Monthly Archives

October 2018

Suit alleges asbestos exposure caused man’s lung cancer

By Personal Injury No Comments

The daughter of a laborer who died from lung cancer is suing several companies, alleging asbestos exposure. Shelly Middleton, as special administrator of the estate of Francis Middleton, filed a complaint on Oct. 3 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Armstrong Pump Company, Cleaver-Brooks, Zurn Industries LLC and other defendants. According to the complaint, Francis Middleton was exposed to…

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Workers seek damages from Metro Water Reclamation District after explosion at Calumet plant

By Personal Injury No Comments

Two workers allege they were injured from an explosion that occurred while they were working at a sewage treatment plant in Chicago. William T. Kissane and William L. Ruiz filed a complaint on Sept. 18 in Cook County Circuit Court against the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Independent Mechanical Industries Inc., alleging construction negligence and premises liability….

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Indiana Dept. Of Insurance Approves Decrease In Workers’ Compensation Rates

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Indiana Department of Insurance Commissioner Stephen W. Robertson recently approved an average 7.6 percent reduction for Workers’ Compensation rates, effective Jan. 1, 2019. The approved rate decrease will result in savings of approximately $62.7 million dollars for Indiana businesses. “The significant savings will help support Indiana businesses as they grow their companies,” said Indiana Department of Insurance Commissioner Stephen W….

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Workers comp, health insurers for Illinois towns add to mass of municipal opioid lawsuits

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Organizations providing workers comp insurance and employee health insurance for more than 200 Illinois local governments have joined the mass of lawsuits against drug makers, distributors and others associated with the spread of so-called opioid painkillers. On Oct. 15, lawyers from the firm of Edelson P.C., of Chicago, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court, on behalf of Intergovernmental Risk…

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Lawyer who saw golf course slip, fall can’t represent victim

By Personal Injury No Comments

A Chicago attorney was removed from a northern Indiana federal personal injury case last week because he had witnessed an alleged golf course accident that was the basis of his client’s lawsuit. Chicago attorney Jeffrey Grant Brown represented Glen Dunn in a suit filed in July 2017 against Palmira Golf & Country Club, Inc. in St. John, where Dunn was…

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Med-mal judgment for insurers against hospital reversed

By Personal Injury No Comments

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the grant of summary judgment for two insurance companies when it found they were estopped from denying the applicability of the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act to their claims. After a May 2010 trucking crash that led to a $3 million judgment against Indianapolis-based Celadon Trucking Services Inc., Celadon learned Community Hospitals of Indiana failed…

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Studies show downward trend in comp medical payments

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Reform measures and fee schedule changes are resulting in an overall trend of lower medical costs per claim in several states, according to several Workers Compensation Research Institute reports released Thursday. In its 19th year of studying medical costs, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institute released 16 reports, all including a state-by-state comparison of medical costs across 18 states. The reports show…

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Report: Illinois’ lawsuit-friendly environment costs state 80,000 jobs a year

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

A report on Illinois’ legal landscape says the state’s lawsuit-friendly policies cost billions of dollars and more than 80,000 jobs every year. Critics say that’s an overstatement. A study conducted by the Illinois Civil Justice League into the cost of tort, or claims of loss or harm, lawsuits and their effect on Illinois’ economy estimates the costs from higher liability…

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Independent contractor sues over fall from scaffolding

By Personal Injury No Comments

An independent contractor claims he was injured when the scaffolding he was using collapsed. Anthony Jines filed a complaint on Sept. 19 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Kohrmann Bros. Masonry Inc., alleging the subcontractor failed to provide a safe place to work. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Aug. 8, he was working as…

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Motorist alleges wrong-way driver caused collision

By Personal Injury No Comments

A woman claims she was injured in a Shiloh collision caused by a wrong-way driver. Tangula Brown filed a complaint on Sept. 26, in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Charles Tart alleging that the driver negligently operated his vehicle so as to cause it to collide with plaintiff’s vehicle. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on…

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