This is not the first time (or second) time that I’ve written in this blog about the potential discrimination involved when fast-food restaurants keep their drive-through windows open later than their interior dining rooms, preventing the visually impaired from...
Firm News
A Rare Victory Against an Arbitration Clause
The Federal Arbitration Act is a broad and powerful legal tool for forcing disputes into mandatory arbitration in a wide, wide variety of contract contexts. So much so that it is notable when a Plaintiff (or a group of Plaintiffs) successfully fends off an attempt to...
Employee Was Referred to Treating Physician by Another Physician, and Not by Choice
It can certainly be difficult sometimes for employees involved in accidents at work, to obtain necessary treatment for their resulting injuries, as there are limitations imposed under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (“WCA”) on the number of physicians that an...
Medical Malpractice and Apparent Agency: Words Matter
When you walk into a Hospital for a surgery, you might reasonably assume that the Hospital would share some responsibility if you are injured as a result of medical negligence during that surgery. However, given the modern healthcare system, this may not be the case....
Being Stuck with a Needle Does Not Warrant the Award of Permanent Disability Benefits
In a recent case, the Commission held that an employee did not deserve to be awarded permanent disability benefits, even though she was accidentally stuck with a needle that was potentially contaminated with deadly viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C, while she was...
Public Law and Private Causes of Action
There are many violations of laws and regulations that are also actionable through private civil lawsuits. Assault and battery are both crimes as well as torts. The crime of theft can be compared to the tort of conversion. However, not every violation of the law is...
The National Trial Lawyers Announces the Re-Selection of Alexis Ferracuti as a Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer in Illinois After One Year
The National Trial Lawyers is pleased to announce that Alexis Ferracuti of Law Offices of Peter F. Ferracuti, P.C. in Ottawa has been re-selected as a Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer in Illinois after her first year as an exceptionally respected member....
Municipality’s Refusal to Pay Benefits Warrants Imposition of Penalties & Fees
Municipality’s Refusal to Pay Benefits Warrants Imposition of Penalties & Fees In yet another case where a municipality refused to pay an employee’s worker’s compensation benefits, both the arbitrator and the Commission held that the respondent had no...
Fight over Wages and PPE Continues for Cannabis Workers
In April of 2021, a class of workers filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois over wages that they claimed that they claimed were owed to them by Cresco Labs Inc., an Illinois-based company that cultivates and dispenses medical and...
City’s Claims of Being Unable to Pay Benefits Are Held to be Unsupportable
In a case where a municipal respondent claimed that it could not afford to pay an employee’s worker’s compensation benefits, due to alleged arrearages and/or a lack of funds, in the municipality’s various bank accounts and sources of revenue, the Commission held that...