When deciding a trial case, a jury has a duty to be consistent in its verdict, i.e., it can’t say one thing, but then enter a contrary verdict. If a jury contradicts itself, generally one party has cause to overturn or vacate that verdict. This is what happened in the…
The Illinois Appellate Court reviewed the personal injury lawsuit of Anderson v. Anderson, 2011 Ill.App. (1st) 10034 (Sept. 30, 2011), to determine whether or not the trial judge had correctly ordered a new trial. After reviewing the case facts and the jury’s decision, the appellate court disagreed with the trial…
When a civil lawsuit is subject to an appeal, there are typically two outcomes: either the court finds that the trial proceedings were just and legal, thereby putting an end to the case; or the court finds that errors were made at the trial court level and remands the case…
In a large metropolitan area like Chicago it is not unheard of for a jury to return a $10 million or more personal injury verdict. Because large cities have large populations, the chances are greater that severe injuries will occur among that large population. However, in smaller districts, such as…
The plaintiff in a Lake County car accident lawsuit was awarded a $60,283 verdict for her injuries and lost time from work. The plaintiff in Pamela Paolinetti v. Demitry Yakovleva, 09 L 667 (Lake County), failed to complete all of the recommended medical treatments and was still experiencing pain. Consequently,…
Back in November Volkswagen began notifying its customers that it would be voluntarily recalling numerous of its diesel models for faulty fuel injectors. The car manufacturer estimates that this recall could affect more than 168,000 vehicles. While Volkswagen’s website has more information on the specific models the Volkswagen recall effects,…
An Illinois truck accident case was reviewed by the Illinois Appellate Court to determine whether or not the trial court had erred in its delivery of jury instructions and whether the jury had awarded too much damages. However, after reviewing the case facts, the appellate court upheld the trial court…
The Illinois Appellate Court recently affirmed a trial court’s exclusion of photographs during a Cook County trial. The issue in Sylvester Scales v. Joseph Benne, No. 1-10-2253 (2011), was whether or not the photographs were barred from evidence because the plaintiff’s attorney had not produced them to opposing counsel prior…
A McHenry County jury returned the second highest personal injury verdict in the county’s history when it entered a $897,000 verdict in the case of David Fuller v. Richmond Burton High School, District 157, et al., 07 L 317 (McHenry County). The case involved a 2007 intersection accident that occurred…
As the holiday season approaches, drivers need to be even more aware of their surroundings. This added caution is necessary not only because of worsening road conditions as winter weather sets in, but also because of increasing traffic and distracted drivers. Whether hurrying to the mall to partake in Black…