In January 2024, Phil Buntin obtained a not guilty Jury verdict in Cook County in favor of the General Contractor in a construction negligence case where the plaintiff suffered serious injuries and requested $3.91 million from the Jury. The case involved a painter who fell from a scaffold while painting overhead. The scaffold did not have guardrails and the platform was set just below 6 feet. The plaintiff was a union painter with 33 years of experience. Plaintiff alleged the General Contractor failed to assess the job properly to determine the equipment needed to safely perform the work, failed to require the plaintiff to use guardrails and failed to require the plaintiff to use a ladder or a manlift. Plaintiff suffered bilateral wrist fractures, multiple finger fractures, a skull fracture with a scar on top of his head, a fracture at C2 and at T12, and an L3-L4 herniation with a radiculopathy and a dropped foot that required a laminectomy.
Phil Buntin obtained a favorable Jury verdict in Cook County in November of 2023 in a pedestrian vs automobile collision that occurred in a marked crosswalk in the parking lof of a Whole Foods in Chicago. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant failed to keep a proper lookout and struck her when she was within the marked crosswalk. The defendant admitted the impact occurred within the crosswalk but argued that the plaintiff was not keeping a proper lookout and walked into the defendant’s vehicle. Plaintiff claimed soft tissue injuries of $18,000 and requested $55,950 form the Jury. The Jury found the plaintiff to be 40% contributory negligent and did not award damages for pain and suffering nor loss of a normal life, resulting in a verdict of only $10,770.
Matt Patterson also obtained a favorable Cook County Jury Verdict in January 2024. The plaintiff-driver was rear-ended on the highway by the defendant’s semi-truck. Plaintiff, who suffered herniated discs in the accident, asked the Jury for $107,000. The Jury awarded only the value of the plaintiff’s medical bills, which was reduced by the plaintiff’s contributory negligence, for a net verdict of only $6,342.
A further sampling of recent jury verdicts, arbitration awards, and dispositive motions:
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