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On February 10, 2012, Greg Ray spoke to a meeting in Mattoon of the Human Resource Association of East Central Illinois. He discussed recent experiences in workers compensation claim handling with the closing of the Mattoon and other downstate dockets, and the progression of the implementation of the changes in the Act that became effective September 1, 2011. He also addressed the ADA interactive process especially relating to implementation of employment termination based on an employee reaching maximum time away from work permitted by an attendance policy. The "cat's paw" concept applied in Staub v Proctor Hospital, 131 S.Ct. 1186 (2011) was reviewed including its origin with an Aesops’ Fable.
On February 8, 2012, Kenneth F. Werts, at the invitation of Chairman Mitch Weisz, presented the topic Black Lung to the most recently appointed Arbitrators and Workers’ Compensation Commission staff as part of their required judicial training. Ken has also been selected as a Prime Member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA) and becomes one of only 23 attorneys in the State of Illinois to hold such membership. According to the association, membership in the ADTA is “limited to those proven and successful professionals possessing the highest skill level.” On February 20, 2012 Ken was the moderator for the Illinois State Bar Association’s (ISBA) Law Ed presentation titled Advanced Workers’ Compensation. Ken has written the chapter on workers’ compensation law recently published by the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC) in its 2011 Survey of Law and the third edition of his book, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Guidebook has been published. Ken now serves on the National Advisory Panel for Larson’s Workers’ Compensation Law.
R. Sean Hocking successfully defended The City of Charleston in a three day jury trial ending January 11, 2012, resulting in a zero verdict in favor of the Defendant. The litigation concerned a property damage claim with regard to a building owner that alleged some property damage with regard to some real estate adjacent to where the City had removed and installed a sidewalk. The evidence in the case featured testimony from two structural engineers and a third witness offered as an expert by the Plaintiff whose testimony was successfully stricken during the trial. A settlement offer was made by the Defendant prior to the trial. The Plaintiff never made any response to the settlement offer and never made a demand before the trial.
Greg Ray spoke to the Eastern Illinois University School of Business "HR Day" program at Lumpkin Hall on the Eastern Illinois University campus in Charleston, Illinois, on October 19, 2011. Mr. Ray addressed current issues in employment law including proceedings before the EEOC and Illinois Department of Human Rights and social media issues. This was the inaugural annual HR Day sponsored by the School of Business, attended approximately equally by students and by alumni and other HR professionals in East Central Illinois.
On
John L. Barger, a Partner in the Mattoon office, was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in a ceremony held at the Supreme Court Courtroom in Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 6, 2011. He was part of a group of 45 lawyers organized by the Illinois State Bar Association. The Honorable John G. Roberts, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, granted the Motion.
R. Sean Hocking has been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Defense Counsel (IDC) Events Committee for the 2011-2012 term. The Events Committee is responsible for planning and presenting IDC events which include the Fall and Spring seminars that are a mainstay of continuing legal education for Illinois defense attorneys. This appointment follows Mr. Hockings involvement with the Events Committee as a member since 2009.
On May 10, 2011, John F. Watson completed a jury trial in Coles County, Charleston, Illinois in which he obtained two defense range verdicts in a motor vehicle accident case. The litigation constituted two separate lawsuits consolidated together for trial and involved the driver and a passenger of a rear ended vehicle both seeking monetary damages. The jury returned verdicts in favor of both of the Plaintiffs but in amounts slightly over the medical expenses incurred (when a contributory fault finding was factored into the judgment for the driver). Further, the amounts awarded for the driver and passenger, $10,312.35 and $3,125.60 respectively, were substantially lower than the pre-suit settlement demands made by the Plaintiffs.
On May 19, 2011, John L. Barger made a presentation on wills, trusts, powers of attorney and general estate planning issues to Edward Jones investors in Greenup, Illinois.
On April 13, 2011, Greg Ray gave a talk to a lunch meeting of adjusters, claims handlers and human resource department personnel of a number of companies at a meeting sponsored by Corvel Corporation in Springfield, Illinois. The relationship of disability insurance with workers compensation benefits and considerations generated by the ADA, FMLA and ERISA when coordinating those benefits was addressed. An update on the progress in Springfield on changes in the Workers Compensation Act was also presented.
On March 11, 2011, Greg Ray presented a talk to a lunch meeting of the East Central Illinois Human Resource Association. An update on recent developments in human resource law, especially relating to ADA and FMLA were discussed as well as some recent Supreme Court and Appellate Court Opinions in the workers compensation field.
Julie A. Webb of the Mt. Vernon Office recently completed a jury trial on March 25, 2011, in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, Lawrence County, Illinois, where she represented the dram shop Defendant in the case of Crump v. Anthony’s Towne House Bar & Grill, Inc., et al, Case No. 2009-L-6. Mr. Crump sustained injury to his head and hand as a result of an altercation in the street in front of the Defendant’s tavern. The Alleged Intoxicated Persons were also named as Defendants. The jury found in favor of the Plaintiff and against all Defendants and awarded damages of past medical expenses of $13,976.00 and lost wages of $2,400.00. Plaintiff did not ask the jury for specific damages. He also sought punitive damages against the individual Defendants. Prior to suit, the dram shop Defendant made an offer to settle the claim which was higher than the jury’s verdict, but the Plaintiff declined to accept that offer, and so the case was tried to verdict. The verdict was for a substantial amount less than the Plaintiff had demanded to settle the claim prior to trial.
John F. Watson, Partner in the Mattoon office of Craig & Craig, published a featured article in the most recent IDC Quarterly Journal. The article followed the presentations made on October 5, 2010 at the joint symposium hosted by the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, the Chicago Bar Association, the Cook County Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association. The article is entitled Judicial Selection: A Discussion of Elective and Appointed Systems in Light of Current Developments in the Law, 21 IDC Quarterly J. 37 (2011).
John F. Watson, Partner in the Mattoon office of Craig & Craig, and J. Matthew Anderson, an attorney with Webber & Thies in Champaign, Illinois, published an article on the Medical Peer Review Privilege in the ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal for the Fall of 2010. The article is located at J. Watson & J. M. Anderson, The Medical Peer Review Privilege: Illustrative Cases of the Public Policy Supporting the Privilege and a Practical Approach to Presenting the Case for Protection, 46 Tort Trial & Ins. Prac. L. J. 95 (2011).
John L. Barger, of the Mattoon office, was elected Vice President of Cumberland County Development Corporation on January 29, 2011. He will serve in that capacity for one year. Cumberland County Development Corporation is a not for profit business development organization located in Cumberland County, Illinois.
Julie A. Webb of the Mt. Vernon Office co-authored the "IDC Monograph: The Conflict of the Positional Risk Doctrine in Illinois: Its Rejection and Adoption." The article has been published in the Fourth Quarter 2010 IDC Quarterly, which is the official publication of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. The article can be viewed online at http://iadtc.affiniscape.com/associations/7058/files/M-V20N4.pdf
Julie’s portion of the Monograph addresses the applicability of the Positional Risk Doctrine to Parking Lot Injuries.
Julie A. Webb of the Mt. Vernon Office completed a jury trial on October2 8, 2010, in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, Lawrence County, Illinois, in the case of Sechrest v. Anthony’s Towne House Bar & Grill, Inc., et al, Case No. 2008-L-8. Mr. Sechrest sustained injury to his head and face including multiple facial fractures and a lacerated ear as the result of being beaten by a patron at the Defendant’s tavern. The Alleged Intoxicated Person was also named as a Defendant, but he settled with the Plaintiff before the jury returned its verdict. The jury found in favor of the Plaintiff and awarded damages of past medical expense of $15,000.00;disfigurement of $1,000.00; lost wages of $1,080.00; and pain and suffering and emotional distress of approximately $13,500.00 for a total verdict of$30,580.00. Plaintiff had asked the jury for $125,000.00. Prior to suit, the Defendants had declined to make an offer that would satisfy Plaintiff’s demands, and so the case was tried to verdict. The verdict was within the range anticipated by the defense and for a substantial amount less than Plaintiff would have accepted to settle the claim prior to trial.
John L. Barger, Partner in the Mattoon office of Craig & Craig, has become a member of NAELA (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys). NAELA is in association of over 4,200 attorneys who are dedicated to improving the quality of legal services provided to seniors and people with special needs. NAELA members assist clients with public benefits, probate, estate planning, guardianships and conservatorships as well as health and long term care planning.
Mattoon Partner Stephen L. Corn was a panelist with Bruce Pfaff, a Plaintiff’s attorney, concerning the codification of the Illinois Rules of Evidence on November 8, 2010. Approximately 150 persons attended the "webinar" wherein there was a discussion of the history of the codification of the Illinois Rules of Evidence, as well as discussions on specific Rules.
Mr. Corn will make another presentation on the Rules of Evidence for the IDC in December.
On October 27, 2010, John Watson was elected to serve as a Board Memeber of the Tuscola Community Foundation (TCF) as a representative from the Legal Sector. TCF is a publicly supported, non-profit corporation established in 1994 to administer gifts, bequests and donations from individuals, corporations, and other sources for the benefit of the residents of the Tuscola, Illinois and surrounding Douglas County, Illinois communities. The Foundation funds programs and services that serve a broad spectrum of interests including education, health and human services, scientific research, religious and youth activities, and programs for senior citizens. The website for TCF is located at www.tuscolafoundation.org
On October 11, 2010, Kenneth F. Werts, Partner in the Mt. Vernon office of Craig & Craig presented the topic "Appeals – Commission Level to the Appellate Court" on behalf of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) at a seminar organized by the Workers’ Compensation Law Section Council and presented as part of the ISBA’s Law Ed series. Ken was joined by retired Appellate Court Judge Phillip Rarick in this presentation.
Kenneth F. Werts, Partner with the Mt. Vernon office of Craig & Craig, has been named as the President of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC). He will serve in this capacity for the 2010-2011 term. The IDC is the premier association of attorneys in Illinois who devote a substantial portion of their practice to the representation of business, corporate, insurance, professional and other individual defendants in civil litigation. The homepage for IDC can be found at www.iadtc.org
John L. Barger, Partner in the Mattoon office, has been recognized as a 2010 Member of the Leading Lawyers Network. Mr. Barger was recommended as a Leading Lawyer in a state wide survey of more than 50,000 lawyers. Fewer than 5% of the lawyers in Illinois receive the distinction as being the Leading Lawyer.
Julie A. Webb, partner in the Mt. Vernon office, has been recognized as a 2009-2010 Member of the Leading Lawyers Network. Ms. Webb was recommended as a Leading Lawyer in a statewide survey of more than 50,000 lawyers. Fewer than 5% of the lawyers in Illinois receive the distinction of being a Leading Lawyer.
Paul R. Lynch has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in America. The induction ceremony at which Mr. Lynch became a Fellow took place on Saturday, October 10, 2009, before an audience of approximately 974 persons, during the 59th Annual Meeting of the College in Boston. Mr. Lynch is a partner in the firm of Craig & Craig, where he has been employed since 1977, first at Mattoon, and, since 1986, in Mt. Vernon. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law. Mr. Lynch serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC), and is a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association.