Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Texting and Driving Can Lead to “Punitive Damages”

Under Illinois personal injury law, “punitive damages” (those meant to deter and “punish” the wrongdoer) must be brought pursuant to “permission” by the Court. See 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/2-604.1 (Lexis 2014). Many clients want to seek the “maximum” in certain automobile accidents and seeking punitive damages would clearly be an attempt to do just that. However,…

Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Personal Injury Law — Common Carrier Liability — New Study Urges Transit Units to Invest Up To $2 Billion in Renovations

As CBS Chicago recently reported, a new study released by DePaul University warns that annual spending of perhaps up to $2 billion per year on infrastructure and repairs to Chicagoland’s most widely-used public transit — namely Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority. The findings suggest that, while ridership has steadily increased in recent years, the spending necessary…

Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: CTA Commuter Train (“L”) Crash Injures Numerous People

You can  On Monday, September 30, 2013, numerous people were injured when Chicago Transit Authority (CTA and sometimes called the L by some and here the “Blue Line”) commuter trains collided during rush hour at Harlem Station in Forest Park, Illinois. Train drivers and train companies owe their passengers a duty of care to avoid causing…

Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Settlements and Timing of Payment-FINALLY HERE!

It’s finally here — the Governor has signed! After settling a case (some types of cases excepted below), a Plaintiff can now have some form of a “deadline” to expect payment of funds provided certain conditions are met. The new law takes effect January 1, 2014 — just 5 months from now. Note well that this…

Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Texting Even OUTSIDE a Vehicle Could Get You Sued!

In a recent decision, it was reported here that a New Jersey Appeals Court held that a person who is texting a driver could very well become a defendant in a lawsuit and be liable to someone who was injured due to such texting. Texting another driver while you are NOT driving could get you sued! Don’t…

Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: SB 1912 – The Proposed Amendment to the Civil Practice Law of the Code of Civil Procedure in Illinois

Illinois Plaintiff’s attorneys are all too familiar with settled defendants “dragging their feet” on issuing payment on a settled case. In many cases, once the parties reach a settlement, the real fight begins. Through a series of motions, numerous phone calls, and demand letters, plaintiff’s attorneys eventually receive the settlement check from the defendant, sometimes…

Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: School Bus Accident in Wadsworth, Illinois – Flip Over with School Children

On Friday, April 5, 2013, a terrible school bus accident carrying numerous school children flipped over and per the latest news reports, many children were injured and perhaps one adult is dead. Apparently, school buses are not required to have seat belts and this is yet another situation where innocent children are exposed to the…