McKenna Storer
AV Rated Chicago Law Firm
mckenna · ·
Public Act 98-548, which will take effect January 1, sets requirements for the payment of settlements. Defense attorneys have questioned the necessity of this law, and generally hold the opinion that the law will have an adverse effect on the settlement process. Conversely, plaintiffs’ attorneys believe the new law is necessary to ensure the prompt payment of settlements.
The Madison County Record spoke to attorneys on both sides of this issue here.
mckenna · ·
Sara Cook and Kristin Tauras successfully obtained a directed judgment for the Seller-Defendants in a Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Trade Practices Act trial. The judge tried liability only in a bifurcated trial on the issue of the Sellers’ alleged knowing deception in the sale of a 7.5 million dollar apartment building. The court found that when the Buyer had an “as is” contract, and an unlimited opportunity to do due diligence; Buyers’ failure to do so precluded Buyers’ claim. The Court noted the evidence of the Buyers’ “intentional closing of their eyes to the obvious was overwhelming.” The Buyers were claiming four million dollars in damages.
James DeNardo · ·
mckenna · ·
The Second District Court held that a claim is not compensable under a Workers’ Compensation Liability policy when an insured had no employer-employee relationship with an injured person and, therefore, absent liability on the part of an employer to an employee, a workers’ compensation carrier bears no liability.
mckenna · ·
We are pleased to announce that Greg Cochran, Margaret Foster and Tom Lucas have been named by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine as three of the top attorneys in Illinois for 2013. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers, a service of Thomson Reuters, undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers. Please join us in congratulating Margaret, Tom and Greg on this distinction.
McKenna attorneys recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine in previous years include Julie Ramson along with Margaret Foster, Tom Lucas and Greg Cochran.
mckenna · ·
Julie Ramson has received the Jury Verdict Award for Defense Trial Counsel for 2013 based upon her body of work defending doctors and medical professionals.
Greg Cochran has been named a Leading Lawyer again this year for toxic torts by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.
mckenna · ·
The personal and advertising injury coverage provision of a liability policy does not intend to limit coverage to only personal harm to a person, but intends to provide coverage to a claim for personal property damage as a result of “wrongful eviction.” Therefore, an allegation that the tenant’s personal property was disposed of by the insured/landlord resulting in personal property damage falls squarely within the “wrongful eviction” coverage. John T. Doyle Trust v. Country Mutual Insurance Co., 2013 IL App(2d) 121238-U, 2013 Ill. App. LEXIS 2143 (2nd Dist. 2013).
mckenna · ·
Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, recently argued in favor of the FACT Act (H.R. 982) in a blog post for The Hill.
The FACT Act requires increased transparency from asbestos trusts by requiring the asbestos trusts to file quarterly reports with bankruptcy courts detailing who has filed a claim and how much money was paid out. Ms. Rickard concludes that, “the bill’s reporting requirements would ensure that trusts have sufficient funds to pay legitimate claims by rooting out fraud in the system.”
The Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on a 221-199 vote.
mckenna · ·
Pat Kraft of our Woodstock office, climbed 2109 steps to the top of the Sears Tower as part of a fund raising project for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.