Minnesota · a law firm’s site, not a government one
A fee showed up that was not in the price you were shown. We want to see the documents.
Madgett Law, LLC is a Minnesota law firm. We are evaluating whether these fee practices can be challenged in court on behalf of the people who paid them. We are looking for Minnesota consumers who still have their documents.
Lake Minnetonka — Glass-calm water. Photo: Dave Madgett Photograph: Calm blue lake reflecting a treeline on Lake Minnetonka.
Minnesota law requires an advertised price to include every mandatory fee. In the statute’s own words:
A person engages in a deceptive trade practice when, in the course of business, vocation, or occupation, the person advertises, displays, or offers a price for goods or services that does not include all mandatory fees or surcharges.
Who we are looking for
If one of these is you, we want to see your documents
Renters: send us your lease's first page
Minnesota renters whose lease was signed on or after January 1, 2024 — that is the date Minn. Stat. § 504B.120 reaches, set by Laws 2023, chapter 52, article 19, section 90 — and who pay a monthly charge that was not part of the rent figure in the listing they answered.
Read the call-outEvent hosts: the brochure, the contract, and the invoice
Anyone who hosted a wedding, reception, graduation, funeral luncheon, or other private event in Minnesota on or after January 1, 2025 — the date Minn. Stat. § 325D.44, subd. 1a took effect under Laws 2024, chapter 111, sections 1 and 2; for banquet and catering the Attorney General's office reads the law to apply to contracts signed on or after that date — and whose final bill carried a percentage service charge that was not inside the prices you were quoted.
Read the call-outMinnesota guests: the rate you booked and the folio you paid
Minnesotans who stayed at a Minnesota resort, hotel, motel, or vacation rental on or after January 1, 2025 — the date Minn. Stat. § 325D.44, subd. 1a took effect under Laws 2024, chapter 111, sections 1 and 2 — and were charged a resort, destination, or amenity fee that was not part of the nightly rate they were quoted.
Read the call-outGym and club memberships: annual fees, card surcharges, and cancellation charges
Minnesotans who joined, modified or renewed a health club, buying club or social referral club membership on or after January 1, 2025.
Read the call-outCheckout fees on tickets, admissions and registrations
Minnesotans charged a percentage or flat "processing," "convenience," "service" or "platform" fee at checkout on a ticket, admission or registration bought on or after January 1, 2025.
Read the call-out
The kinds of charge
What we are looking at
These are kinds of charge, not accusations, and no business is named anywhere on this site. Whether any of this applies to your situation depends on facts we have not seen.
Apartment and rental fees
A listing showed one monthly rent, and the lease or the monthly statement added charges you could not decline.
The documents that show it: The listing or advertisement · The signed lease · A ledger or move-in charge sheet
Banquet and wedding service charges
A menu or brochure gave per-person prices, and the final invoice added a percentage line on top.
The documents that show it: The menu or brochure you priced from · The signed contract or event order · The final invoice
Resort fees at Minnesota resorts
A nightly rate was quoted, and the bill at checkout carried a separate resort or amenity fee.
The documents that show it: The confirmation email with the quoted rate · The final bill or folio
Gym and health-club fees
A monthly membership price was advertised, and an annual fee, enrollment fee, or card surcharge appeared afterward.
The documents that show it: The membership agreement · The sign-up confirmation · Statements showing the charge
Self-storage administrative fees
A unit was quoted at a monthly price, and the first invoice added an administrative or set-up charge.
The documents that show it: The reservation or emailed quote · The first invoice
Online processing and convenience fees
A ticket, pass, or registration showed one price, and a percentage or flat fee was added at checkout.
The documents that show it: The order confirmation with the fee line · A screenshot of the advertised price · The card statement
Something else? The form has a “something else” choice. Read Is this fee legal? first if you can — it may tell you the fee was allowed, and that is worth knowing before you spend time on a form.
The limits
What this site will never do
- Tell you your situation is strong, weak, or worth a dollar amount. No software on this site scores what you send; a lawyer reads it.
- Promise a refund, a payout, or a lawsuit. Nobody honestly can.
- Name a business. The guides describe practices and quote statutes.
- Pretend to be the government. It is not a government agency, and nothing you send us goes to one.
- Ask for a Social Security number, a card number, or an account number. The form has no field for one and rejects a submission that contains one.
- Charge you for reading, or for sending us your documents.
Where to start
Find the paperwork first. Then read what the law says about it.
What was advertised, and what was charged: if you still have both, the first guide walks through the questions in order, including the ones that end with “that fee was allowed.” Whether any of this applies to your situation depends on facts we have not seen.