Hon. John B.  Grogan (Ret.) is a skilled mediator with extensive experience in the resolution cases of practically all areas of the law, including personal injury, premises liability, professional malpractice, and construction/negligence, and FELA matters.He has presided over more than 850 jury trials.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• 20 year judicial career including serving in the Law Division, 2003-2011;
  Jury Room, First Municipal District, 1993-2003.

• Lead the Law Division in total Jury Verdicts, from 2004-2010, averaging 24 Jury Verdicts per year. Additionally settled approximately 45 cases per year from the Jury Assignment call.

• 50 year legal career, of which 30 years was devoted to trying serious injury cases representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Served as Principal, Law Office of John B. Grogan,1971-1990; Trial Attorney, Private Practice, 1966-1971; Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Torts Division for the City of Chicago, 1960-1966.

• Successful resolution of  cases involving the following litigation:

o   Personal Injury: Construction negligence, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, animal bite cases

o   Medical Negligence

o   Construction: Negligence, overruns, defects

o   Insurance Coverage

o   Defamation

o   Professional Liability: Legal, medical

o   ClassAction

o   Products Liability

o   MunicipalLiability

o   Contracts

o   HedgeFund Disputes

o   Environmental Hazards

o   Employment (including FELA)

Representative Cases

• Sanchez:  Medical malpractice case. Pathologist failed to diagnose child’s cancer.

• Czapski: Verdict of $13,720,000. Car salesman killed during customer’s test drive. 

• Brandon: Medical Malpractice case. Settled for $7.5M.

• Bullock: Involved a Southside Metra passenger train crash. Settled complicated ankle fracture for $2.1M.

• Mack: Verdict of $1.8M. Medical negligence death of a minor.

• Bowen: Verdict of $610,000. Elderly couple rear-ended by a semi-truck on a toll way. Largest verdict in Illinois for soft tissue injuries to woman over 50 years of age.

Representative Appellate Cases

• Clarke: Verdict of $1,725,000. Pedestrian fatally injured when struck by truck while crossing street. Appellate court upheld ruling that evidence the plaintiff had eyes open and moved lips was enough to permit jury to decide if any conscious pain and suffering.

• Mansmith: Medical malpractice case where patient died of a brain stem abscess caused by staph infection that developed after she received an epidural steroid injection for back pain. The general practitioner who knew that the specialist operated at the wrong site had a duty to inform the patient and the specialist of the mistake. Decision upheld on appeal.

Honors, Memberships and Professional Activities

• Appointed to the Illinois Judicial Conference by the Supreme Court
• Appointed Member, Committee on Discovery Practice, Illinois Judicial Conference
• Served as special trial counsel, City of Chicago, 1967-1991, representing the City of Chicago in serious injury cases

Background and Education                                        

• DePaul University, J.D., 1960
• DePaul University, PHb, 1959