In a recent Chicago product defect case, the pace of settlement negotiations were perhaps hastened because in November 2008 the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that defendants in negligence suits who settle prior to trial, should not be named on jury verdict forms for the purpose of apportioning liability (Ready v.…
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago affirmed a Southern District of Illinois judge’s ruling by the district judge in the regarding Wyeth, Inc.’s antidepressant Effexor . Giles v. Wyeth, Inc., No. 07-3149. In Giles, the plaintiff decedent, Jeff Giles, was a coal miner and who became depressed…
Parents will take much more precautions after they read about the $2.5 million settlement arising from an Illinois car crash involving two minors who were drinking in a Lake County, Illinois family’s home. One of the minors involved in the car accident is now paralyzed from the chest down. Baldwin…
On February 26, 2009, CHANGE Illinois, Coalition for Honest New Government Ethics, met for a news conference in downtown Chicago wherein it laid out its program to change Illinois politics. CHANGE Illinois’ statements of principles included a pledge to the citizens of Illinois for fair, open and honest government and…
In its recent ruling the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that premarket approval from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not preempt pharmaceutical companies from being held liable when their drug fails to meet state standards. In Wyeth v. Levine the court held that drug manufacturers can be sued in…
A February 2008 decision by the Supreme Court stands as a barrier to patients who desire to sue for medical device liability. The Supreme Court ruling in Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc. holds that patients or their surviving heirs would be barred from suing makers of complex medical devices like the…
Car and truck manufacturers have largely ignored the product defects causing insufficient occupant protection and rollover crashes until recently, relying instead on inadequate minimum government standards. However, this is changing in light of increased pressure from a consumer-friendly government coupled with years of having to compensate victims of rollover deaths…
On Sunday, March 1, 2009, citizens of Evanston, a north Chicago suburb, gathered at the Levy Center to discuss and focus on issues of energy, education and healthcare. Civil justice attorney Robert Kreisman facilitated as a group leader on healthcare. The impetus behind the meeting was to promote ideas from…
Evidence shows that bus passengers in Illinois and nationwide run a higher risk today than in the past. Whether due to poor oversight, poor bus design, maintenance problems, or inattentive operators, the level of safety on the average commercial bus is far from what it should be. If these issues…
For decades scientists have been interested in the migration patterns of salmon. Recently scientists have discovered that alterations in salmon swimming patterns from the re-direction of streams and rivers has led to an increase in bruising on the fish. In fact, these salmon are found to have signs of brain…