Settlements/Verdicts
Case settled for 1.93 million dollars.
Anderson et al., v. Cornejo et al., Case No: 97 C 7556: This was a race discrimination/Fourth Amendment case brought on behalf of African American women who were strip searched by U.S. Customs upon returning to O'Hare airport from international destinations. The plaintiffs claimed that African American women were unfairly targeted for strip searches based upon their race and gender. This case was enormously successful and resulted in significant policy changes at O'Hare airport in connection with how decisions were to be made to undertake a strip search.
Case settled for $370,000.00 despite that fact that plaintiff would have been in jail in any case for a related charge of aggravated assault.
Pernell v. The City of Chicago et al., Case No.: 03 CV 5316: This was a police brutality case, in which the plaintiff was prosecuted for a murder and was facing the death penalty if convicted. The plaintiff alleged that his confession was coerced in that he was locked in a room for roughly 5 days without food and bathroom privileges and beaten to force the confession.
Case settled for $350,000.
Estate of Preston McDowell v. Illinois Correctional Officers, Case No. 05-1086:
A prisoner in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections died of positional asphyxiation under questionable circumstances after attempting to hold his cellmate hostage. An investigation revealed that the Correctional Officers gave conflicting stories regarding the circumstance of the death, and the former warden of the facility admitted that the force used against the prisoner was unnecessary. He had no family and no work history.
$850,000 cash payout plus various other benefits, including lifetime medical coverage and a public letter of apology.
Brooks v. County of Los Angeles: This case settled for a value of several million dollars that included an $850,000 cash payout plus various other benefits, including lifetime medical coverage and a public letter of apology. Plaintiff was a deputy sheriff who would not go along with a cover up of internal misconduct. Other deputies injured him when the sheriff's department tried to have the Plaintiff committed to a psychiatric hospital in furtherance of their cover-up.
Verdict of $208,600.00, plus an award of attorney's fees exceeding $77,000.00.
Hodgson v. City of Escondido CV 94-1438H: This was a civil rights/excessive force case. Plaintiff was a severely diseased elderly man when the excessive force occurred. Plaintiff's demand was $100,000 before trial.
Case settled before trial for $112,500.00
Eferm Green v. Joliet Police Officer Robert Desiderio, Case No. 98 C 4179: This was a police misconduct case, arising out of the alleged use of excessive force on the plaintiff, an African-American male.
Jury awarded Plaintiff $95,000.00 including $5,000.00 in punitive damages.
Schrader v. The Village of Worth and Officer Ferjack, Case No.: 03 L 000446: This was a malicious prosecution case against a police officer. Plaintiff alleged that Officer Ferjack wrongfully gave him various traffic tickets, in part, because Ferjack was mad about a complaint made against him by the Schrader family.
Jury verdict of $88,000 (including attorneys fees and costs).
Plaintiff was an off-duty police officer who was pulled over for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Plaintiff claimed that during the stop police officers caused a laceration to the bridge of his nose before releasing him without being charged with any crime. Defendants claimed that plaintiff was intoxicated and intentionally caused the injury to himself.
Case settled for $75,000.
Estate of Roberto Gonzalez v. Waukegan Police Department, Case No. 07 C 18:
Plaintiff was experiencing hallucinations and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and barricaded himself in his home. Defendants forced their way into the room containing plaintiff and used excessive force against him – including a taser. Plaintiff dies as a result of the drugs and alcohol he had consumed. The lawsuit was based upon the excessive force used the minutes before plaintiff’s death.
Case settled for $70,000, despite one of the Plaintiffs pleading guilty in the related criminal trial.
Underwood et al v. Richard Schmidt, David McGrew, and the City of Chicago, Case no. 09-CV-926: Excessive force, false arrest, and malicious prosecution case in which four family members claimed that the two sons, one of whom was a minor, were beaten by Chicago police officers. Plaintiffs alleged that Officer Richard Schmidt was drunk during the altercation and struck the minor son with his walkie-talkie, causing a laceration that required stitches and that the older son was choked until he almost stopped breathing.
Case settled for $67,500.00, including attorneys' fees and costs.
Beverly Thompson v. D. Wagner, Star No. 634, et al., Case No.: 01 C 4266: This was a case of false arrest for a middle-aged woman who was a suspect in a burglary. She was handcuffed by the defendant/police in the grocery store where she worked and brought out to a police car where she remained for less than 15 minutes until the police released her.
$50,000.00 (plus attorneys' fees); $40,000 of the award was for punitive damages).
Brian Cooper v. Commander White and the City of Harvey, Case no. 06 C 830: This was a Fourth Amendment case based upon a false arrest. Mr. Cooper was accused by his estranged wife of kidnapping his own son and she reported this to the defendant. a Commander in the Harvey Police Department. Mr. Cooper voluntarily went to the police station. When he could not immediately produce his son, Cooper was arrested under the child abduction statute. He was held in custody for less than 45 minutes. The Court ruled the arrest unlawful and the jury awarded damages.
Case Settled for $48,000.
Jose Gonzalez et al. v. Waukegan Police Department, Case No. 06 C 827: Plaintiffs were the family members of an individual that died in the custody of the Waukegan Police Department. The family members were held involuntarily for approximately 1 hour while a member of their family was in the hospital because investigators wanted to get statements from the family.
Jury verdict of $45,000.
Venson v. City of Chicago, Case No. 07 C 5919: Plaintiff was a minor who was arrested for allegedly engaging in disorderly conduct and was held in the custody of the Chicago Police Department for approximately 6 hours before being released.
Court awarded more than $23,000.00, plus attorneys' fees and costs.
Bryant Stewart, v. Calumet City, Officer Alfonso Mora, Star #135, et al., Case No.: 00 C 4621: This was a case of excessive force and false arrest for an African-American teenager who was falsely accused of being a gang member, carrying a gun and fighting with a police officer.
Awarded $40,000.
Leadingham v. Milar 96-2289: This was an excessive force trial against an off-duty officer who was alleged to have been drinking and using unnecessary force against the plaintiff. In January of 1999, a jury held that the off-duty officer was acting under color of law.
Case settled for $37,500.
Case settled for $35,000.
Tracy King, et al. v. City of Chicago, et al., Case no. 08 C 7174: This was a Fourth Amendment case based upon execution of a search warrant at the Plaintiffs’ home. The Defendants entered the Plaintiffs’ home, held the Plaintiffs at gunpoint and destroyed their belongings. Four of the Plaintiffs were taken into custody without probable cause for arrest.
Verdict of $35,350.00.
Sloman v. City of Simi Valley et. al, CV 88-O12O4TJH: This was a constitutional law/free speech case trial. The plaintiff was a slow-growth advocate who received undue harassment from the Simi Valley police. It was affirmed on appeal.
Jury Verdict of $22,642.
Meeks v. City of Chicago, Case No. 08 C 6469: Plaintiff alleged that defendant police officers maliciously prosecuted him for selling a controlled substance. After arresting plaintiff, defendants searched his car and his apartment, but did not find any controlled substances or evidence of selling controlled substances. Despite the lack of evidence defendants initiated the prosecution of plaintiff.
EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION
Case settled for $55,000, plus an additional large confidential settlement against the employment agency who employed Plaintiff.
Vivian Wilson v. Department of Veteran Affairs, Case no. 00-CV-4237: This was a sexual harassment and retaliatory discharge case. Plaintiff was sexually harassed by her co-worker and by a high-ranking supervisor at the Department of Veteran Affairs, Jesse Brown Medical Center. After complaining to other supervisors and finally going to the police when the harassment became physical, she was terminated.
Verdict of $550,000.00.
Overby v. Chevron SWC89552: This trial concluded in February 1993, a wrongful termination case, based upon illegal random drug searches predicated upon California's constitutional right to privacy. The California Supreme Court denied certiorari in February 1995.
Settled for a significant and confidential sum in February 1998.
Roberts et al. v. PCA Inc.: This was a large racial discrimination case, on behalf of 19 African-American employees, alleging discrimination in all phases of their employment.
Awarded $122,343,64, including attorneys' fees and costs.
Cruzado v. Rose Exterminator Co. Inc, Case No. 99 C 3904: This was an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) case on behalf of mentally challenged person who was fired from his job as an exterminator. He had falsified an application to obtain the job, but was a good employee. The jury found that he was fired because of his "mental handicap".
Case settled for a confidential sum.
Sheri Crampton v. Abbott Laboratories, Case No. 99 C 8138: This was a case for a wrongful termination/breach of contract on behalf of a woman who was terminated for alleged performance based reasons. This case settled after summary judgment motions (with an order in a published opinion).
Case settled for a large confidential sum.
Confidential: This was a harassment, discrimination and retaliation case in which four African American Plaintiffs were subjected to severe racial and sexual statements in their workplace. After reporting these statements the Plaintiffs were denied promotions and removed from higher paying positions.
Confidential Settlement in Sexual Harassment Case.
Confidential: This is a case where an undocumented worker was sent by a staffing company to work in a factory where she and many other women were sexually harassed by their supervisor. The case settled against the staffing company while in the Illinois Human Rights Commission.
Substantial Pre-Litigation Settlement in Equal Pay Act Case.
Confidential: High-ranking, female employee at a well-known company alleged that for years she had been paid less than her comparable male colleagues. The matter was settled for a sizeable sum in mediation before a lawsuit was ever filed.
Case settled for a confidential sum.
Confidential: This was a discrimination and retaliation case arising out of a Plaintiff reporting the harassing statements and slurs of a patient she was treating to upper management. Plaintiff was terminated just 5 days after she reported these slurs.
Verdict of $243,618.
Loeb v. P.T.O. Sales VC016145: This trial concluded in December 1995, and resulted in a verdict of $243,618, in a wrongful termination case, based upon a breach of contract. The award was the full value of the contract damages.
NURSING HOME/MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
After 8 days of a jury trial, the case settled against the nursing home and a doctor for nearly 1 million dollars, including punitive damages.
Hattie Brown, deceased, by and through her Guardian, Renee Ferguson, et al., v. Renaissance at South Shore; and Doctor Shelly Sternberg, M.D., Case No.: 97 L 001224: This was a nursing home malpractice case on behalf of a decedent who was 100 years old at the time of incident. The plaintiffs contended that pressure sores were negligently permitted to develop and were not appropriately treated resulting in the partial amputation of one leg and the amputation of part of the other foot. In a case believed to be one of the first since treble damages were eliminated from the statute, plaintiff was able to allege common law punitive damages on behalf of the estate.
Case settled for $400,000.
Confidential: This was a nursing home malpractice case on behalf of a decedent who was assaulted by another resident at a suburban nursing home. The decedent who suffered from dementia, died 7 weeks later.
Case settled for $200,000.
Estate of Delores Gocal v. Lexington Health Care Center of Chicago Ridge, Inc., Case no. 07 L 006107: This was a nursing home malpractice case on behalf of the decedent who had a fall and broke her hip while a resident of the defendant facility. Plaintiff contended that his mother, who was not allowed out of her wheelchair without assistance, was likely left unsupervised in the dining room when she got out of her wheelchair, walked down the hall and fell. However, no one observed the incident, and Delores Gocal was demented and unable to give a report about the incident.
Jury awarded $100,00.00 for pain and suffering and $36,600 for the medical bills. An attorney fee award is pending.
Grant et al., v. Glenview Terrace et al., Case no. 03 L 9571: This was a nursing home, medical malpractice case arising out of a nursing home resident losing his right eye as a result of an infection that should have been treated sooner. The Plaintiff died of unrelated causes before the trial.
Case settled for $125,000.
Confidential: Nursing Home neglect case in which the decedent developed pressure sores while a resident at the first nursing home that became worse at a second nursing home.
Case settled for $75,000.
Confidential: Nursing home neglect case in which plaintiff fell. However, she did not sustain any significant injury.
Case settled for $50,000.
Confidential: Plaintiff, a psychiatric resident, was sexually abused by a therapist of a psychiatric facility. Her case was brought against the facility under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act.PERSONAL INJURY/LEGAL MALPRACTICE
The jury awarded $415,000.
Reagan v. The Chicago Park District, Case no. 04 L 14042: This was a personal injury case. The Plaintiff, Ms. Reagan, then 64, tripped into a hole. The hole was an uncovered pole vault box the Park District had constructed at a track that surrounded a football field from which she was watching her grandson's football game. She broke her arm which required surgery.
Case settled for $200,000. ($100,000 for each child).
In Re: Samuel Milons, III and Kecheka Milons: Wrongful death case arising from the death of a father of two minor children caused by an uninsured motorist car accident case. The Plaintiffs negotiated an equal settlement for both children under insured driver’s policy through a stacking provision, despite the fact that the policy called for a maximum recovery of $100,000.00 total.
This case settled for a large, confidential sum.
Confidential (This was a legal malpractice case arising out of a class action sex harassment and gender discrimination case. The defendant attorneys negligently advised two women in connection with a settlement.)
Case settled for $53,000 without a lawsuit being filed.
Car versus Pedestrian Accident: Driver of van drove his vehicle in a negligent manner hitting our client, a pedestrian. Our client sustained soft tissue injuries all over his body from the impact. However, he had no serious, permanent injuries.