in individual and consolidated litigations relating to pharmaceutical products and medical devices, and she has successfully litigated commercial claims ranging from breach of contract to complex financial disputes. Anna has practiced in state and federal courts and has represented clients in proceedings before federal agencies.
After working in private practice for more than a decade, including as a Maslon partner, Anna dedicated several years to public service as a prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in Minneapolis. In that role, she managed a dynamic caseload that included homicide, sexual assault, financial crimes, and drug and property cases through all stages of prosecution. She developed strong first-chair trial skills as she brought numerous violent felonies to jury verdict. She subsequently managed litigation in house as senior legal counsel for a large pharmacy benefit manager, where she oversaw a complex portfolio of litigation, arbitration, regulatory matters, internal investigations, and pre-litigation commercial disputes.
Anna received her bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and her law degree, cum laude, from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. While in law school she served as a judicial extern to The Honorable Herbert P. Lefler of the Hennepin County District Court.
Experience
- Represented world-leading medical device company for several years to defend claims relating to Class III implantable medical devices in state and federal jurisdictions around the country.
- In re American Medical Systems, Inc., CV-11-3933 (State of Minnesota, Hennepin County District Court). Defended consolidated state court actions alleging multiple tort theories against American Medical Systems related to female mesh products.
- Lemke, McStotts, PMJ, Inc., Damon, Hillier and Gordon v. Mount Yale Investment Advisors, LLC. Represented investment advisory firm in numerous state and federal claims, brought as putative class actions, multiple plaintiff cases and single plaintiff cases, relating to client's recommendation to invest in what has commonly been referred to as Bernard Madoff's feeder funds. Claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and violations of various securities and consumer protection acts were asserted. The class action allegations were dismissed as precluded under the Federal Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78(b)(5)(B); most of the other claims were resolved by dispositive motions or mutually agreeable and confidential settlement agreements.
- Pharmaceutical Multi-District Litigation. Represented plaintiffs in federal multi-district product liability litigation relating to pharmaceutical product. Served on MDL executive committees relating to discovery and briefing.
- Sandoval v. Holder, 641 F.3d 982 (8th Cir. 2011). Successfully presented briefing and oral argument to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in pro bono immigration matter. Obtained remand to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), instructing the BIA to address whether unaccompanied alien children can be subject to permanent inadmissibility for making a false claim of U.S. citizenship.
- First-chair trial counsel on complex and high-stakes felony prosecutions, including sexual assault, homicide, financial crimes, and a range of violent felonies.
- As a member of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault Initiative, prosecuted and tried cases to jury involving drug and alcohol facilitated sexual assault, including the first conviction by a jury under Minnesota’s updated statute relating to sexual assault of a mentally incapacitated victim.
- Member of plaintiffs’ trial team for two products liability bellwether trials in federal court relating to pharmaceutical mass tort claims.
- Conducted internal investigation into allegations of compliance and regulatory violations at health care company.
Honors
Up & Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer, 2014
Recognized on Minnesota Rising Stars list as part of the Super Lawyers® selection process, 2012-2017 (Minnesota Rising Stars is a designation given to only 2.5% of Minnesota attorneys each year, based on a selection process that includes the recommendation of peers in the legal profession.)
Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota® list, 2012-2017 (The annual edition of the Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota list features attorneys who received the highest point totals in the previous year's Minnesota Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars balloting, research, and blue ribbon review process.)