Martin D. Gould

Martin D. Gould is a Partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC where he works in the firm’s complex litigation and catastrophic injury group, representing individuals and classes of victims in wrongful death, toxic exposure, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, auto and trucking accidents, construction and other workplace accidents, sexual abuse, including priest abuse, product defect, and airline crashes.   

Martin has played a key role in securing numerous record-breaking multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients who have been harmed as a result of wrongful conduct, including a $44.7 million verdict at trial against the City of Chicago in a case where an off-duty police officer shot a construction worker in the head leaving him paralyzed; a $21.337 million verdict at trial on behalf of the family of a mother of five young children who were killed in a car accident; and a $12.35 million settlement at the beginning of the trial on behalf of the family of a young mother of three children in a medical malpractice case. The settlement was the largest recorded in Illinois for misdiagnosis of a breast cancer case.

In addition to obtaining significant recoveries for his clients, Martin takes on many cases where he believes he can change policies or the law to protect future generations. In that regard, Martin has represented and currently represents dozens of survivors of rape and childhood sexual abuse in many of the highest-profile abuse cases in the country. Some of those cases include claims against the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys & Girls Club, the University of Michigan (abuse involving Dr. Robert Anderson), professional sports teams, the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein, private and public schools, elite private boarding schools, orphanages, foster care programs, hospitals, mental health facilities, Fortune 500 companies, and countless religious institutions and related entities (ranging from the Catholic Church, religious orders, and the YMCA, to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormon Church, and the Royal Rangers Youth Organization). He has helped shed light on systemic abuse and cover-ups while securing millions of dollars in settlements on behalf of survivors.

In helping manage the firm’s mass tort litigation practice, Martin represents hundreds of individuals injured by consumption of or exposure to harmful products, including Sterigenics’ ethylene oxide emissions in Willowbrook, Illinois; RoundUp herbicide exposure; Johnson & Johnson talc baby powder; hernia mesh implants, and individuals who took prescription and over-the-counter Zantac/ranitidine medication, which was recalled by the FDA due to defects in its design, potentially leading to cancer. When the Edenville Dam failed in 2020 flooding and destroying the City of Midland, MI, Martin and Founding Partner Stephan D. Blandin stepped in to represent hundreds of families in their fight for justice against the State of Michigan and other responsible parties who ignored warnings for decades.

Martin regularly appears in the media to discuss cases, including appearances on Fox 32 and ABC 7 to discuss the toxic exposure in Chicago’s western suburbs involving Sterigenics, interviews with the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin to discuss priest abuse lawsuits; interviews with the New York Times to discuss lead poisoning litigation; and appearances on the Legal Broadcasting Network to discuss a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Chicago.

Experience

• J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, cum laude, 2014
  • Chicago-Kent Law Review, published member
  • Legal Writing Teach Assistant
  • CALI Award for receiving the highest grade in the class in: Legal Writing I, I & III, Illinois Evidence, Pre-Trial Civil Litigation, and Conflicts of Law
• B.A., Political Science, Minor in Business Institutions, Northwestern University, 2009
  • Northwestern Leadership Certificate Program
  • NCAA Division I Wrestling Team (2005-2009), team placed 4th in the NCAAs in 2007
  • Recipient of the Northwestern Alumni Association’s Scholastic Achievement Award, for having the highest GPA on the Northwestern Varsity Wrestling Team, 2009

• Super Lawyer by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2023
• Named one of The Best Lawyers in America© by U.S. News and World Report, 2023
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2021-2023
• Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2016-2022
• Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company's Leading Lawyers, 2017-2023
• Selected to “Top 40 Attorneys under 40” by The National Trial Lawyers, 2020-2021
• Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts, 2019, Carreon v. City of Chicago
• Top 10 Verdicts in Illinois, 2017, LaPorta v. City of Chicago

• American Association for Justice (AAJ)
  • Sexual Abuse Litigation Group, 2021-Present
  • Professional Negligence Section, 2020-Present
• National Crime Victims Bar Association (NCVBA)
  • Advisory Board Member, 2022-Present
  • Clergy Abuse Committee, 2020-Present
  • Child Sexual Abuse Section, 2020-Present
  • Young Lawyer’s Council, 2020-Present
• Chicago Bar Association (CBA)
  • Torts Litigation Committee, Chair, 2017-Present
  • YLS, First Vice Chair, 2022-Present 
  • YLS, Second Vice Chair, 2021-2022
  • Judge, Moot Court Competition, 2021
  • YLS, Members Services Manager, 2020-2021
  • YLS, Project Coordinator, 2018-2020
  • Legislative Liaison, 2017-2018
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)
  • Young Lawyers Division, Chair, 2018-Present
  • Young Lawyers Division, Board Member, 2015-2018
• Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council, Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), 2020-2021
• Decalogue Society of Lawyers
  • Board of Managers, 2016-Present
  • Young Lawyers Division, Co-Chair, 2015-2021
• Young Alumni Board, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Board Member, 2015-2020
• Public Justice, Member
• Junior Council, Child USA, 2022-Present

• LaPorta v. City of Chicago, 2017, civil rights, $44.7M verdict
• Carreon v. City of Chicago, 2019, police chase, $21.3M verdict
• Confidential, 2020, medical malpractice, $12.35M settlement
• Matysczyk v. Traffic Safety Services, Croell, Inc., et. al., 2022, trucking accident, $4.5 million settlement
• Client v. Chicago-Area Hospital and Neurosurgeon, 2019, medical malpractice, $2.875 million
• Jane Doe v. Archdiocese of Chicago, 2019, clergy abuse, $2.1M settlement
• Jane Doe v. GPT, sexual abuse, $2M settlement
• Wdziekonski v. S Saft & Company, 2019, motor vehicle accident, $1.75M settlement
• Jane Doe v. Carmelites Archdiocese of Chicago, clergy abuse, $1.75 million settlement
• John Doe v. Diocese of Joliet, 2018, clergy abuse, $1.4M settlement
• John Doe v. Private U.S. Boarding School, 2021, sexual abuse by teacher, $1.2M settlement
• Barker v. Restrepo and Ruiz, 2017, premises liability, $1.175M settlement
• Estate of John Brown v. Walworth County, et. al., 2017, police misconduct, $1.1M settlement
• Larios v. Chadron State College, 2020, Title IX case, $900,000 settlement
• John Doe A and B v. Archdiocese of Chicago, 2021, clergy abuse, $880,000 settlement
• Liggett v. El-Paso Gridley Community School District, et. al., 2018, school bullying case, $250,000 verdict

• Jane Doe v. Professional Sports Team, sexual abuse, confidential settlement

• Illinois, 2014
• Northern District of Illinois
• Central District of Illinois
• Eastern District of Wisconsin
• Northern District of Indiana
• Pro Hac Vice, New York
• Pro Hac Vice, Florida
• Pro Hac Vice, Indiana
• Pro Hac Vice, Michigan
• Pro Hac Vice, Missouri
• Pro Hac Vice, Arizona
• Pro Hac Vice, Ohio
• Pro Hac Vice, Northern District of New York
• Pro Hac Vice, Middle District of Florida
• Pro Hac Vice, Western District of Louisiana
• Pro Hac Vice, Northern District of New Jersey
• Pro Hac Vice, District Court of Utah
• Pro Hac Vice, District Court of Minnesota
• Pro Hac Vice, Northern District of Indiana
• Pro Hac Vice, District of Nebraska
• Pro Hac Vice, District of Wyoming
• Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

Blog Posts

• National Crime Victims Bar Association, Speaker, Establishing Liability and Damages in the Child Sexual Abuse Case, St. Louis, MO, October 2022
• Chicago Bar Association, Speaker, The Basics of Motions to Dismiss, September 2022.
• Law 360 Damages Seminar: Go Big or Go Home, Speaker, Winning with Experts in Sexual Abuse Cases involving Children, Adults and the Elderly: PTSD, Repressed Memory, and Competency and Credibility Issues, Las Vegas, NV, August 2022.
• National Crime Victims Bar Association, Panelist, Civil Justice for Victims of Crime in Illinois, July 2022
• Chicago Bar Association, Moderator, Litigating in the Age of Covid: The Expert Perspective on Medical Malpractice, Work Accident, and Mass Torts Cases, Chicago, IL, March 2021
• Chicago Bar Association, Moderator, Resolutions to Reform the Chicago Police Department: The Differences Between CPAC and GAPA, Chicago, IL, September 2020
• Chicago Bar Association, Moderator, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin: The Justice in Policing Act of 2020, Chicago, IL, July 2020
• Town Hall, Panelist, Mid-Michigan Dam Failure Disaster: Legal Landscape, Midland County, MI, June 2020
• City of Chicago (25th Ward), Speaker, Know Your Options Small Business Forum: Insurance Claims for Lost Revenue, Government Loans and Grants, and other Legal Options in the Face of Coronavirus, Chicago, IL, May 2020
• Chambers of Commerce for Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, and the Greater Wheeling Area (Illinois), Speaker, Know Your Options Small Business Webinar: Business Interruption Insurance Claims, May 2020
• Chicago Bar Association, Moderator, Litigating the High Stakes Medical Malpractice Case, Chicago, IL, March 2020
• Illinois State Bar Association, Speaker, Using Digital Evidence at Trial, March 2020
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Speaker, Working Up the Hospital Apparent Agency Case: A Fight Worth Fighting, February 2020
• Chicago Bar Association, Speaker, An injured worker comes to your office. What do you do? Key pointers to litigating the Worker’s Comp Third-Party Crossover Case, Chicago, IL, December 2019
• Chicago Bar Association, Speaker, Chicago’s Top 40 Attorneys Under 40 Practice Tips, Chicago, IL, June 2019
• American Association for Justice, Speaker, Key Takeaways from High-Speed Police Chase Verdict, June 2019
• Chicago Bar Association, Moderator, Maximizing and Attacking Damages in Personal Injury Actions,  Chicago, IL, March 2019
• Chicago Bar Association CLE, Speaker, Medical Malpractice of Non-Employee Doctors: Establishing Agency for Hospital Liability, Chicago, IL, May 2018
• NPAP - National Lawyers Guild, Speaker, Anatomy of a $44.7 Million Police Misconduct Verdict, January 2018
• CLE, Illinois State Bar Association, Speaker, Obtaining and Using Social Media Evidence at Trial, November 2017
•  CLE, Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, Speaker, Use of Social Media Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases, May 2017
• Litigation CLE, Romanucci & Blandin, Speaker, Evaluating Bullying/Hazing and Police Misconduct Cases, Chicago, IL, February 2017
• CLE, Chicago Bar Association, Speaker, Section 1983: Litigating and Vetting Police Misconduct Cases, Chicago, IL, February 2017
• Professional Responsibilities CLE Event at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Speaker, Dr. Martin Luther King Forum: Civil Rights and the Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL, January 2016
• Chicago-Kent College of Law, Speaker, Introduction to Personal Injury Law, Chicago, IL, October 2015
• American Association for Justice 2015 Annual Convention, Co-Presenter, Overcoming Juror Bias in Police Misconduct Cases, Montreal, Quebec, CA, July 2015
• Chicago Bar Association, Contributor, Legal Aspects of Malaysia Flight 370, Chicago, IL, April 2014

• Decalogue Tablets, Close to Home: Your Unfriendly, Neighborhood Carcinogen (Sterigenics-Ethylene Oxide Exposure Cases), Summer 2019
• Trial Journal, School Bullying Cases: Holding School Districts and Officials Accountable in Illinois, Winter 2018
• Illinois Bar Journal, Obtaining Social Media Evidence Through Discovery, December 2017
• Illinois Bar Journal, Social Media Evidence & Ethical Considerations, September 2017
• Decalogue Tablets, Legality of President Trump ‘Sending in the Feds’ to Chicago, February 2017
• Decalogue Tablets, Top 10 things Associates Should Know about Preparing for Trial, February 2017
• Illinois Bar Journal, The Admissibility of Social Media Evidence in Illinois, January 2017
• Decalogue Tablets, How Technology is Driving Much Needed Police Reforms, 2016 Fall Edition
• Chicago-Kent Law Review, The Conflict Between Forum-Selection Clauses and Consumer Protection Laws: Why Illinois Got It Right in Jane Doe v. Match.com, Spring 2015