Jeffrey Woods and three associated parties had a dispute with the Patterson Law firm. The law firm claimed Woods et al. owed $47,000 for legal fees; Woods claimed the law firm committed legal malpractice. The law firm sued for the fees, but voluntarily dismissed its case. Woods then sued for…
Eclipse Manufacturing apparently was annoyed by receiving unsolicited faxes from United States Compliance. So Eclipse filed a class action case against Compliance. Compliance demanded a defense and indemnification from its insurer, Hartford Insurance. Hartford declined to defend and denied coverage. Compliance settled with Eclipse, and gave Eclipse an assignment of…
The D’Agostinos were embroiled in prolonged litigation with Lynch and his lawyers. After a summary judgment for more than $1.9 million in the D’Agostinos’s favor, they began supplemental proceedings to collect. More litigation ensued, including an appeal, concerning a contempt proceeding against Lynch. After all of that was resolved, the…
Michelle Townsend brought a product liability case Sears Roebuck on behalf of her minor son Jacob. Jacob was badly injured when he was run over by a lawn tractor operated in his yard. Sears allegedly designed and manufactured the tractor. The accident happened in Michigan, where Michelle and Jacob resided.…
In Crull v. Sriratana, the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court serves a sobering reminder that all arguments must be supported by record citations and legal authority. In Crull, a medical malpractice case, the appellate court struck plaintiff’s reply brief for lack of appropriate citations. Rejecting plaintiff’s Joycian stream of consciousness…
I mentioned IRMO Gutman in my January 3, 2008 entry regarding IRMO Knoerr. In IRMO Knoerr, the Second District Illinois Appellate Court overruled IRMO Gutman, which was only two months old at the time. On January 30, 2008, the Illinois Supreme Court announced it will review IRMO Gutman. In IRMO…
Blockbuster was sued in class action cases that alleged the company imposed improper penalties on customers who kept videos or DVDs longer than the prepaid period. In a Texas case, which had a class similar to the Illinois case, Blockbuster settled after the class was certified. Later, the Illinois court…
Glen Dresher’s son, 35 years old, was developmentally disabled and autistic. In 2001, Dresher was convicted of attempted murder when he struck his wife with his car several times. In 2006, Roseanne Dresher moved to have Glen removed as guardian of their son’s estate. That pro se motion was denied,…
Almon Heastie was intoxicated, and in need of medical attention. Paramedics brought him to a hospital emergency room. Because he was yelling and abusive, Almon was placed on a cart and in restraints. For lack of space at the hospital, Almon was wheeled into the cast room, where he was…
Oral arguments in the Illinois Supreme Court will be posted on the web. The court announced in a press release on 12/7/07 that video and audio recordings of arguments will be available beginning in January 2008. Posting arguments made in the court will slice some stealth from a primary branch…