Ashley R. Thronson

Senior Associate

Email: athronson@fredlaw.com
Office: 612.492.7353
Assistant: Julianne Hill, 612.492.7854

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PRIMARY SERVICES

Employment & Labor Employment & Labor Litigation Litigation

Overview

Ashley represents clients in employment, labor and business-tort litigation. She also assists employers with legal compliance and issues related to employment contracts.

Ashley’s practice focuses on employment law and litigation, as well as business torts and contract issues stemming from employment and shareholder relationships. She has experience representing both businesses and individuals and has litigated a wide variety of workplace issues, including wage and hour disputes; harassment, discrimination and whistleblower issues; misappropriation of confidential information; and breaches of employment-related contracts and fiduciary duties. She has advocated for her clients in state and federal court, in front of administrative agencies and at alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Prior to joining Fredrikson & Byron, Ashley practiced law at a boutique employment law firm in Minneapolis. While obtaining her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, she represented tenants in the Hennepin County Housing Court as a certified student attorney. She has also worked as a legal intern at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Ann D. Montgomery of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Articles & Presentations

The Minimum Wage Hike Initiatives

December 1, 2017

By Anne M. Radolinski & Ashley R. Thronson

Minimum wage hike initiatives continue to garner press attention and momentum nationwide. Lobbying and pressure on the national, state and local levels continues, and a growing number of states and cities have responded.

Minneapolis Passes $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Ordinance

July 7, 2017

By Anne M. Radolinski & Ashley R. Thronson

On June 30, 2017, the Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance raising minimum wage rates in Minneapolis over a seven-year period, ultimately to a minimum wage rate of $15 an hour by July 2024 for all covered employers.

Vetoed Preemption Bill Means Minneapolis and St. Paul Sick Leave Ordinances Go Into Effect July 1 as Planned

June 1, 2017

By Anne M. Radolinski & Ashley R. Thronson

On May 30, 2017, Minnesota Governor Dayton vetoed a bill that would have prevented cities from enacting their own minimum wage and sick time ordinances.

Court Rejects Preliminary Challenge to Minneapolis Sick Leave Ordinance but Limits its Reach

January 24, 2017

By Anne M. Radolinski, Norah E. Olson Bluvshtein & Ashley R. Thronson

Last Thursday, a Hennepin County district court judge issued its first substantive ruling in the legal challenge to the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. The court largely denied the Chamber of Commerce’s request to halt enforcement of the ordinance but agreed that employers located outside of Minneapolis should not be subject to the regulation – at least during the pendency of the suit.

St. Paul Passes Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance

September 8, 2016

By Anne M. Radolinski & Ashley R. Thronson

On September 7, 2016, the St. Paul City Council passed the St. Paul Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, becoming the second city in Minnesota to guarantee paid “sick and safe” leave for employees working within its city limits. The law, which is similar but not identical to the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance (Minneapolis Ordinance), will go into effect on July 1, 2017, for employers with 24 or more employees, and on January 1, 2018, for employers with 23 or fewer employees. While the city may issue additional guidance, here is what employers need to know now if they have employees who work in St. Paul.

New OSHA Injury-Reporting Rule May Require Employers to Revise Policies on Injury-Related Discipline, Post-Accident Drug Testing & Safety Incentive Programs

June 8, 2016

By Richard A. Ross & Ashley R. Thronson

While there has been a lot of discussion regarding the Department of Labor’s recent release of the much-anticipated overtime regulations, some employers may have missed the issuance of another significant rule from the Department – OSHA’s Injury Reporting rule.

A Human Resources Investigation May Toll the Statute of Limitations Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act

May 16, 2016

By Mary M. Krakow & Ashley R. Thronson

Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA), an employee has one year to file a legal claim with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights or a court for alleged unlawful employment discrimination. That year, however, does not count the time the parties voluntarily engage in a dispute resolution process. See Minn. Stat. § 363A.28, subd. 3. Until recently, many believed that only formal dispute resolution processes, such as mediation or arbitration, qualified for tolling (suspending) the one-year statute of limitations (SOL) period. However, a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals case found that even an employer’s internal investigation can toll the running of the SOL if the underlying complaint involves alleged unlawful discrimination.

Presenter, “Hiring and Managing Employees and Independent Contractors,” Neighborhood Development Center, June 19, 2018
Co-Presenter, “Accommodation Challenges and Solutions,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 33^rdAnnual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 3, 2017
Co-Presenter, “Paid Leave: How to Remain Compliant and Competitive in 2017,” Fredrikson & Byron Paid Leave Compliance Seminar, February 23, 2017
Co-Presenter, “Employee Absences, Restrictions and Accommodations,” Fredrikson & Byron Employment Law Topics Webinar Series, December 13, 2016
Co-Presenter, “Employee Absences, Restrictions and Accommodations,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 32nd Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 26, 2016
Co-Presenter, “Employees vs. Independent Contractor: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter?” Technical Tools of the Trade, 2015
Co-Author, “Beyond the Minimum Wage: How the FLSA’s Broad Social and Economic Protections Support Its Application to Workers Who Earn a Substantial Income,” ABA Journal of Labor and Employment, Summer 2015
Co-Author, Summary Guide to Sexual Harassment Law, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, July 2012

Honors & Education

EDUCATION

University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2013, magna cum laude
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, B.S., 2010, summa cum laude

BAR ADMISSIONS

Minnesota, 2014
Wisconsin, 2013
U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, 2016
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2014
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, 2013

HONORS

Minnesota Super Lawyers, Rising Star – Employment Litigation: Defense, 2018
Minnesota State Bar Association, North Star Lawyer, 2017

Professional Activities

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Minnesota Women Lawyers
Minnesota Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
Hennepin County Bar Association