Department store owner and operator, Target Corporation, (Target), as well as a prominent mechanical door manufacturer, have agreed to pay $7 million to an 81 year-old woman injured when an automatic door at the Target store in Rosemont, Illinois, malfunctioned and knocked her to the ground. It is a record settlement in Cook County, Illinois, for a brain injury to a woman 60 years old or older. Chicago personal injury lawyers, Philip Harnett Corboy, Jr., and Kenneth T. Lumb of the Corboy & Demetrio law firm, represented the injured woman.
On June 21, 2007, Claire Putman was entering the Target store located at 7000 Mannheim Road in Rosemont. As she walked through the entrance, the door malfunctioned and closed before she successfully maneuvered through the entry. Putman, a slight woman, was knocked over and hit her head when she fell to the ground. Her head was hit a second time by the door when it continued to open and close.
Putman was taken to Lutheran General Hospital and eventually diagnosed with a subdural hematoma. The bleed “blossomed” to the extent that she needed a craniotomy and evacuation of the hematoma. As a result, she has suffered brain damage that has left her with some cognitive deficits. She has lived in a nursing home since the incident because of the injuries she sustained.
Prior to being injured, Putman was retired and living on a fixed income with her 59 year-old daughter, who was semi-dependent upon her for care.
Corboy & Lumb contended that Target, the owner and operator of the mechanical doors, failed to inspect and properly maintain the doors at the store, while also failing to properly follow the safety guidelines provided by the door manufacturer, co-defendant, Besam USA, Inc., (Besam). They also maintained that Besam, the company that designed and manufactured the door and its component parts, failed to design and manufacture a system that would prevent purchasers – like Target – from turning off its failsafe system and failed to provide external noise and sound alerts when the system malfunctions, much like it malfunctioned in this situation.
Personal injury lawyer Corboy stated:
Claire was a lovely, spunky woman who had advanced into her senior years with grace and a dedication to her two children, especially to her 59 year-old daughter who lived with her for a number of years due to her special needs. As a result of what happened two years ago, Claire has been robbed of that ability to take care of her oldest daughter, as well as to enjoy the remaining years of her life the way she had planned. The three Putman ladies are a portrait of a family that will circle the wagons and provide love, care and attention to each other despite this life-changing event. I have all of the faith in the world that this settlement will allow Claire to live out the rest of her life with dignity at the home she’s lived in for over 50 years.
The settlement order was signed by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Deborah Mary Dooling.
The Northern Trust Company and Kay Putman, as Co-Guardians of the Estate of Claire Putman, a disabled person v. Target Corporation, a corporation, and Besam USA, Inc. Case number 07 L 7255B.
About Corboy & Demetrio
Corboy & Demetrio is one of the nation’s premier personal injury law firms. It represents individuals and their families in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases and is renowned for its achievements in the courtroom and for its contributions to the community. The rights and concerns of its clients are at the core of Corboy & Demetrio’s practice. That commitment, dedication, compassion and relentless drive has resulted in exceptional service and exceptional results for its clients. The firm has acquired more than $3 billion in settlements and verdicts and has attained almost 600 settlements and verdicts in excess of $1 million.
For further information, contact Mary Neville, Communications Director at 312.346.3191 or mjn (at) corboydemetrio (dot) com.
Showing posts with label Illinois lawyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Illinois lawyers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Seidman Law Offices of Chicago Launches New Websites for FELA, Railroad Injury, and Civil Rights Claims
The Chicago attorneys of Seidman Law Offices have launched two new websites to inform Illinois residents of the law firm's practice in the areas of FELA and railroad injury claims as well as civil rights litigation. The Seidman attorneys are established personal injury lawyers who now offer details about the full scope of their practice. Seidman Law Offices seeks to improve its accessibility through this enhanced presence on the Internet.
"The Federal Employers Liability Act, or FELA, is a 1908 law that protects railroad workers, from Amtrak engineers to EL train conductors," founding partner Steven J. Seidman explained. "To get properly compensated for your injuries you should engage an experienced Chicago FELA lawyer," he added. Seidman Law Offices is also familiar with the laws that provide relief to train passengers, pedestrians, and vehicle drivers who are injured in train accidents. The firm's legal practice in railroad injury litigation is discussed in detail at the new Seidman Law Offices FELA law website.
Seidman Law Offices also practices civil rights law in Chicago. "We pursue claims if your civil rights have been abused," Mr. Seidman said. "You have the right to protection of your speech and religion under the First Amendment, and the right to protection from unlawful search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment," he continued. The Illinois law practice also handles police brutality cases and wrongful conviction reversals. More information about the firm's work in civil rights law can be found at the new Seidman Law Offices civil rights law website.
Seidman Law Offices continues to offer representation for a full range of personal injury claims, including car accidents, construction accidents, catastrophic injuries, medical malpractice, unsafe premises, defective products, nursing home negligence, birth injuries, wrongful death, and workers compensation.
About the Firm
Seidman Law Offices is a Chicago personal injury law firm whose lawyers have been serving the needs of personal injury clients since 1986. Attorneys Steven J. Seidman and Christopher D. Freeman have more than 30 years collective experience handling personal injury claims. A main area of their practice is FELA and railroad accidents, representing injured automobile drivers, railway passengers, pedestrians, firemen, conductors, engineers. Seidman Law Offices also handles civil rights complaints, from discrimination and harassment to hate crimes and police brutality.
"The Federal Employers Liability Act, or FELA, is a 1908 law that protects railroad workers, from Amtrak engineers to EL train conductors," founding partner Steven J. Seidman explained. "To get properly compensated for your injuries you should engage an experienced Chicago FELA lawyer," he added. Seidman Law Offices is also familiar with the laws that provide relief to train passengers, pedestrians, and vehicle drivers who are injured in train accidents. The firm's legal practice in railroad injury litigation is discussed in detail at the new Seidman Law Offices FELA law website.
Seidman Law Offices also practices civil rights law in Chicago. "We pursue claims if your civil rights have been abused," Mr. Seidman said. "You have the right to protection of your speech and religion under the First Amendment, and the right to protection from unlawful search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment," he continued. The Illinois law practice also handles police brutality cases and wrongful conviction reversals. More information about the firm's work in civil rights law can be found at the new Seidman Law Offices civil rights law website.
Seidman Law Offices continues to offer representation for a full range of personal injury claims, including car accidents, construction accidents, catastrophic injuries, medical malpractice, unsafe premises, defective products, nursing home negligence, birth injuries, wrongful death, and workers compensation.
About the Firm
Seidman Law Offices is a Chicago personal injury law firm whose lawyers have been serving the needs of personal injury clients since 1986. Attorneys Steven J. Seidman and Christopher D. Freeman have more than 30 years collective experience handling personal injury claims. A main area of their practice is FELA and railroad accidents, representing injured automobile drivers, railway passengers, pedestrians, firemen, conductors, engineers. Seidman Law Offices also handles civil rights complaints, from discrimination and harassment to hate crimes and police brutality.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Chicago Lawyers Overcome Recession and Learn to Become Rainmakers
In former recessions the legal industry has weathered quite nicely. However, lawyers are finding this "great recession" is affecting them as much as anyone else. Over 3,000 attorneys have lost their job in 2009, with many predicting more to come. "There are three major challenges lawyers have: increased competition, the billable hour, and lack of knowledge about sales and marketing," says Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, the nation's largest law firm marketing company that specializes in helping small and solo firms. The Rainmaker Institute will hold the Rainmaker Retreat, a two day legal marketing boot camp for solo and small law firms, in Chicago on October 16-17.
"Thousands of attorneys have attended our Rainmaker events and learned how to dramatically improve their marketing and business generation strategies," says Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute. "We present proven techniques they can take back to their office and implement with their staff."
Participants in past Rainmaker Retreats have discovered how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast by implementing the techniques shared during the Rainmaker Retreat. Topics covered in the retreat include:
Early-bird registration for the Rainmaker Retreat is still available for a limited time. A special VIP registration is also available for attorneys looking for more personalized attention. Registration information is available by visiting the Rainmaker Retreat website, www.RainmakerRetreat.com or by calling 888-588-5891.
A sneak preview of the Rainmaker Retreat will be offered on Thursday, September 17 at 1-2:00 p.m. PT/4-5:00 p.m. ET or Thursday, September 24 at 4-5:00 p.m. PT/7-8:00 p.m. ET. Visit http://www.rainmakerretreat.com/teleseminars/preview/ to register.
For more information on Stephen Fairley and The Rainmaker Institute, visit their website, www.therainmakerinstitute.com.
"Thousands of attorneys have attended our Rainmaker events and learned how to dramatically improve their marketing and business generation strategies," says Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute. "We present proven techniques they can take back to their office and implement with their staff."
Participants in past Rainmaker Retreats have discovered how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast by implementing the techniques shared during the Rainmaker Retreat. Topics covered in the retreat include:
- Achieving Expert Status as an Attorney
- Building a Strategic Referral Network
- Creating Credibility in Your Practice Area
- Secrets of Highly Successful Attorneys
- Social Media for Small Law Firms
- Leveraging Technology: Beating the Big Firms on the Internet
- Generating More Clients Using the Power of Speaking
- Advanced Technology Tactics for Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners
Early-bird registration for the Rainmaker Retreat is still available for a limited time. A special VIP registration is also available for attorneys looking for more personalized attention. Registration information is available by visiting the Rainmaker Retreat website, www.RainmakerRetreat.com or by calling 888-588-5891.
A sneak preview of the Rainmaker Retreat will be offered on Thursday, September 17 at 1-2:00 p.m. PT/4-5:00 p.m. ET or Thursday, September 24 at 4-5:00 p.m. PT/7-8:00 p.m. ET. Visit http://www.rainmakerretreat.com/teleseminars/preview/ to register.
For more information on Stephen Fairley and The Rainmaker Institute, visit their website, www.therainmakerinstitute.com.
Chicago Lawyers Secure Record $25 Million Cook County Jury Verdict for Schaumburg Accident Victim
In a breathtaking conclusion to a five-year ordeal, last week a Cook County jury returned a $25 million verdict in favor of a local resident who was seriously injured in a violent 2004 automobile accident in Schaumburg, Ill.
The case, Chraca v. Miles. (04 L 9461), was tried before Judge William Haddad in Cook County. It stemmed from an incident that occurred on April 19, 2004, in which Andrzej Chraca - the son of Polish immigrants living in Chicago - was driving southbound on Wright Blvd. near the intersection of South Frontage Road in Schaumburg. As Chraca's vehicle entered the intersection, it was struck by a vehicle being driven by Steve Miles, an Illinois Department of Transportation employee.
As a result of the accident, Chraca suffered serious injuries that have rendered him an incomplete paraplegic. He is unable to walk without leg braces and the use of canes or a walker, and generally uses a wheelchair to move around.
Both drivers claimed they had green lights when they entered the intersection and subsequently they sued each other, with Chraca retaining Martin Healy, Jr., founding partner of The Healy Law Firm and a highly regarded transportation and product liability attorney in Chicago. Schaumburg police officers investigated the case and reconstructed the accident, but could not determine which driver was at fault.
At the trial, Healy and his co-counsel, David Huber of The Healy Law Firm, called six eyewitnesses to the stand, one of whom testified that the stoplight for Miles was red at the time of the accident.
"The large verdict is justified by the injuries that were incurred by Andrzej, terrible injuries," Healy said. "He is going to suffer every day of his life."
The Chraca verdict is the highest verdict for a paraplegic in Cook County. The second highest paraplegic verdict in Cook County, $24 million, was also obtained by the Healy Law Firm, in 2002. The Chraca verdict is also the second plaintiff award in excess of $20 million that Healy's firm has secured for a client this year. In March, the firm helped secure a $23.7 million for three plaintiffs who sought compensation for two deaths and one injury that resulted from a vehicle accident near Plainfield, Ill.
For more information about The Healy Law Firm, please go to www.healylawfirm.com.
The case, Chraca v. Miles. (04 L 9461), was tried before Judge William Haddad in Cook County. It stemmed from an incident that occurred on April 19, 2004, in which Andrzej Chraca - the son of Polish immigrants living in Chicago - was driving southbound on Wright Blvd. near the intersection of South Frontage Road in Schaumburg. As Chraca's vehicle entered the intersection, it was struck by a vehicle being driven by Steve Miles, an Illinois Department of Transportation employee.
As a result of the accident, Chraca suffered serious injuries that have rendered him an incomplete paraplegic. He is unable to walk without leg braces and the use of canes or a walker, and generally uses a wheelchair to move around.
Both drivers claimed they had green lights when they entered the intersection and subsequently they sued each other, with Chraca retaining Martin Healy, Jr., founding partner of The Healy Law Firm and a highly regarded transportation and product liability attorney in Chicago. Schaumburg police officers investigated the case and reconstructed the accident, but could not determine which driver was at fault.
At the trial, Healy and his co-counsel, David Huber of The Healy Law Firm, called six eyewitnesses to the stand, one of whom testified that the stoplight for Miles was red at the time of the accident.
"The large verdict is justified by the injuries that were incurred by Andrzej, terrible injuries," Healy said. "He is going to suffer every day of his life."
The Chraca verdict is the highest verdict for a paraplegic in Cook County. The second highest paraplegic verdict in Cook County, $24 million, was also obtained by the Healy Law Firm, in 2002. The Chraca verdict is also the second plaintiff award in excess of $20 million that Healy's firm has secured for a client this year. In March, the firm helped secure a $23.7 million for three plaintiffs who sought compensation for two deaths and one injury that resulted from a vehicle accident near Plainfield, Ill.
For more information about The Healy Law Firm, please go to www.healylawfirm.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
