Romanucci & Blandin celebrates firm’s 25th anniversary

Founding Partners proud of impact litigation for clients and improving communities

CHICAGO (January 26, 2023) – Romanucci & Blandin, LLC (www.rblaw.net), a national personal injury firm primarily based in Chicago, announces the firm’s 25th anniversary and the start of a year-long celebration of impact litigation results for clients and contributions to improving safety in communities across the country.

The firm prides itself on fierce advocacy as a bridge to justice for its clients. Since its inception with a focus on personal injury and medical malpractice, the firm now has experience and results in an array of practice areas including but not limited to: Birth Injuries; Civil Rights & Police Misconduct; Environmental & Toxic Torts; Mass Torts & Class Actions; Medical Malpractice; Nursing Home Abuse; Premises Liability; Product Liability; Sexual Abuse & Hazing; Transportation, Aviation & Car Accidents; Workplace Injury; and Wrongful Death.

2022 was a year of numerous accomplishments for the team including:

• Founding Partner Stephan D. Blandin’s co-leadership in the class action lawsuit, currently pending in the Illinois Court of Appeals, representing Illinois consumers and businesses against Commonwealth Edison for its bribing of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

• Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci, Partners David A. Neiman and Michael E. Holden, Managing and Senior Partner Gina A. DeBoni, along with our co-counsel, Everytown Law and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, announced 10 lawsuits representing more than 40 loved ones and survivors of the mass shooting at the City of Highland Park’s Fourth of July Parade.

• Our Mass Shooting Legal Team, which includes Partners David A. Neiman, Partner Michael E. Holden and Managing Partner Gina A. DeBoni, is also honored to represent those impacted by the Uvalde school shooting in Texas and the Club Q nightclub shooting in Colorado.

• Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci and Partner Bruno R. Marasso secured a $6.9 million settlement for two family members killed in a horrific vehicle accident.

• Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci, Partner Bhavani K. Raveendran, Senior Attorney Debra L. Thomas, Attorney Michelle R. DeSilvestro and others won a $1.35 million verdict against Chicago Police Officers and the City of Chicago for the shooting death of a 21-year old father.

• Founding Partner Stephan D. Blandin and team have now filed over a dozen lawsuits representing residents of Union, Illinois against two former chemical plants responsible for dumping toxic, cancer-causing chemicals into the ground.

• Partner Joseph E. Kolar and others secured a $1 million settlement for the death of an infant boy at a Chicago-area teaching hospital.

• Senior Partner Frank A. Sommario and Partner Bruno R. Marasso presented $20,000 from the Justinian Society of Lawyer’s 20^th annual Children’s Endowment Fund to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and CASA Kane County.

• Managing Partner Gina A. DeBoni, Senior Attorney Jason J. Friedl and others secured a $4.5 million settlement on behalf of a client who was seriously injured in a trucking accident.

• Senior Attorney Jason J. Friedl and Managing Partner Gina A. DeBoni resolved a sexual assault matter with a national sports team for an undisclosed amount.

• Our Abuse Team secured a $1.75 million settlement for a survivor of childhood sexual abuse at St. Cyril’s Catholic school in Chicago.

• Partner Joseph E. Kolar and others won a $1.3 million verdict for the death of a woman following a routine dental procedure when the patient had a cardiac event and the dentist did not provide life-saving care.

• Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci was honored by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) with the Howard Twiggs Award, a distinction that recognizes the AAJ member whose “passion, civility, cordiality, and professionalism reflect the high standards set by Attorney Howard Twiggs.”

• Partner Bhavani K. Raveendran was honored by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Woman in Law.

• Partner Bruno R. Marasso was installed as President of the Justinian Society of Lawyers.

• Partner David A. Neiman was honored in Law Bulletin Media’s 40 Under Forty List.

• Romanucci & Blandin ranked in the 2023 U.S. News - Best Lawyers^® "Best Law Firms" list regionally in 4 practice areas, including personal injury litigation, workers’ compensation law, product liability litigation and medical malpractice law.

• Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci, members of the George Floyd family and dozens of police misconduct clients were present at the White House as the President signed an Executive Order on Federal Police Reform.

• Throughout the second half of 2022, our team advocated for an Illinois ban of assault weapons and large capacity magazines, and our Highland Park shooting client Lauren Bennett testified before an Illinois House Committee. The ban passed in early January and was quickly signed into law.

In addition to serving clients and working with referring attorneys on high-caliber litigation in all 50 states, Romanucci & Blandin is committed to regional and national legislative advocacy on issues related to cases, making our communities a better place to live and work for all.  Several examples of this advocacy include the Matt Haller Act in Illinois to better regulate the use of ethylene oxide to protect the public from the carcinogenic chemical, the 2021 Presidential Federal Executive Order on Police Reform, the Javier Ambler Law in Texas which prohibits law enforcement from appearing on Reality Television, and the federal SESTA/FOSTA communications decency reforms which protect children who have been victims of human trafficking from being advertised online.

“We have history unfolding around us every day, and we are having an impact on that history. These are the moments we are made for. We do great legal work because we have always cared deeply about our clients and our communities. It’s been 25 years and we are just getting started,” said Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci.

“Our fierce commitment to our clients is a way of life, even going as far as considering it a street fight when you go up against insurance companies and corporate defendants. Our approach to impact litigation is in our DNA,” said Founding Partner Stephan D. Blandin.

“We are change-makers, and we feel a commitment beyond our cases to do the right thing. It is a differentiator for our firm that we continue to pursue advocacy outside of the courtroom to make our communities better,” said Managing and Senior Partner Gina A. DeBoni.

“Our clients feel like family to us, and we take tremendous pride in doing the right thing for people who have just had the worst experience of their lives,” said Senior Partner Frank A. Sommario.

As the firm advances into 2023, the year will be spent continuing to advocate on the front lines for our clients while taking on several large corporations and entities, including Smith & Wesson, Boeing, Chemtool, GlaxoSmithKline, Amtrak, various Catholic Church Dioceses, St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy and more – all of which are facing incredible scrutiny for their life-altering practices and actions.

To learn more about the firm please visit our website.

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death. For 25 years, we have secured more than $850 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars and others record-setting awards.  Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors differentiate our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We are different from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured.  We are often inspired by our clients’ experiences and commit resources to create change in our communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000.

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