Representative Cases

• Business Dissolution and Contract: complicated case involving a closely held company; case mediated and buyout arrangements settled; settlement agreement included an arbitration clause in the event issues in effectuating the agreement occurred; problems arose and the parties went to arbitration; with perseverance, a valuation of the company was mediated and resolved over several months, allowing the original settlement agreement to prevail
• Construction Accident: plaintiff suffered injury requiring multiple future surgeries; case settled due to rigorous post-mediation follow-up
• Construction Accident: mediated case involving injuries to construction laborer after fall and loss of consciousness, resulting in brain injury symptoms; settled for $7.5 million
• Construction Accident: mediated case involving injuries to plaintiff from collapse of utility poll during installation; workers’ compensation lien eventually waived by defendant; settled for $6.2 million
• Construction Accident: mediated case involving plaintiff that suffered foot injuries from falling lumber; settled for $4.25 million
• Contract: case involving property owners’ breach of construction contract policy limit claim involving code violations and faulty workmanship
• Employment: gender discrimination case involving senior vice president of human resources with possible enormous exposure for defendant; parties settled in pre-suit mediation using a structured negotiation process
• Franchise: multi-million-dollar suit against franchisor for breach of duty of fair trade to franchisees; resolved via a complex transfer of stores, buyouts and cash settlement
• Franchise: resolved multiple fast food franchisee discrimination claims against franchisor involving multiple locations
• Insurance Coverage and Property Damage: first-party property damage case; water damage from deteriorated roof; resolved questions of causation and coverage in successful mediation
• Insurance Coverage: resolved disputes steaming from weather damage on numerous buildings, including actual cash value of damage to multiple building elements with a § 215 ILCS 5/155 issue
• Partnership Dispute: named partner of law firm expelled from firm by other partners; dispute related to buy-out and additional Wage Act claim for unpaid time; assisted parties in reaching agreement on amount of settlement and structure of pay-out, satisfying needs of both parties and minimizing tax implications

• Partnership Dispute: dispute between two founders of telecom company; helped parties assess proper method of company valuation and structure buy-out of minority partner
• Personal Injury: emotionally-charged matter involving disabled plaintiff who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of an accident
• Personal Injury: mediated case involving claims of active negligence and numerous brain and spinal injuries that resulted in plaintiff’s eventual death; settled for $4.5 million
• Product Liability: case involving suit against distributor, manufacturer and overseas joint venturers’ parts suppliers for repair and replacement of multiple automotive products
• Property Damage: case involving building owners’ claims for structural damage against insurer with pending declaratory action with claim of unreasonable and vexation denial
• Property Damage: case involving claims filed for flood and mold damage to inventory and structure; fixtures denied as “fortuitous” with Section 155 asserted against insurer
• Property Damage: resolved insurance claim involving Section 155 after determination of the valuation of loss
• Shareholder Dispute: case involving derivative shareholder claim under Illinois Business Corporation Act, Section 12.56 (g) relating to a shareholder dispute, deadlock and buyout
• Subrogation: jointly mediated two separate subrogation claims relating to two separate fires in different states involving the same defendant; alleged spontaneous combustion caused by cooking oil; aided parties in reaching global settlement for both disputes
• Wrongful Death: teenager struck in the head during an altercation with the defendant that caused brain hemorrhage; case settled for $1 million
• Wrongful Death: complicated case involving 22 defendants with multiple liability issues; mediated over a three-day period; successfully settled with all parties for $3 million