Thomas Wheeler

Thomas has a strong record of resolving disputes involving heavily regulated industries and technical issues.

Thomas works hard to understand his client’s goals and secure them. He is proactive and creative, providing unmatched legal representation in a wide range of business matters. He has expertise in litigating software, healthcare, product liability, and license disputes, along with bringing claims against the federal government under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Prior to joining Fredrikson, Thomas completed two judicial clerkships, one with former Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea of the Minnesota Supreme Court and one with Judge Susan Richard Nelson of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Thomas draws on his clerkship experiences to wisely advocate for his clients and make complex litigation issues easy to understand for judges and juries.

Represented a Minnesota drycleaning business against a claim for breach of a license agreement. Thomas and his team countersued for breach of that same license agreement. The case went to trial and the jury found in favor of Thomas’s client on all claims, awarding damages of more than $700,000.

Represented a family-owned company against negligence claims. An employee was injured by another employee at a hotel. Thomas’s research revealed that these were meritless claims under Minnesota law. The Court agreed and dismissed the claims at summary judgment. The Court also agreed that the company’s insurers were required to defend it during the lawsuit and ordered them to pay both the defense fees and Morrison fees.

Represented a hospital in a breach of contract dispute. A nurse practitioner asserted that the hospital had breached her contract, the medical staff bylaws, and other hospital policies. After significant discovery, the Court agreed that the nurse practitioner’s claims were meritless and granted summary judgment to the hospital.

Represented a healthcare company to enforce a noncompete and stop a former employee from stealing clients. During discovery, it was clear that certain documents were missing. Thomas moved to compel, which the Court granted. The subsequently produced documents showed that the former employee had violated her agreement prior to her resignation. The Court granted summary judgment to the company.

Represented a payment processing company in a software license dispute. The primary issue was whether certain software was owed to the company under the license agreement. Thomas handled the technical aspects of the case, including working with the software and financial experts. The parties reached a mutually acceptable settlement two days before trial.

Represented private investors in a manager-managed limited liability company dispute. The investors discovered conduct by the manager that required termination under the operating agreement. Thomas and his team pursued litigation in Delaware Chancery Court, which resulted in a mutually agreeable settlement.

Represented a healthcare company in a breach of contract dispute. Thomas handled this hotly contested legal battle with a foreign entity. After the Court found in favor of Thomas’s client on three dispositive motions, the parties reached a mutually satisfactory settlement.

Represented a telehealth company in a wrongful termination suit. Thomas convinced the Court that many of the claims were meritless, which were dismissed. The parties then reached a mutually agreeable settlement.

Education

• University of St. Thomas School of Law, J.D., 2019, magna cum laude
• University of St. Thomas, M.A., 2017
• Amherst College, B.A., 2012

Admissions

• Minnesota, 2019
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2020
• U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2023
• U.S Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2024
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 2025

Clerkships

• Judicial Law Clerk, Honorable Susan Richard Nelson, District of Minnesota, 2021-2022
• Judicial Law Clerk, Honorable Lorie S. Gildea, Minnesota Supreme Court, 2019-2020

• North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2022-2023
• Living the Mission Award, University of St. Thomas School of Law

• Federal Bar Association