Travis Dunn Selected as a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer in Illinois
The National Trial Lawyers Announces The Selection Of Travis Dunn As An Ntl ‐ Civil Plaintiff ‐ Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer In Illinois
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Firm News
An Open (and Obvious?) Decision on Hazards
Recently, an Appellate Court decision in Illinois reinforced the legal principle that the “open and obvious” doctrine is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for tortfeasors. In Fox v. Ameren, the Fourth District Appellate Court found that an injury alleged to be caused by...
A Case with Both a Straightforward Set of Facts and a Positive Outcome
In a case involving an employee’s tripping incident on a Chicago city bus, both the arbitrator and the Commission decided in favor of the employee. See Bus driver picks up benefits for tripping injury at work. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law Bulletin, Volume 29,...
A Double Limit on Forced Arbitration in Nursing Home Case
Most everyone is familiar with liability contracts. Whether you’ve been asked to sign one before participating in a sporting or merely as a requirement to use a swimming pool or gym, contracts regularly ask us to give up legal rights in order to utilize a service. But...
Even Though a Claimant Apparently Felt as Good as New After Receiving Treatment for His Neck Injuries, the Commission Still Found That He Was Partially Disabled Anyway
In a case involving a lengthy appeal of the Commission’s decision to award permanent partial disability (“PPD”) benefits to a claimant, the Appellate Court affirmed the decision of the Circuit Court, which in turn had affirmed the Commission’s aforesaid PPD award to...
Losses and Wins, Lost in the Noise
As an individual, I follow the cases considered by the United States Supreme Court rather closely. This is, I will admit, more a matter of personal interest than professional necessity. A majority of cases fall into areas of law that I don’t practice in. For example,...
Legal Technicalities Can Prevent the Award of Attorney’s Fees in Some Situations
In a case that involved an award of attorney’s fees requested by an association of manufacturing concerns, that had filed a restraining order and complaint for an injunction against the Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission (or “IWCC”), in response to an emergency...
The High Bar for Malicious Prosecution Claims
The deck is stacked pretty high against malicious prosecution claims. While Courts certainly have an interest in stopping harassment through litigation, there is also a strong presumption that parties should have the freedom to make their allegations and arguments in...
An Award of Permanent Partial Disability Benefits Cannot Be Based on Speculation
In a case that is illustrative of how a claimant’s award of permanent partial disability (or “PPD”) benefits at arbitration can be reduced by the Commission on appeal, if it is determined that the award was speculative in nature, the Commission basically affirmed the...
A Textbook Example of a How a Claimant’s Job Activities Directly Caused His Injuries
In a case that serves as a classic illustration of how a claimant’s required work activities caused the onset and aggravation of his workplace injuries, specifically his bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, both the arbitrator and the Commission awarded the claimant...