Judge orders Carnahan to repay Hagedorn family for late husband’s medical expenses

Former Minnesota Republican Party chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan has been ordered to pay more than $20,000 to the family of her late husband.

Wednesday, Judge Troy Timmerman determined that Carnahan has to repay the family of her late husband, Jim Hagedorn, for the cost of medical care they paid for before his death.

Hagedorn, who was the congressman for Minnesota’s First District, had announced that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2019. After Mayo Clinic said it exhausted its options for treating him, he was transferred to a hospital in Arizona. However, he died in February.

In May, Hagedorn’s mother, stepfather and sister sued Carnahan, saying they paid more than $20,000 in total for Hagedorn’s treatment — which they claimed Carnahan promised to reimburse them for — but they hadn’t yet been repaid.

At the time, Carnahan called the lawsuits “a political stunt.”

The month after Hagedorn’s death, Carnahan announced a campaign to complete his term in Congress. However, she was defeated in the special primary. Brad Finstad was elected to finish out Hagedorn’s term and then was reelected in November.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Carnahan’s attorney for comment on Wednesday’s ruling but hasn’t yet heard back.