Workers’ Compensation Protects You
The workers’ compensation system was designed to provide certainty for injured workers in the event of a workplace injury. In exchange for certain benefits, the law does not allow a direct lawsuit against the employer at common law. The unfortunate truth about Workers’ Compensation cases is that employees often times find themselves pitted against the […]
Chicago Trivia
The statue of which president is in Chicago’s Lincoln Park? President Grant. What Chicago street has addresses that can be North, South, East and/or West? Wacker Drive – you can also have upper and lower Wacker Drive. Between the Cubs and White Sox, which was the first team to appear in the World Series? Both […]
What is a Class Action Lawsuit and Could I have One?
What is a Class Action law suit? This is when multiple parties have a common cause of action and they are collectively filing a lawsuit together. The reason for filing together or as in a Class Action is, in many instances, it is not economical to file individual claims, and the impact can be greater by submitting the claims together. Over the past few years changes have been made in the rules; now consumer organizations may bring claims on behalf of large groups of consumers.
New Recalls Affecting Children
One of the many things personal injury attorneys do is fight to protect the helpless, defenseless members of our society, including children. When large manufacturers ignore their duty to exercise reasonable care in the production and distribution of products geared toward children, personal injury and class action attorneys step in and force them to compensate […]
Illinois Court Considers Application of the Dead-Man’s Act to Deposition Testimony
In a recent case, one issue considered by Second District Appellate Court of Illinois in Balma v. Henry, No. 2-09-1301, was whether the Dead-Man’s Act (the Act) can be used to prevent statements in discovery depositions from being admitted in summary judgment proceedings and/or at trial. Balma involved a car accident which resulted in a […]
US Supreme Court Considers Validity of Lawsuits Against Vaccine Producers
In March we discussed the pending United States Supreme Court case, Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, No. 09-152, a case in which the parents of a child who suffered injuries after receiving her 6-month DPT vaccine are seeking to overturn the current administrative processes established for lawsuits of this type. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard oral […]
Former Illinois State Trooper Seeks Workers’ Compensation Benefits
A former Illinois State Trooper, Matt Mitchell, recently filed for workers’ compensation benefits stemming from injuries sustained when he caused a car accident while on duty as a state trooper 2 years ago. As explained in this AOL News article, the car accident occurred when he was responding to an emergency call. He was talking […]
Illinois Appellate Court Addresses Racetrack’s Liability
The First District Appellate Court of Illinois recently addressed the liability of a property owner for negligently maintaining its premises in Morrissey v. Arlington Park Racecourse LLC, No. 1-09-3460 (2010). In Morrissey, the plaintiff was injured when the horse he was riding slipped and fell. The plaintiff filed a personal injury lawsuit, alleging that the […]
Maryland’s Highest Court Upholds Cap on Non-Economic Damages
In April, we reported that the Court of Appeals of Maryland heard oral arguments in a case regarding personal injury damage caps. In the case being appealed, the parents of a young child who had drowned received a jury award of $4 million for their pain and suffering, but the damages were reduced to $1 […]
Court Holds Private Social Media Postings Discoverable in Personal Injury Lawsuit
It’s undeniable–social media use is increasing exponentially. And, with this rapid increase in the use of social media, more attorneys are quickly realizing the utility of social media postings in litigation. When witnesses or parties to a lawsuit publicly post about their activities and whereabouts, the information can be used to dispute claims of injury […]