In this confusing mortgage foreclosure case, a default judgment was entered in favor of Washington Mutual Bank against Archer Bank. About six months later, Archer asked the court to vacate the default. Archer’s motion to vacate relied on two sections of the Illinois Civil Procedure Code − § 2-1301(e) (setting…
Sandra Downey sued her doctor, Gary Dunnington, for medical malpractice when a mastectomy and reconstruction he performed resulted in permanent disfigurement. After a jury trial, judgment was entered for Dunnington. On appeal, Sandra argued that it was reversible error to admit evidence that Dunnington’s father was a minister and his…
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that an e-filing in the Illinois Commerce Commission on the final deadline date, but after the close of business, was a timely filing. We first reported on this case when the supreme court agreed to take the appeal from the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court,…
In a post-dissolution of marriage case, does a pending contempt petition render other substantive rulings non-final and non-appealable? Does the court have to rule on the contempt petition before the appellate court can exercise its jurisdiction over all of the rulings? The blog entry directly below explains what happened in…
Nearly five years after their divorce, Mary Gutman filed a motion to continue and modify her maintenance award. Two months later, Daniel filed a motion to terminate maintenance. One month after that, Mary filed a petition to hold Daniel in contempt for having stopped the maintenance payments. The trial court…
Edmond Jones sued Nissan because, he claimed, the car he bought was a lemon. The purchase agreement required Jones to submit his claim to an automotive complaint resolution program before he was allowed to sue in court. He did that twice, and twice his claim was dismissed. It was dismissed…
Lots of appellate practitioners are solo or in small groups. We can practice at peak levels because extraordinary resources are available at minimal cost. That’s good for clients, and good for us. I am always thinking about ways to increase the quality of my work product and push down costs.…
Judy Anderson died while in care of Rush-Copley Medical Center. Her estate sued Rush for medical malpractice. In discovery, Rush refused to turn over two categories of documents: medical journal articles and an Action Plan. Rush claimed the documents were used in connection with a peer review and therefore were…
David Mount had a cardiac arrest that caused brain damage and other injuries. David’s guardians sued his doctors for medical malpractice. A jury concluded that the doctors were not guilty. David’s guardians appealed to the First District Illinois Appellate Court. The appellate court affirmed the judgment in favor of the…
A developer bought land in Chicago intending to build apartments on it. The developer had the property for several years and incurred expenses to prepare it for construction. Then the City of Chicago rezoned the property, and the apartments no longer were allowed. The developer sued the city. The developer…