Minnesota Lawyer recently announced that Jeff Storms was named one of its “Attorneys of the Year” for 2018. Storms received this recognition for his work on the Kendrea Johnson litigation.
Kendrea was a 6-year-old foster child, who was removed from her family’s care and placed in the legal custody of Hennepin County. Hennepin County therefore owed Kendrea a duty to protect her and provide for her welfare and medical needs. The suit alleged that Hennepin County failed to do so, and violated Kendrea’s 14th Amendment rights as a result when Kendrea committed suicide. Hennepin County paid $1.5 Million Dollars to resolve the matter.
This is the second time that Storms has received Attorney of the Year recognition. He was previously named an Attorney of the Year for his work on the David Smith police brutality case, which resulted in a $3.075 Million Dollar Settlement. As a result of Storms receiving the Attorney of the Year honor a second time, he will be inducted into Minnesota Lawyer‘s “Circle of Excellence.” Storms is one of few, if not the only, attorney to receive the Circle of Excellence honor before reaching the age of 40.
Storms received this honor along with his colleague Jeffrey M. Montpetit of SiebenCarey, P.A., who Storms partnered with on this matter.