John S. Dorsey
John S. Dorsey
Bio
John Stanton Dorsey was born and raised in Redfield, South Dakota. He earned his business degree at the University of South Dakota, graduating with honors in 1983. Following summer internships with Gallagher & Battey Law Firm in his hometown and a clinical experience in his final semester of law school at Davenport Evans in Sioux Falls, John passed the bar exam in the spring of 1986. On May 14, 1986, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota and took the oath of attorney before Justice Robert E. Morgan of the South Dakota Supreme Court that same day.
John served as a law clerk to Hon. Richard H. Battey, United States Federal District Judge for South Dakota in the Western Division in Rapid City. During his two-year federal clerkship, he co-authored an article with Judge Battey for the South Dakota Law Review on Rule 11 Sanctions (33 S.D.L.Rev. 207, 1988). On July 1, 1988, John joined Whiting, Hagg & Hagg Law Firm in Rapid City as an associate, where he is now the firm’s managing partner. In his first year of practice, John followed his mentor Judge Battey’s advice to “jump in,” trying his first five jury trials alone to jury verdict. Since then, he has tried over 60 jury trials and completed numerous court trials and administrative hearings.
John’s firm, Whiting, Hagg & Dorsey, LLP, serves clients from its location at “Old City Hall,” 616 6th Street, Rapid City, South Dakota. John has practiced law with Rex Hagg since 1988. Together with their experienced team of paralegals, they bring over 80 years of legal experience, helping injured clients by “fixing” what can be fixed and compensating for what cannot.
John has appeared in courtrooms throughout South Dakota. His practice focuses on helping those who have been wronged, harmed, or injured, covering personal injury litigation, workers’ compensation claims, hearings, and appeals. John has successfully litigated contract cases, will contests, exploitation of protected persons, and has defended criminal cases in both state and federal courts. His work includes Federal Tort Claims, breach of fiduciary duty actions, and trials before juries and judges across South Dakota, in locations including Rapid City, Faulkton, Yankton, Sioux Falls, and many others. John is admitted to practice in all South Dakota state and federal courts, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
John is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), the American Association for Justice (AAJ), and the South Dakota Trial Lawyers. He has maintained his board certification in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 2000. In 2002, John received an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, affirming his high professional and ethical standards and his preeminent legal ability.
Notable reported decisions and rulings in John’s cases include:
- Knudsen v. Jensen, 521 N.W.2d 595 (S.D. 1994) (equitable rescission of contract)
- Davis v. Farmland Mutual Insurance Co., 669 N.W.2d 713 (S.D. 2003)
- Vore v. Osborn (Motorcycle Collision-discovery/expert federal rules) 2016 WL 951506
- Baker v. Masco ($3.2M Contract for Severance Breached) 912 F.Supp.2d 814 (2012)
- Carver v. Black Hills Balloons, Inc. 2010 WL 5582842
- Wendt v. Berg (Rear-end motor vehicle collision $100,000 limits paid jury verdict)
- United States v. Sierra (federal criminal trial/appeal) 94 F.4th 721 (8th Cir. 2023)
- United States v. Shield, 2014 WL 4071323
- State v. Buffalo Chip, 951 N.W.2d 387 (S.D. 2020)
- Estate of Gaaskjolen (Testamentary Capacity/Will Contest) 941 N.W.2d 808 (S.D. 2020)
- James v. State Farm Mutual Auto. Ins. Co., 929 N.W.2d 541 (S.D. 2019)
- In Matter of 2012, 2013 and 2014 Tax Refund & Abatement Appeal of Hunt Companies, 927 N.W.2d 894 (S.D. 2019)
- Lippold v. Meade Co. Board of Commissioners, 906 N.W.2d 917 (S.D. 2019)
- Spencer v. Estate of Spencer, 759 N.W.2d 539 (S.D. 2008) (accrual statute of limitations)
- United States v. Benson, 772 Fed. Appx 398 (8th Cir. 2019)
- Thompson v. Sheriff Ron Merwin & Meade County, 216 Fed. Appx 611 (dismiss 1983)
- Strutton v. SDG Macerich Properties, LP, 695 N.W.2d 242 (S.D. 2005)
- Lewis v. S.D. State DOT, 667 N.W.2d 283 (S.D. 2003)
- Lucero v. Bush, 737 F.Supp.2d 992 (D.S.D. 2010) (Civil Rights 1983/qualified immunity)
- Long v. Merwin, 2005 WL 1421108 (D.S.D. 2005)
- Equitable Life Assur. Soc. of US v. First Natl. Bank, 602 N.W.2d 291 (S.D. 1999) (mortgagee entitled to cancel sheriff’s foreclosure sale after bidding had commenced)
- United States v. Gerald “Jump” Big Crow, 327 F.3d 685 (8th Cir. 2003) (reversed criminal theft conviction as Indian did not convert tribal organization’s property by not paying full rent)
- Cromwell v. Rapid City Police Department, City of Rapid City, 632 N.W.2d 20 (S.D. 2001)
- B.W. v. Meade County, 534 N.W.2d 595 (S.D. 1995)
- Heib v. Lehrkamp, 704 N.W.2d 875 (S.D. 2005) (probable cause to arrest on suspicion of kidnapping and rape defeated claim of false arrest)
- Deneke v. Menard, Inc. (Federal Diversity Suit for Brain Injury/Trip & Fall discovery issue) 2022 WL 2237827
- State v. Red Star, 467 N.W.2d 769 (S.D. 1991) (eyewitness identification expert denied)
Born
Redfield, South Dakota
Admitted to Bar
- South Dakota, 1986
- Federal District Court,
- District of South Dakota, 1988
- 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court
Litigation & Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Motor Vehicle Collisions
- Workers’ Compensation
- Workplace Injuries
- Defective Products
- Wrongful Death/Serious Injury
- Contract Litigation
- Social Security Disability
- Criminal Defense
- Jury Trials/Appeals
- Trucking Collisions
- Will Disputes/Undue Influence
- Bad Faith/Wrongful Denial of coverage
- Traffic Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist
- Federal Tort Claim Act – Government Employee Negligence
- Nursing Home Liability
- Casualty to Property – Negligently Caused Fires
- Slip & Fall Accidents
- Trip & Fall Accidents
Contact us
Our Promise to You
As experienced attorneys in Rapid City, we maintain a proven track record of determination and passion for practicing law. Practicing out of Rapid City means we provide the level of personal service associated with smaller firms, but we also have the high-caliber legal knowledge and experience of larger firms. At Whiting Hagg & Dorsey, LLP, we hold the highest regard for integrity, determination, justice, persistence, commitment, and knowledge.
As your trusted Rapid City lawyers, you can expect us to offer our distinguished reputation for unwavering ethical standards, dedication to our clients’ needs, and exceptional legal counsel into the future.