Plaintiffs Can Now Obtain Punitive Damages

On Friday, August 11, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed HB0219, which amends the Illinois Wrongful Death Act and allows Plaintiffs to pursue punitive damages in most wrongful death cases. Prior to this amendment, only injured Plaintiffs who were alive had the opportunity for punitive damages. The changes found in HB0219 now provide an opportunity for the estates of those who have died to pursue punitive damages for wrongful conduct.  

This new law will no longer give a corporation or individual who wrongfully killed someone a discount on ...

The revelation this week of a six-month-long investigation at Northwestern University into allegations of hazing and sexual abuse within the football program is troubling and sadly not a surprise. The dynamics of this type of aggression and hazing veiled as “tradition” has been prevalent in sports programs for many years and persists despite growing public awareness and pressure to end it. Despite this advocacy, these practices survive because the pressure to win at all costs for sports programs is greater than their attention to the student-athletes’ wellbeing.

Our law ...

A year ago on the Fourth of July, like many of us, I was happily sitting at a parade in my hometown of Highland Park, Illinois with my family, including two of my young sons, watching the procession begin. What I thought was fireworks turned out to be a maelstrom of bullets from an AR-15 assault weapon, fired by a 21-year-old on a rooftop above. I was shot twice. The bullets ripped through my skin, and I could feel them burning. I was fortunate to survive one of the worst shootings in Illinois history — but seven others lost their lives.

A year has passed — and I still think about the shooting ...

A year after the tragic mass shooting at the 2022 Highland Park 4th of July parade, the state of Illinois has decided to address some of the vulnerabilities faced in securing the safety of large public gatherings at parades and events.

An amendment to 725 ILCS 167, also known as the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, now allows law enforcement agencies to utilize drones as a way to oversee the well-being of Illinois residents and their friends and families, as well as tourists and other visitors at events. With public notice, police can now fly drones to monitor any potential breaches to ...

La Administración de Salud y Seguridad Ocupacional (“OSHA”) y el Departamento de Trabajo federal ampliaron recientemente las protecciones para los trabajadores indocumentados que denuncian malas condiciones de trabajo, lesiones en el lugar de trabajo, e infracciones reglamentarias. La Legislatura de Illinois también está considerando la “Ley de Trabajo sin Miedo,” que brinda más protecciones a los trabajadores indocumentados que presentan quejas laborales.

¿Qué derechos tienen los trabajadores cuando se lesionan en el trabajo?

• Todo trabajador ...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the federal Department of Labor recently expanded protections for undocumented workers who whistleblow on working conditions, workplace injuries, and regulatory violations. The Illinois Legislature is also considering The Work Without Fear Act, which gives more protections to undocumented workers filing complaints. 

What rights do workers have when injured on the job?

• Every worker, regardless of their residency or citizenship status, has the right to work in a safe environment that does not cause illnesses or ...

While a child’s birth should be among the happiest days of a parent’s life, the possibility of a birth injury can cause major concern. Birth injuries happen not only at delivery; they can occur before, during and even after the baby arrives. If you are worried about potential issues for your child at any point of the birthing process, there are significant and vital steps to take:

• Document everything: The video of your child’s birth can be more than a memento. Video, photos and other forms of documentation will capture key moments before, during and after the birth. Parents should ...

It is my hope as a trial lawyer that problems our clients face can be overcome, and our law firm works hard to solve problems in our communities, whether they involve poor policy, corporate or municipal negligence, or the lack of oversight of a bad doctor or otherwise dangerous person. The hope is to see a reduction in certain types of cases. We’ve accomplished this by removing dangerous drugs from the shelves, ending dangerous environmental practices, and making transportation safer. However, the ongoing tragedy of being a mass shooting attorney is that the exact opposite has ...

A decision by The Supreme Court of Ohio is a step forward in the fight for justice for survivors of childhood sex abuse in that state. The Supreme Court of Ohio decided last month in Brandt v. Pompa that damage caps on financial awards violated the state’s constitution when applied to child sex abuse cases. This ruling, held 4-3 by the court’s justices, recognizes the catastrophic injuries caused by such abuse. 

In Brandt, the plaintiff was repeatedly raped as a child for two years, causing serious psychological injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, nightmares ...

Last month, Romanucci & Blandin recently hosted a Continuing Legal Education seminar that was attended by referring attorneys. The event, “Easiest Catch: Don’t Be Another Fish in the Dark ‘Net’” was presented by Mark Lanterman, Chief Technology Officer of Computer Forensic Service, via Zoom. A former member of the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Taskforce, Mark spoke on common techniques employed by hackers, common misconceptions regarding online security, and preventative measures to maintain both personal and professional digital information. Read on to ...