Recently, five Chicago area teens were charged with vicarious liability for murder. Not a single one of the teens did anything to cause the death of their friend—he was shot by someone else. So then, why are they charged with murder? Felony Murder Rule When I was in law school, I took a variety of classes.  Part of that was because first year law students had to take Criminal Law and Procedure. Then, I really didn’t know I’d wind up as a personal injury and workers’ compensation lawyer, so it seemed like an interesting class.  At least most classes seemed…

I am often asked by my clients what their involvement will be if a lawsuit is filed and the case does not settle before litigation. My typical answer is to explain they will have to answer written questions called interrogatories, which are part of the discovery process. They will also have to appear for trial if things get that far.  And they will almost certainly have to appear for their deposition to be taken by the opposing attorney. Over the 30 years I have done this, it has become apparent that very few clients even know what a deposition in…

Back in 2013, my blog examined truth tellers and liars, and talked about how jurors in a personal injury case (and the public) discern which are which. There, I examined some rather infamous liars, including Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Manti Te’o, and, of course, Lance Armstrong. We looked at how one could be so publicly forthright about something while knowing it to be false, yet be perceived by the public (at least for a time) to be telling the truth. That was all before the events of 2016. Jurors and the Public Since 2016 Whatever your political or personal…

In our previous blog, we answered the question, is “how much will I be compensated for my pain and suffering?” This blog will address another element of damages commonly sought in personal injury actions—loss of a normal life (LOANL). As with pain and suffering, loss of a normal life is a subjective element of damages, left to the jury or judge to determine. People often have differing ideas of what a normal life includes. Accordingly, things that are difficulties to some people are normal to others. Loss of a Normal Life Jury Instructions Also as with pain and suffering,…

In our previous blog, we answered the question, is “how much will I be compensated for my pain and suffering?” This blog will address another element of damages commonly sought in personal injury actions—loss of a normal life (LOANL). As with pain and suffering, loss of a normal life is a subjective element of damages, left to the jury or judge to determine. People often have differing ideas of what a normal life includes. Accordingly, things that are difficulties to some people are normal to others. Loss of a Normal Life Jury Instructions Also as with pain and suffering,…

I recently reached a settlement in an accident case from 2016.  The case bounced around the court system for several years. My client is a truck driver.  As he was driving along the highway, a driver coming from the opposite direction fell asleep and hit a light pole.  The pole fell into the lanes of traffic where my client was driving, causing him and five other vehicles to crash into the pole. His truck was totaled, meaning he could not operate his trucking business.  He also experienced back pain. Sounds like an easy case, right? If it was, I wouldn’t…

One of the most common questions asked by clients is “how much will I be compensated for my pain and suffering?” The answer I, and most lawyers, give is that “it depends.”  It depends on many factors, such as the objective injuries you can prove, liability of the defendant(s), and the hard amounts of your medical treatment bills. But mostly there is no way for us to predict what a jury of one’s peers will do to compensate you for pain and suffering in an injury lawsuit. Pain and Suffering Jury Instructions When you go to trial in Illinois before…

Marijuana is legal to some extent in over 30 states and counting — some for medicinal purposes, some fully decriminalized. What are the implications for driving (including getting a DUI for marijuana intoxication), operating machinery, and driving through states where this herbaceous substance is not legal? Most importantly, how can you tell when you are intoxicated? Legality of Marijuana in the U.S. Some states have decriminalized marijuana use for all purposes, or have made it illegal only to the extent of a minor municipal violation.  Others allow medicinal use.  Many allow both.  Meanwhile, the other states still hold marijuana to…

There are at least twenty million reasons why it is impossible to answer in a straightforward manner who is the best personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer in Chicago.  More on that later. It depends on many factors, but, the most important thing is the “fit” between you and your attorney.  In essence, the best attorney in any given field is the lawyer that you feel best about working with on your case. I am a Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Chicago, but I do not handle every type of case. Some cases require specialized expertise, such as…

Estonia, the Baltic nation formerly part of the defunct Soviet Union, has long been at the forefront of technology.  In most ways, they are far more progressive than the U.S. But a recent program to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) into various government ministries pushes boundaries. Estonia’s Plan Estonia’s chief data officer is a 28-year-old graduate student named Ott Velsberg, who is tasked with inserting AI into the government functions of nation of 1.3 million people. Specifically, Velsberg and his team are tasked with creating a “robot judge” to adjudicate small claims cases in the hopes it will clear a backlog…

I get calls frequently from people who have rented a vehicle and are involved in a crash.  Most of the time, they have put themselves into a difficult situation without even realizing it.  When you rent a vehicle, your insurance may not cover you! Here are a few scenarios to consider if you plan to rent a car or other vehicle. “I Just Let My Boyfriend Drive it for One Block… and He Hit a Parked Car” I did get a call the other day from someone who had rented a truck for moving purposes.  The vehicle was rented in…