Background
Bruno R. Marasso is a Partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC where he focuses his practice on helping people hurt as a result of automobile collisions, premises liability, and institutional negligence. As a trial lawyer, Bruno has successfully recovered millions of dollars on behalf of his clients through trial, mediation, arbitration, and negotiation. Bruno has also had success overturning on appeal rulings made against his clients.
Bruno is proud of the positive results he has made for every single one of his clients who have trusted him with their cases, including a record-breaking $44.7 million verdict for a man shot by an off-duty Chicago Police Officer, sustaining a traumatic brain injury and permanent triplegia; a record McHenry County, IL verdict of $9.05 million for a personal injury case involving negligence by ComEd; a $6.9 million settlement for the family of a mother and daughter-in-law who were fatally injured when their vehicle was struck by a company vehicle traveling more than 130 mph; a $3.8 million settlement for a woman injured in a rear-end motor vehicle collision whose prior attorney had tried to settle the case for just $300,000; a $2.225 million settlement for a 53-year-old man who slipped and fell on ice outside of an arena and sustained a fractured ankle that led to complex regional pain syndrome; and a $2 million settlement for two special needs children who were sexually abused by a school bus operator when they were only 3-years-old.
Bruno has also settled several additional cases for upwards of $1 million in the practice areas of motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents, premises liability, and institutional negligence.
In addition to his thriving practice, Bruno served in multiple positions as an elected officer of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and the Assembly of the Illinois State Bar Association. Bruno is also an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) and the American Association of Justice. He has contributed several articles to ITLA and the Illinois State Bar Association, including Cross Examining Defendant’s Medical Expert in an Aggravation of Injury Case, published in Volume 25, Number 2, Summer 2023 of ITLA's Trial Journal.
As a reflection of his advocacy for his clients, he has been named an Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company every year since 2017, a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers® every year since 2018, and was named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list for 2021-2022. He was named as a member of The Best Lawyers in America® and recognized as one of Chicago Daily Law Bulletin's 40 Under Forty in 2023.
Prior to joining Romanucci & Blandin, LLC as an attorney in 2012, Bruno was a law clerk with the firm for over three years. While a law student at Chicago-Kent, he was a four-time recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for receiving the highest grades in his classes and was frequently on the Dean’s List.
Bruno lives with his wife and two sons in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, where he was born and raised. Outside of the office, Bruno enjoys working at his home office.
Experience
Practice Areas
Education & Certifications
- J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2011
- B.A., Fordham University, Bronx, NY, 2008
Awards & Recognition
- Recognized as one of Chicago Daily Law Bulletin's 40 Under Forty, 2023
- Named one of The Best Lawyers in America®, 2023-Present
- The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®, 2021-2022
- Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2017-Present
- Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2018-Present
- National Trial Lawyers ‘40 Under 40’ Recognition, 2019
- Trial Lawyer Excellence Award by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2018
- CALI Excellence for the Future Award, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2009-2011
Legal Activities & Leadership
- Assembly, Illinois State Bar Association, 2017-present
- Justinian Society of Lawyers
- President, 2022-2023
- 1stVice President, 2021-2022
- 2ndVice President, 2020-2021
- 3rdVice President, 2019-2020
- Treasurer, 2018-2019
- Secretary, 2017-2018
- American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), Member
- National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA), Member
Notable Cases
- First Midwest Bank v. City of Chicago, 14C-9665 (United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois): $44.7 million verdict for man shot by an off-duty Chicago Police Officer and sustained a traumatic brain injury and permanent triplegia
- Andrew Farley and Amal Farley v. Commonwealth Edison, 18 LA 127 (McHenry County): $9,050,000.00 verdict for plaintiffs in a case where Andrew suffered a mild traumatic brain injury as a result of riding his bike into a portion of a bike path that was damaged by Commonwealth Edison’s workers the day before; verdict included $3,300,000 in damages for Emma.
- Estate of Helen Hackel and Estate of Robin Hackel v. Yonah Kohn, et al., 21 L 5388 (Cook County, Illinois): $6,992,500 settlement for the families of an 86-year-old woman (survived by two adult children) and 59-year-old woman (survived by husband and three adult children) arising out of a rear-end motor vehicle collision in rural Michigan in which Defendant died
- Confidential: $4 million settlement for a wrongful death claim related to work-place chemical exposure on behalf of a 33-year-old man who left surviving a wife and young child
- Kelly Calace v. Brian McCormick, et al., 19 M3 3917 (Cook County, Illinois): $3.8 million settlement for woman injured in rear-end motor vehicle collision who initially complained of and treated for bilateral shoulder injuries, complained of back pain three months later, and eventually underwent spinal cord stimulator implantation
- Confidential: $2.8 million settlement for a 31-year-old female who was injured in a boat crash on Lake Michigan who claimed $225,000 in past medical bills
- Confidential: $2.225 million settlement for 53-year-old man who slip and fell outside of an arena on March 4, 2015 and sustained a fractured ankle that led to complex regional pain syndrome
- Confidential: $2 million settlement for two special needs children who were sexually abused by a school bus operator when they were 3-years-old
- Robert Paull v. Adam Katz, 19 L 702 (Lake County, Illinois) $1.45 million settlement for a 62-year-old motorcyclist who sustained a left talus fracture, 5th metatarsal fracture and a tear of his subscapularis tendon
- Heather Kavka v. Heidi Jackson, 16 LA 306 (McHenry County, Illinois): A record $1.1 million settlement for a 39-year-old woman who was struck by a left-turning vehicle while riding her motorcycle and sustained a pelvic fracture, radius fracture, and concussion
- Confidential: $1 million settlement for the family of a 24-year-old man with a BAC of .228 who died after falling onto a dangerous condition that the property manager and owner knew about for twenty years
- Rakeisha Hill v. NHA Transport, et al., 20 L 3606 (Cook County, Illinois): $1 million settlement for woman injured in rear-end motor vehicle collision who underwent three level cervical disc replacement procedure; plaintiff was on social security disability at time of collision
- Susan Johnson, Individually and as Special Representative of the Estate of Malcolm Johnson, deceased, v. The University of Chicago, et al., 2015 IL App (1st) 142374-U: overturning of a grant of summary judgment in a unwitnessed fall case where the plaintiff passed away from unrelated causes before being deposed
- Susan Spachman v. CTA, 18 M3 4022 (Cook County, Illinois): $20,000 verdict for injury in which plaintiff incurred $1,385.00 in medical expenses and $133.00 in lost earnings (not submitted) as a result of debris falling from CTA train platform ceiling and striking her head and neck. CTA alleged surveillance footage undisputedly showed plaintiff was not struck by objects and next-day ER visit showed no objective signs of trauma to the head and neck. CTA offered $0 and rejected $6,500 arbitration award.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Illinois, 2011
Newsroom
In the News
Press Releases
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, The Power of Storytelling in Maximizing Damage Awards, Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association’s Damages seminar, Chicago, IL, February 2024
- Speaker, Young Lawyers Division’s Lunch and Learn: Taking and Defending Expert Depositions, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago, IL, April 2022
- Speaker, Using Defendant’s Voluntary Undertakings to Prove Liability in Premises and Inadequate Security Cases, AAJ Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, July 2021
- Speaker, Judgment Day: Assigning Fault and Awarding Damages After a Bad Night Out, Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, November 2019
Publications
- Cross Examining Defendant’s Medical Expert in an Aggravation of Injury Case, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Journal, Volume 25, Number 2, Summer 2023
- Use of Discovery in Products Liability Cases, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Handbook, Products Liability Practice, Chapter 6, 2022
- The Life of a Personal Injury Case from the Plaintiff’s Perspective: From Intake through Resolution, Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Newsletter, April 2022, Volume 55, Number 8
- Preparing for Adverse Fact Witness Depositions, Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, April 2021, Volume 65, Number 5
- FICO DROPUF: An Acronym for Deposing Doctors, Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyer Division Newsletter, January 2020, Volume 64, Number 2
- Trying Your First Case: A Primer on Getting to Opening Statements, Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, June 2019, Volume 63, Number 3
- IICLE Handbook, Products Liability Practice, Chapter 6, Use of Discovery in Products Liability Cases, 2019