Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog

Ann Hilton Fisher, Executive Director of the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago (ALCC) received the Thomas H. Morsch Public Service Award on July 9, 2007 at the Chicago Bar Association's 9th Annual Pro Bono and Public Services Awards Luncheon.

Ann has served for 10 years at the ALCC. Levin & Perconti extends congratulations to Ann for being recognized for the exemplary public service work she had performed on behalf of the ALCC.

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice

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Merck, maker of the found-to-be deadly painkiller Vioxx, signed an agreement earlier this month to settle the outstanding product liability lawsuits for $4.85 billion. The exact number of claimants is unknown, but the Wall Street Journal reports that there have been 27,000 individuals harmed after taking Vioxx.

For the full article.

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Posted In: Products liability , pharmaceuticals

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Over the past year and a half, drug maker Merck has aggressively marketed its drug Gardisil to pre-teen girls as young as nine years old as a way to “guard” against cervical cancer and genital warts. Some states have even begun to require girls to receive the injections. However, Gardisil has been linked to thousands of adverse reports including paralysis and eleven deaths. The non-profit Washington D.C. government watchdog group filed a request asking the FDA for all adverse events linked to the Gardisil injections.

Merck is the drug-maker previously gaining international attention for the health problems with its drug Vioxx.

For the full article.

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Posted In: Products liability , pharmaceuticals

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Avandia, a drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes, is again becoming a controversial drug for the FDA. The FDA announced last week that the drug will begin to carry a “black box” warning on its label. A black box warning is the strongest warning that a drug can be forced to carry. Since May, Avandia has been the subject of strong criticism. In May, a New England Journal of Medicine found a 43 percent increase in the risk of heart attack compared to a control group.

For the full article.

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Posted In: Products liability , pharmaceuticals

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With the recent problems with lead present in toys and other products liability issues in addition to the upcoming holiday season, Chicago products liability lawyers Levin & Perconti is offering tips for avoiding dangerous toys in the household.

1. Always supervise children when they are charging batteries or using a toys that require something to be plugged in.
2. Read a toy’s label. Look at a toy’s age and safety recommendations.
3. Pick toys with parts firmly attached. Do not buy toys with a lot of loose parts for little children.
4. Throw out plastic wrapping after toys are opened. Plastic wrapping can also be dangerous for children in a household.

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Posted In: Products liability , Toys

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A products liability lawsuit has been filed against toymakers who took part in distributing toys with an unlawful amount of lead present. The products liability lawsuit says that the companies knowingly exposed consumers to harmful contaminants. The lawsuit was filed under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, which places the burden for inspecting products for safety on the shoulders of manufacturers and retailers. This year, six million toys including lunch boxes, dolls, and action figures have been recalled because they contained toxic chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects.

For the full article.

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Posted In: Products liability , Toys

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Steven Levin and Michael Bonamarte of Levin & Perconti have recently filed a lawsuit against the town of Cicero, Illinois on behalf of a woman severely injured in a bicycle accident caused by a depression in the sidewalk. The woman turned around to warn her two daughters, one who has special needs, about the depression in the poorly maintained sidewalk when the accident occurred. The woman fractured her left wrist, was unable to work and care for her daughters, incurred hospital, medical and related expenses, and has suffered pain, disability, disfigurement, and physical and emotional trauma. The town and park district failed to maintain the sidewalk or warn pedestrians and bicyclists about the depression.

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents

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A bullied teen received a $4 million personal injury verdict recently against his school for failing to adequately supervise activities during recess. The boy's arm was shattered, causing permanent damage to his nerves and partial paralysis, when he was tackled by a bully during a game prohibited by the school. The school was aware of the particularly dangerous game, but the lack of supervision during recess allowed the students to continue to play. The boy is unable to open his left hand resulting from damage to his radial nerve. He has had three surgeries, and now has three plates and multiple screws in his arm. The school had been receiving complaints from students and parents about bullying, but still failed to supervise playground time. Injuries to children at school or on the playground are avoidable, providing that staff is present and supervising activities.

Click here for the full article

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Posted In: Injuries to Minors and Children

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Jeffrey Martin of Levin & Perconti has filed a personal injury lawsuit regarding a woman who was rear-ended by a man who was driving illegally. The automobile accident occurred in Palatine, Illinois when the defendant failed to reduce his speed or stop his vehicle at a red light. As a result of the car accident, the woman suffers from severe and permanent disabling injuries and physical and mental anguish stemming from serious, debilitating back pain. Consequently, she will be unable to engage in her usual duties and affairs.

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Posted In: Automobile Accidents , Motor Vehicle Accidents

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A $2.7 million settlement was reached in a Cook County Circuit Court regarding a construction accident in Aurora, Illinois. One man was killed in the construction accident, and another seriously injured. The accident occurred at the site of a land development project, where the two men were sent to measure a soil pile blocking a future cul-de-sac. The 25-foot high soil pile collapsed and buried the men while they were measuring it, killing one 51-year-old worker and crushing the back and pelvis of the other, a 27-year-old man. The plaintiffs alleged that the injury causing measuring job was not a part of the written contract between the excavation company the men worked for and the road development company. The contract in question was not signed until after the accident.

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Posted In: Construction Injury , Workers' Compensation , Wrongful Death

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A second personal injury and wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against several Illinois taverns that served alcohol to a man who later was involved in an alleged drunk driving accident that killed two. The victims of this accident were two young men, aged 20 and 25. Each of the men’s families have filed automobile accident lawsuits, blaming the taverns that served the driver. The driver is currently being criminally charged with homicide by vehicle, as well as with several other lesser charges.

Click here for the full article

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Posted In: Automobile Accidents , Wrongful Death

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The mother of a deceased infant is suing Walgreens for selling the children’s-strength medicines that killed her four-month-old son. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Walgreens sold a Walgreens-brand Walgreen-brand Pediatric Drops-Cough Plus Cold as well as Infant Tylenol Cold Decongestant Plus Cough. Both of these over-the-counter medicines contain dextromethorphan, and the coroner’s report listed the cause of death as dextromethorphan intoxication.

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Posted In: Injuries to Minors and Children , Wrongful Death , pharmaceuticals

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A personal injury lawsuit has been filed against Advanced Micro Devices for failing to protect the woman from exposure to harmful chemicals that led to permanent birth defects in her son. The woman worked for AMD in a clean room where chips were fabricated in a facility in Texas. There, she was exposed to including ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate and 2-ethoxyethyl acetate. The lawsuit alleges that this toxic exposure in the workplace while she was pregnant was what caused her son to be born with cognitive defects and brain injury, as well as missing his lower right arm. AMD required its employees to undergo physicals, and it is through one of these physicals that the woman found out she was pregnant. However, even though the company knew of her pregnancy, neither the doctors it hired nor the company itself did anything to protect the woman or her unborn child. AMD and the doctors did not even warn her that her or her son’s health could be at risk.

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Posted In: Brain Injury , Injuries to Minors and Children , Workers' Compensation

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At a news conference this morning, the lawfirm of Levin & Perconti announced that a Cook County judge has accepted a $6 million settlement figure in the Rogers Park fire that was one of the deadliest fires in recent Chicago history. Yadira Ramirez spoke on behalf of her family and the emotional struggles that they have been going through since she lost five siblings in a single blaze. In tears, Ms. Ramirez explained, “Every time we see a family, we remember everything.”

The fire also took the life of a sixth child, the only daughter of Maria Ramos. The wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the low-income building claimed that the building had faulty smoke detectors that did not sound when the fire started. The source of the fire is believed to have been a candle. The Ramirez family could not afford to pay their electric bill and was using candles to light their apartment at night.

Click here for the full article.

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Posted In: Building safety , Burn Injury , Fire Safety , Injuries to Minors and Children , Smoke Detectors , Wrongful Death

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A $6 million settlement was announced today by John J. Perconti and Patricia M. Gifford of Chicago personal injury firm Levin & Perconti for the deaths of six children and for the injuries of two children on September 3, 2006 in a Rogers Park apartment fire. The settlement was approved by Judge Elizabeth Budzinski today in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Ramirez and Ramos families. Augusta & Amado Ramirez lost five children in the fire, Kevin, Idaly, Sucette, Erik and Vanessa Ramirez and two other children, William and Natali Ramirez suffered severe burn injuries. A settlement was also reached on behalf of the Ramos family for the death of their daughter, Scarlet Ramos.

On September 3, 2006, a fire broke out at 7706 North Marshfield in Rogers Park claiming the lives of six innocent children and severely injuring two others. Five of the Ramirez children and the Ramos’ only daughter perished in this fire.

A personal injury lawsuit and a wrongful death lawsuit were filed on September 21, 2006 on behalf of the Ramirez and Ramos families against Marshway Limited Partnership, Marshway, L.L.C., and CIG Management L.L.C.

Continue reading "Settlement of $6 million announced in tragic fire that claimed the lives of six Chicago children" »

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Posted In: Building safety , Electrical Safety , Fire Safety , Illinois statues and Chicago Municipal Codes , Injuries to Minors and Children , Levin & Perconti in the Community , Smoke Detectors , Wrongful Death

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Simplicity Inc. is voluntarily recalling about one million units of their defective Simplicity Infant Crib, made in China. Three infant deaths have shown that incorrect installation of a drop side of the crib could occur easily and that a baby could fall into a gap large enough to become trapped. In an older style of the crib, 55 incidents had been reported. The new version has proven to be equally flawed, with incorrect installation also easy. It is not know where the assembly instructions were printed, but if they were made in China as well, it is likely that due to language barriers instruction booklets could be confusing. However, problems have also been reported with correctly installed cribs. It is not known whether any product liability lawsuits have been filed.

Continue reading "Recall: Simplicity Cribs have led to infant deaths" »

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Posted In: Dangerous toys , Injuries to Minors and Children , Products liability , Toys

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Numerous product liability lawsuits have recently been filed against Medtronic Inc. regarding its "leads", which are wires connecting a patient's heart to a defibrillator. Medtronic has stopped selling its defibrillator leads and critics have begun examining how safety concerns had been previously handled by the company and the Food and Drug Administration. The company recently released information about the leads including the fact that 2.3% of the 268,000 wires had fractured. There are currently 235,000 people with the leads still implanted in them.

Click here for the full article

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Posted In: Products liability , pharmaceuticals

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A press conference has been scheduled to formally announce the settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed after a Rogers Park fire killed six children ranging from three to fourteen years of age. The fire broke out in one of the several low-income buildings owned by Cornerstone Residential, LLC. The building did not have working smoke detectors.

The conference is scheduled for 10:30 am on November 13, 2007, at Levin & Perconti, the law firm that represented the victim’s families.

Click here for the full article.

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Posted In: Building safety , Burn Injury , Electrical Safety , Fire Safety , Illinois statues and Chicago Municipal Codes , Injuries to Minors and Children , Smoke Detectors , Wrongful Death

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