Romanucci & Blandin Blog: Romanucci & Blandin

Federal Crackdown on Trucking Schools Reveals Alarming Safety Gap

Michael D. Cerasa — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 09:00:01 -0600

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that nearly half of the nation’s 16,000 truck driving schools may not be complying with federal safety requirements. This revelation has significant implications for road safety and anyone who has been injured in a commercial truck crash.

According to the federal review reported by the Chicago Tribune, approximately 3,000 trucking schools may have their certifications revoked in early 2026 unless they can demonstrate compliance with training standards. An additional 4,500 schools have been warned they may face ...

Air India Crash Raises Alarming Questions About Aircraft Safety

Michelle R. DiSilvestro, Antonio M. Romanucci, Law Clerk Maggie Onder — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 09:00:02 -0500

On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, an aircraft widely praised for its safety, became a danger to its passengers and those on the ground. Despite what began as a textbook takeoff and an experienced pilot with over 8,000 flight hours at the controls, the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, caught fire and crashed into residential buildings below.

Of the 242 people on board, only one person survived.

Now, investigators and aviation experts are looking into a concerning possibility: that the aircraft may have failed mechanically.

What We Know So Far

The 11-year-old aircraft ...

We are standing for the Rule of Law

Stephan D. Blandin, Antonio M. Romanucci — Thu, 08 May 2025 09:00:03 -0500

As we write this in early May of 2025, we have deep concerns about what is going on in Washington, D.C., with multiple executive orders from the President that are coming down against law firms. About 45 days ago, we began to see executive orders against a number of big law firms, and some of them have capitulated and relented to the administration's wishes as to doing pro bono work for the administration. However, some of these law firms, including one very near us in Chicago, Jenner & Block, have not - and they've decided to fight back.

Our firm has decided to show our support by signing on to ...

The Devastating Impact of Backpage.com: Human Trafficking and Resources for Survivors

Law Clerk Catherine Ewing — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 09:00:04 -0600

The story of a Backpage.com-hosted listing of a minor available for sex that led to her death at the hands of a male solicitor is a horrific reminder of the human cost of online sex trafficking. Backpage.com was more than a website; it became a breeding ground for exploitation and facilitated the abuse of countless victims.

Once a basic website for classified ads, essentially a Craigslist clone, it evolved into a dark hub for human trafficking, including the sexual exploitation of individuals. The friendly classifieds façade hid a brutal underworld that ruined countless lives. Sex ...

Will Medical Residents Unionizing Also Improve Outcomes for Patients?

Stephan D. Blandin — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:00:05 -0500

Being sick or injured is an intimidating experience, and placing your life in the hands of doctors is not only scary but can also be dangerous. Medical doctors in specialty training (residents) routinely work 80-hour weeks. Now, there are efforts to unionize these residents to improve working conditions. Will it also lead to better patient outcomes?

As a medical malpractice attorney, I see troubling errors by doctors who move too quickly and don’t read the patient’s chart carefully (or at all) or who are spread too thin and don’t take the time to truly listen to their patients… ...

Private equity purchases of hospitals increase risks for patients

Stephan D. Blandin — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:00:06 -0600

Hospital ownership should not affect a patient’s potential outcomes after admission. However, a study of 51 hospitals’ data shows that private equity investment has been associated with a significant increase in adverse events among Medicare patients during treatment at those facilities.

According to research by Dr. Zirui Song from Harvard and Joseph Dov Bruch from the University of Chicago, hospitals owned by private equity firms between 2009 and 2019 experienced the following outcomes:

a 25% increase in surgical infections and bed sores;
38% more central line ...

Gun Violence Now Leading Cause of Death for Kids: What We Can Do About It

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 09:00:07 -0500

Guns were made to kill. And now, we are learning that they are killing children with greater regularity. A recent New York Times article highlighted a study published last week, which found “firearm fatalities among children under 18 increased by 87 percent from 2011 through 2021 in the United States,” making firearm injuries “the leading cause of death among Americans under 20[.]” Even more disturbing is the lack of modifications to these weapons to include safety features such as trigger locks and fingerprint identification. The firearms industry has yet to take steps ...

A Positive Change to the Illinois Wrongful Death Act

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 09:00:08 -0500

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 ...

Athletic Hazing: Schools Need to Put Athlete Wellness Over Winning at Any Cost

Antonio M. Romanucci — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 09:00:09 -0500

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,” have been prevalent in sports programs for many years and persist despite growing public awareness and pressure to end it. Despite this advocacy, these practices persist because the pressure to win at all costs in sports programs is greater than the attention paid to student-athletes’ well-being.

Our law ...

Reflections from a Mass Shooting Survivor: The Time to Act is Now

Lauren Bennett — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 09:00:10 -0500

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 ...