In all negligence cases, duty is an element that must be proved to a preponderance of the evidence by the plaintiff. In Choate v. Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co., the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that freight trains pose an obvious risk of harm to child trespassers, but the railroad would…
The Illinois Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed with the federal district court in dismissing the lawsuit brought by James Nation. Mr. Nation served as the CEO of the Spring Air Co., which owned and licensed a mattress brand. After the company was acquired by HIG Capital in 2007,…
The pro bono work of DLA Piper attorney James Garrett cannot be understated. Mr. Garrett was recruited to help gain veteran benefits for Stanley Friedman, 92, who served in the U.S. Army during WWII and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Mr. Garrett was enlisted in the case from The John…
Even some of the lowest level arrests and criminal convictions can haunt a person for life. Through the volunteer work of attorneys at the Cabrini Green Legal Aid clinic (CGLA), Cook County Clerk Dorothy A. Brown, and The Center on Halsted, work is under way to provide expungement and record-sealing…
Although a truck vastly outweighs a bicycle, accidents can occur in which the bike rider is at fault. A Cook County jury ruled that this was the case in a collision involving a rider named Kim Assaley and the driver of a Dreyer’s ice cream truck in the early-morning hours…
In this case, Donny McGee alleged that defendants prosecuted him for murder of his elderly next door neighbor based on a fabricated confession. McGee was acquitted in the criminal case, but he spent three years wrongfully incarcerated awaiting his trial. The plaintiffs brought a civil complaint, which included claims of…
A judge has ruled that federal law allows railroad employees to file suit if their employer blocks them from getting medical treatment for an on-the-job injury. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp Jr. declined to throw out Rene Delgado’s claim that Union Pacific Railroad Co. violated the Federal Railroad Safety…
The first of nearly14,000 patients given potentially tainted injections of pain medicine has sued the maker of the treatment. Many experts say this may be the first of a wave of lawsuits following a deadly meningitis outbreak that has killed 14 people. Meanwhile, a medical practice specializing in pain management…
The Illinois Appellate Court has affirmed a ruling by a Cook County Circuit Court judge arising from a class-action suit filed by Ronald Costello who represented the class. He claimed that he and others suffered flooding on their property during August 2001 storms. The lawsuit arose out of the City…
In this case, the defendant, Dale Levan, admitted liability for an auto accident that left a woman, Denise Ponto, injured. The verdict on damages was $585,174, but the defendant had only $100,000 in liability insurance. The plaintiff tried to collect the rest of the money from the city of Dixon,…