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Cecilie Loidolt is a trial lawyer with 30 years’ experience handling high-exposure medical malpractice cases, representing medical providers wrongfully accused of malpractice. She has tried sixty cases to a jury, including many birth injury cases involving life-care plans in the mid – high eight figures. She has been consulted and has served as national counsel on birth injury matters. Cecilie has expertise in defending against “The Reptile” theory, frequently employed by plaintiffs’ personal injury lawyers, and has done so with success. Recent successes include a lawsuit alleging the anesthesia team was negligent during spine surgery, resulting in paralysis from the neck down; and a large life care plan. The jury returned a verdict for the defendants.

Cecilie tried the first of its kind opioid addiction case in Minnesota in May, 2022. The lawsuit against the pain specialist alleged that he got the patient addicted to high-dose opioids that far exceeded CDC recommended guidelines, and that he was addicted for 23 years. Despite his 23 year use of high-dose opioids, the evidence was that the patient was not addicted. The physician attended the trial and testified via zoom, as he was delayed in Hong Kong for two years as a result of Covid. The jury found in his favor. Defense verdicts are often not reported by the media, but this one was.

Cecilie is a proud Senior Fellow in the LCA, having been a member since 2007. She has earned the distinctions Order of Centurions, Barrister; Order of Certus, Advocate. Cecilie enjoys an AV Preeminent® rating Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™. She is repeatedly selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America for medical malpractice; and has been listed as a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer® for over twenty one years. She was named Minnesota Lawyer of the Year in 2012, for the successful defense of several notable cases. One of those cases included the defense of a hospital for its treatment of an infant’s high fever; which resulted from a vaccine-preventable disease, and the mother’s refusal to vaccinate. The infant died. The jury found the hospital not negligent, and the mother negligent.
https://minnlawyer.com/2013/02/25/attorneys-of-the-year-cecilie-loidolt/

While Cecilie enjoys and appreciates these accolades, her greatest career accomplishment is the gratitude of her clients, who have bestowed upon her the nicknames, “gunslinger,” “pitbull,” and “bulldog,” as a result of her tireless fight for justice for her clients.
https://www.superlawyers.com/articles/minnesota/the-gunslinger-the-bulldog-or-the-pit-bull/

Cecilie and her family are patriots. Her husband, Neal, served in the military for over 34 years, having deployed twice to Iraq. During deployments, Cecilie continued to try cases. Their son, Sam, also serves his country, having deployed to Romania. Their family mantra is “we will make it work.” Cecilie proudly received the 2019 Superior Volunteer Service Award, the highest National Guard award to a civilian.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 500 Young Quinlan Building
    81 South Ninth Street
    Minneapolis, MN 55402
Education
  • Hamline University, J.D., cum laude, graduated 1992
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities, B.A., graduated 1985
Bar Admissions
  • Minnesota, 1992
  • Wisconsin, 2003
  • North Dakota, 2016
Affiliations
  • Minnesota State Bar Association - Health Law Section Member
  • Hennepin County Bar Association - Member
  • Wisconsin State Bar Association - Member
  • State Bar Association of North Dakota - Member
  • Minnesota Women Lawyers - Leadership Council
  • Defense Research Institute - Diversity Law Institute; Institute of Trial Presentation; Member
  • Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association - Board of Directors, 1998-2002; Member
  • Minnesota Hospital Association - Member
  • Professional Liability Defense Federation - Member
  • Trial Law Institute - Member
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 1992
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1999
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2000

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Special Focus:
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Professional Malpractice
Awards:
  • Named Attorney of the Year, Minnesota Lawyer, 2012
  • Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (A trial lawyer honorary society, with membership limited to one-half of one percent of American lawyers, and by invitation only)
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® peer review rating (AV is a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies)
  • Selected to the Minnesota Top 100 attorney list, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2012
  • Selected to the Minnesota Top 50 Women attorney list, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2011 - 2015
  • Selected to the Minnesota Top 100 Women attorney list, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2005 - 2009
  • Recognized in the Minnesota Super Lawyers lists, Super Lawyers Magazine (only five percent of lawyers in the state are selected), 1999 - 2000 and 2003 - 2016
  • Recognized in the Minnesota Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers Magazine, 1998 and 1999

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Areas of Practice
  • Health Care Law
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Professional Liability
Classes/Seminars Taught
  • Informed Consent - The Latest Trend in Medical Malpractice Claims, HealthPartners In-Service, November 24, 2016
  • Gender Equality and Lawyers: A Conversation Starter, Minnesota National Guard Joint Leadership Board, Rosemount, MN, November 2, 2016
  • Minimizing the Risk of Malpractice Lawsuits: Informed Consent, Negligent Nondisclosure, and the “Reptile” Theory, ENT SpecialtyCare of Minnesota, August 24, 2016
  • What I Learned from Trying My Biggest Case, Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Medical Liability and Health Care Law Committee Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, April 21, 2016
  • Working with Experts, Continuing Education Seminar, Minnesota State Bar Association, Minneapolis, MN, December 2, 2015
  • Illuminating the Path: Scaling the Obstacles on Your Way, 14th Annual MDLA Women Lawyers’ Breakfast, Minneapolis, MN, July 9, 2015
  • Reducing the Risk of Malpractice Lawsuits, Surgical Specialists of Minnesota, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, June 24, 2015
  • Own It: Seizing your Power and Choosing your Path, 11th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, April 24, 2015
  • Glass Ceilings and Glass Slippers, Litigation Counsel of America, 2015 Spring Conference & Celebration of Fellows, Newport Beach, CA, April 16, 2015
  • Faculty, Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Trial Academy [National Institute for Trial Advocacy], University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, January 10-12, 2013; January 7-9, 2010; and January 9-10, 2009
  • Getting the Plaintiff on the Special Verdict Form for Contributory Negligence, Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Medical Liability and Health Care Committee Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, November 14, 2012
  • Cross Examination of Experts; an Exercise in Wordsmithing, Litigation Counsel of America 2010 Fall Conference and Induction of Fellows, Naples, FL, October, 2010
  • The Art of Jury Selection, Midwest Medical Insurance Company Board of Directors Claim Committee Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, May 4, 2009
  • Strategies for Preparing and Defending Witnesses in Depositions and at Trial, Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Mid-Winter Conference, Duluth, MN, February 8, 2009
  • The Unsatisfied Patient: What Attorneys Know that Physicians Should, Emergency Physicians, P.A. Conference: Patient Satisfaction, Minneapolis, MN, January 14-15, 2009
  • The Art of Jury Selection, Midwest Medical Insurance Company All Claim Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, January 8, 2009
  • Minimizing the Risk of Malpractice Lawsuits in Labor and Delivery, Labor and Delivery Leadership, OB/Gyn Department, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, July 29, 2008
  • Technology in the Courtroom: The Electronic Presentation of Evidence, Litigation Counsel of America Spring 2008 Conference, Miami Beach, FL, May 1-2, 2008
Published Works
  • Malpractice Lawsuits: Minimizing the Risks, Minnesota Physician, XIX(1):22, April 2005
  • ERISA Preemption of Managed Care Claims: and Proposed Legislation to Increase the Liability of HMOs, Minnesota Defense, 21(1):9, Winter 2000

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