Dan Hedlund has practiced in antitrust, consumer protection, and securities fraud since 1997. He continued this practice, when he joined Gustafson Gluek PLLC in 2006, quickly becoming a Member at the Firm. Since then, he has continued to advocate for individuals and small businesses bringing claims against some of the largest companies in the world. Dan is currently the Co-Chair of Gustafson Gluek’s Antitrust Practice Group.
In addition to his busy practice in the areas of antitrust and complex litigation, Dan has been an active volunteer attorney for the Minnesota Federal Bar Association’s Federal Pro Se Project and received the Minnesota District Court’s Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award in 2011.
Dan is also a member of the Federal, American, Minnesota, and Hennepin County Bar Associations. He recently served as President of the Minnesota Chapter of the FBA and before that held the role of Co-Vice President for the Eighth Circuit. In addition, he is a past Chairman of the Antitrust Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA), Secretary of the MSBA Consumer Litigation Section, and a former President of the Committee to Support Antitrust Laws. He is also an Advisory Board member for the American Antitrust Institute. In addition, he has been appointed twice by the Court to serve on Panels for Magistrate Judge Selection for the District of Minnesota.
Dan is an experienced speaker and author. He has presented at numerous CLEs, testified before the Minnesota legislature on competition law, and before the Federal Rules Committee. He co-authored the “Plaintiff Overview” in Private Antitrust Litigation 2015 – Getting the Deal Through and contributed to Concurrent Antitrust Criminal and Civil Procedure 2013 (American Bar Association). Dan has been recognized as a Minnesota “Super Lawyer” in antitrust law from 2013 to 2024 and was ranked among the Top 100 Minnesota Lawyers by Super Lawyers in 2015 and from 2017 to 2021.
He graduated from Carleton College and earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he served as a Note and Comment Editor for the Minnesota Journal of Global Trade. He served as a law clerk on the Minnesota Court of Appeals in 1997 and the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota from 1995 to 1996.
Outside of the practice of law, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife (who is also an attorney), their two daughters, and several pets. Dan has run several marathons and is currently contemplating whether he has any more left in him. He loves going out to listen to live music and traveling the world with his family. He and his family recently went to Africa with his extended family for an amazing once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
For more information regarding Dan and a list of his representative cases, see below.
More About Dan
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University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., cum laude (1995)
Carleton College, B.A. (1989)
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Minnesota State Bar
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Admitted pro hac vice in numerous courts around the country
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Minnesota Super Lawyer in the field of antitrust litigation (2013-2024) by Super Lawyers
Top 100 Minnesota Lawyers (2015, 2017-2020) by Super Lawyers
Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award (2011) from the Minnesota Federal District Court
John T. Stewart, Jr. Memorial Fund Writing Award (1994) from the Federal Bar Association
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Dan Hedlund is currently or has been actively involved in the representation of plaintiffs and classes in numerous cases, including several in which Gustafson Gluek has been appointed as Co-Lead Counsel. Dan was one of the lead counsel in In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Ill.), a case in in which the Firm, as Co-Lead Counsel, was representing a class of commercial indirect purchasers of chicken who were alleging that chicken suppliers colluded to artificially restrict the supply and raise the price of chicken in the United States. This case ultimately settled for over $100 million.
Dan will also be actively involved in In re Granulated Sugar Antitrust Litig. (D. Minn), in which Gustafson Gluek has been appointed to have a leadership role. In the Sugar case, plaintiffs are alleging that the Sugar Producing Defendants conspired to fix and artificially raise the price of sugar, resulting in plaintiffs paying above-market prices for sugar. He also is involved in the In re Deere & Company Repair Services. Antitrust Litig., (N.D. Ill.), in which the Firm was appointed as Co-Lead Counsel to represent a proposed class of farmers who purchased repair services from John Deere, alleging that Deere monopolized the market for repair and diagnostic services for its agricultural equipment in order to inflate the price of these services.
Dan was also appointed Co-Lead Counsel in Bhatia v. 3M Co. (D. Minn.) representing a class of dentists who were suing 3M over a defective product. The case ultimately settled for $32.5 million for the class. He was also appointed to a leadership position in In re Dealer Management Systems Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Ill.) (Member-Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee), representing a class of car dealerships suing CDK Global, LLC and The Reynolds and Reynolds Company for entering into an unlawful agreement that reduced competition and increased prices in the market for Dealer Management Systems (“DMS”) and data integration services related to DMS.
Additionally, Dan has played important roles in several cases in which the firm has been named as part of the leadership or played a major role, including:
Precision Assocs., Inc. v. Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd. (E.D.N.Y.),
In re Beef DPP Antitrust Litig. (D. Minn.) (Co-Lead Counsel—Direct Purchaser Plaintiff Class)
In re Interior Molded Doors Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litig. (E.D. Va.) (Co-Lead Counsel)
In re Pork Antitrust Litig. (D. Minn.) (Consumer Indirect Plaintiffs’ Interim Co-Lead Counsel)
Kleen Prods. v. Intl. Paper (Containerboard Antitrust Litig.) (N.D. Ill.) (Discovery Team Co-Leader and helped to secure over $376 million for the class)
In re CenturyLink Sales Practices and Securities Litig. (D. Minn.) (Executive Committee Chair)
The Shane Group, Inc. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (E.D. Mich.) (Co-Lead Counsel)
In re Vitamin C Antitrust Litig. (E.D.N.Y.) (Co-Lead Counsel-Indirect Purchaser Classes)
In re Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Ala.) (Member-Damages Committee)
In re DRAM Antitrust Litig. (Co-Lead Counsel--multiple federal and state court indirect purchaser class actions)
Other Representative Cases:
In re Packaged Seafood Antitrust Litig. (S.D. Cal.)
In re Capacitors Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Cal.)
In re Resistors Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Cal.)
In re Flash Memory Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Cal.)
In re Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litig. (E.D. Pa.)
In re TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Cal.)
In re Refrigerant Compressors Antirust Litig. (E.D. Mi.)
In re Air Cargo Shipping Services Antitrust Litig. (E.D.N.Y.)
In re St. Paul Travelers Securities Litig. II (D. Minn.)
In re Digital Music Antitrust Litig. (S.D.N.Y.)
In re OSB Antitrust Litig. (E.D. Pa.)