Karla Gluek is a founding member of Gustafson Gluek PLLC and was elected Firm Manager in 2020, becoming the first woman to serve in that role. Karla has spent her career helping individuals and small businesses have representation where they otherwise might not have been able to bring their claims.
She has been practicing in the areas of antitrust, consumer protection, product defect and other complex litigation since she began her career in 1995. In 2003, Karla had the privilege of being asked by her mentor and friend, Dan Gustafson, to start a Firm with him.
Despite having taken on some of the largest corporations and organizations, including Cargill, Medtronic, Syngenta, 3M, and the NFL, Karla is most proud of her pro bono work. She has spent thousands of hours representing individuals on a pro bono basis as part of her commitment to justice for all. She has assisted in the representation of pro se litigants through the Federal Bar Association’s Pro Se Project and those referred to Gustafson Gluek by other sources. Karla was part of the team at Gustafson Gluek that represented a class of civilly committed sex offenders challenging the constitutionality of Minnesota’s commitment statutes in Karsjens et al v. Jesson (D. Minn.). She has been recognized several times as a North Star Lawyer for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services in a calendar year to individuals with need.
Karla is an active member of the Federal Bar Association and Minnesota Women’s Lawyers. She has also been named Minnesota “Attorney of the Year” twice and has been designated a Minnesota “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers from 2011 to 2024. In 2023, Karla was also named in the inaugural class of Top Women in Law by Minnesota Lawyer. Karla is also currently serving on the Board for the Mid-Minnesota Fund for Legal Aid.
Karla moved from Rochester, Minnesota, to the Twin Cities to attend St. Thomas College (now the University of St. Thomas), where she majored in English. Karla continued her education at William Mitchell College of Law where she graduated cum laude in 1993. She went on to clerk for the Honorable Gary Larson in the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota.
In addition to her legal career, Karla has helped raise three amazing boys (now young men). Karla enjoys traveling with her husband Jim, spending time at their cabin in Hayward, Wisconsin, having many family dinners with her siblings and mother, and (when there is time) reading and cooking. She is an avid Timberwolves fan and can often being found at the games cheering on the team. Since turning fifty, Karla also has become a cyclist and a swimmer, in addition to running, and often participates in fun “race” events around the Cities.
For more information regarding Karla and a list of her representative cases, see below.
More About Karla
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William Mitchell College of Law, cum laude, J.D. (1993)
University of St. Thomas, B.A. (1990)
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Minnesota State Bar
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
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Power 30 Business Litigators (2023, 2024) by Minnesota Lawyers
Top Woman in Law (2023) by Minnesota Lawyers
North Star Lawyer (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023) by the Minnesota State Bar Association
Minnesota Super Lawyer (2011-2023) by Super Lawyers
Attorney of the Year (2014, 2017) by Minnesota Lawyer
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In addition to managing the Firm, Karla is currently involved in several significant cases for the firm. She is working on the In re Change Healthcare, Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litig. (D. Minn.), in which Dan Gustafson has been named Overall Lead Counsel to represent victims of the data security incident in early 2024, which exposed more than six terabytes of healthcare patients’ personal and health information and disabled the software that facilitated business operations to healthcare providers. Karla also recently helped represent individuals whose cases were venued in Minnesota and who were seeking damages for hearing loss and other-related injuries due to the use of earplugs manufactured by 3M.
Karla also recently assisted in the trial preparation in In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litig. (N. D. Ill.), in which the Firm 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
Karla was part of the trial team that represented Minnesota corn farmers against Syngenta, Inc. related to their marketing of certain GMO corn, in In re Syngenta Litig. (Minn). This case settled on a nationwide basis for over $1.0 billion dollars. Additionally, Karla was an integral part of the litigation team that represented individuals with Sprint Fidelis heart leads against Medtronic, alleging that the leads were defective. The case ultimately settled for over $220 million dollars and Karla oversaw the seven-year claims period resulting from that settlement. (In re Medtronic Inc. Sprint Fidelis Leads Prod. Liab. Litig. (D. Minn.)).
Other Representative Cases:
In re Medtronic, Inc. Implantable Defibrillators Liability Litig. (D. Minn.)
Karsjens v. Jesson (D. Minn.)
Graves v. 3M
Dalen v. Harpstead (D. Minn.)
Rud v. Johnson (D. Minn.)
Doe v.Lehigh Valley Health Network (Pa. State Court)
Guisinger v. Keystone RV Co. (C.D. Cal.)
Spine Solutions, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. (W.D. Tenn.)
Dryer v. National Football League (D. Minn.)
In re Asacol Antitrust Litig. (D. Mass.)
In re Wellbutrin SR/Zyban Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litig. (E.D. Pa.)
In re Opana ER Antitrust Litig. (N.D. Ill.)
Reitman v. Champion Petfoods (C.D. Cal.)
Weaver v. Champion Petfoods (E.D. Wis.)
Rydman v. Champion Petfoods (W.D. Wash.)
Synthes USA, LLC v. Spinal Kinetics (N.D. Cal.)
KBA-Giori, North America, Inc., v. Muhlbauer, Inc. (E.D. Va.)