Estate of Lowell Williamson v. Heartland Regional Medical Center. Lowell Williamson died as a result of the negligence of his anesthesiologist and Heartland Regional Medical Center. Mr. Williamson went in for a rather straight-forward shoulder surgery and due to mistakes made by the anesthesiology team, he died. A Williamson County, Illinois jury in March 2019 awarded the family damages in the amount of $8,500,000.00. This was a record-setting verdict for Williamson County. The Defendants paid the verdict and did not appeal.
Estate of Brett McDaniel v. Paducah Ambulance Service. Thirteen-year-old Brett McDaniel was riding his bicycle in Golconda, Illinois, when he entered an intersection and was struck by an ambulance. The ambulance company vigorously contested that it was not at fault. After a two-week trial during the summer of 2015 in Pope County, Illinois, the jury ruled in favor of our client and awarded $2,000,000.00 to our client. The jury felt that young Brett was 40% at fault so the final net judgment was for $1,200,000.00. This was a record-setting verdict for Pope County, Illinois. The Defendant paid the verdict and did not appeal.
Recent Notable Settlements
Confidential $5,200,000.00 Product Liability Settlement in Jackson County, Illinois. At the request of our client, I have agreed not to use their name. This case involved an attempt to use a tow strap tied to a bobcat to remove a tree stump. The strap broke causing the clevice-fastening device to boomerang and strike our client in the head. Our client suffered a very severe head injury. After contested litigation, the case settled for $4,000,000.00. In addition, the workers’ compensation carrier waived its workers compensation lien in the amount of $1,200,000.00.
Confidential $6,900,000.00 Trucking Collision Settlement in Williamson County, Illinois. At the request of our client, I have agreed not to use their name. This case involved a rear-end collision on Interstate 57. The semi-truck rear-ended my client and caused debilitating injuries. After much litigation, my client agreed to a $6,900,000.00 settlement.
Confidential $3,500,000.00 Trucking Collision Settlement in Williamson County, Illinois. At the request of our client, I have agreed not to use their name. As too often happens on Interstate 57, the at-fault semi-truck driver rear-ended my client. This case settled for $3,500,000.00 after lengthy litigation.
Haynes v (Confidential Defendant) $2,000,000.00 Trucking Collision Settlement in Williamson County, Illinois. This case is under a confidentiality order so we cannot disclose the name of the Defendant beverage company. The Defendant’s driver crossed the median on Interstate 57 and struck the van in which my client was a passenger. After very contested litigation, this case resolved for $2,000,000.00.
Confidential $625,000.00 Construction Site Injury. At the request of my client, I have agreed not to use his name. My client suffered orthopedic injuries as a result of an incident at his workplace. This case also involved a waiver of a $250,000.00 workers compensation lien.
Confidential $175,000.00 Construction Site Injury. At the request of my client, I have agreed not to use his name. My client sustained a broken toe that did not require surgery. This settlement also involved the waiver of a $75,000 workers compensation lien.
Confidential $400,000.00 Construction Site Injury. At the request of my client, I have agreed not to use his name. After falling at a construction site, my client suffered a back injury. He elected to settle his case. The workers’ compensation carrier also waived its lien of approximately $150,000.00.
$500,000+ Nursing Home Neglect Settlement (Nov 2022). My client was a disabled nursing home resident and their family. Neglect to care for the resident’s disability as stipulated resulted in preventable harm. Learn more about this case here.
$425,000 Premises Liability Injury (July 2023). My client fell on some water on the bathroom floor of a local restaurant. She did not see the water on the floor because it blended in with the color of the tile floor. The Defendant argued that it was not responsible for my client’s injuries because it was not negligent. After much work, the Defendant agreed to resolve this case to avoid trial.
$450,000 Slip and Fall Injury. My client injured her arms after tripping over a defective ramp leading from the parking lot to the entrance of a retail store. Prince Law Firm secured this sizeable settlement several months before the trial date.
$275,000 Slip and Fall Injury. My client injured her lower back after slipping and falling on a wet bathroom floor at a restaurant. Despite the restaurant’s claim that it had placed warning signs prior to my client’s fall, we were able to prove that the signs were not in place at the time of the accident. The settlement was reached before a trial date was assigned.
Recent Notable Appellate Decisions
$100,000.00 for a client in March 2020. After falling several feet from a ladder and injuring his hip, our client hired his first law firm who perhaps didn’t sue all the correct companies. After a few years, he was forced to hire a second law firm. During the several years that the second law firm represented our client, his case was dismissed based on an archaic principle of law, the Dead Man’s Act. That law firm told our client to take a hike and stopped fighting for him. Our law office was moved by his story and decided to fight for him. We filed the appeal, wrote an extensive brief, and argued it in the Appellate Court. The Appellate Court agreed with our position and reinstated the case.
Acuity Insurance Company v. Gean, et. al., 8th Circuit of Appeals, No. 18-1735 (July 12, 2019). In this case, we represented the Gean family. The Geans were severely injured when a semi-truck driver rear-ended them on Interstate 57 in Williamson County, Illinois. Acuity Insurance Company insured the at-fault trucking company. Acuity claimed its policy limit was only $1,000,000.00 and we contended it was as much as $21,000,000.00. Acuity tried to get the Court to let them out of the case by paying only $1,000,000.00 into the Court registry and to allow the Court to distribute that money. We objected to that and instead claimed that Acuity had to pay $21,000,000.00 into Court if it wanted to eliminate its liability. After complex procedural fighting, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with my position and ruled in favor of my client. This decision created significant changes to the nation-wide law on this issue.
Eyster v Conrad, Fifth District Court of Appeals (January 2020). This case involved the application of an archaic law known as the Dead Man’s Act. In short, the defense was using the law to argue that my injured client could not have his trial. The Jackson County Circuit Court agreed with the defense and threw our case out. We appealed to the Appellate Court and the Appellate Court agreed with our position. The Appellate Court told the Circuit Court it was wrong and told the court to give us our day in court. This appeal made some very significant changes to how the Dead Man’s Act can be applied.
