In this appeal, the defendant Michael Maschmeyer’s conduct as a member of the plaintiff, Chicago Roof, Deck and Garden LLC (CRDG), led to an appeal regarding the claimed interest owed CRDG. Plaintiffs Darren Flynn and Tomasz Bartosiewicz owned the rest of the membership interest. After a bench trial, the trial…
Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog
$3.42 Million Jury Verdict Entered for Death of Construction Worker When Trench Collapsed
M Construction Ltd. was doing utility construction, including digging a 9-foot trench to place pipes in the ground. The company’s foreman instructed employees to enter the trench to dig under a pipe. The unprotected trench collapsed, killing Rigoberto Tovar, an M Construction employee. He was just 25 years old and…
$20 Million Jury Verdict in the Deaths of Two Workers in Fire at Oil Rig
In January 2018, a blowout and well fire took place on a Pryor 1H-9 oil rig that trapped five men, including Josh Ray, 35, and Cody Risk, 26. The workers were trapped inside a so-called doghouse, which is a safe house within the rig that is designed to provide protection…
Illinois Appellate Court Reverses Dismissal of Injured Plaintiff’s Case Who Sued the Wrong Entity, Allowing Piercing of Corporate Veil
A Will County judge rejected Diana Angell’s attempt to use veil-piercing to overcome a mistake made in suing the wrong defendant. Her attorney sued Santefort Family Holdings LLC when she should have targeted an affiliated company known as Midwest Home Rentals LLC. Having done so, the circuit court judge dismissed…
$1 Million Settlement, But No Recovery as Insurer is Placed in Liquidation
James Richardson was seriously injured in an auto crash at 53rd Street and Western Avenue in Chicago, which resulted in a settlement for $1 million against Night Dream Inc. and Shaun T. Small. However, their Nevada-based insurer, Spirit Commercial Auto RRG Inc., was placed in liquidation before it funded the…
Illinois Appellate Court Affirms Open-and-Obvious Doctrine Unavailable in Elevator Door Case
Robert Greenhill, the plaintiff, was a sprinkler fitter for a construction project when he was injured at work by a freight elevator. While he was entering the elevator, another passenger pressed the “door close” button and the elevator gate descended, striking Greenhill. The Illinois First District Appellate Court held that…
$23.05 Million Jury Verdict in School Bus Crash for Injured Minor
Gabriel Goncalves, a 12-year-old boy who was on the autism spectrum, was riding a school bus driven by Mark Hudovenko. During the bus ride, Hudovenko swerved at 45 mph, which was 15 miles over the speed limit. This caused the bus to leave the road and collide with a tree.…
$7 Million Settlement Reached for Death of High School Student Electrocuted by Metal Footbridge
Jacob Hourmouzus was a 17-year-old high school student when he attempted to rescue his dog, which had jumped into an irrigation canal under a metal footbridge on private property. As Jacob and the dog began to be swept away in the canal, he grabbed onto the bridge, which was electrically…
Jury Signs $200,000 Verdict for Injuries in Rear-End Crash
Juanita Marquez, 90, was a passenger in her daughter’s pickup truck. While the pickup truck was stopped in traffic, an SUV driven by a teenager, Aaron Dominguez, rear-ended the Marquez vehicle. The crash caused the Marquez vehicle to hit another vehicle in front of it. Marquez suffered a cervical strain…
$8.2 Million Jury Verdict in Failure to Control Motor Vehicle and Keep Proper Lookout
Charles Jacobus, 55, was attempting to cross the street in order to catch a bus when the SUV driven by Shayla Randle struck him. Randle, a teenager, had obtained her driver’s license the previous day. Jacobus suffered multiple fractures and a frontal lobe injury. Jacobus spent 58 days in the…