What’s New

NEW ADDRESS
Purcell & Wardrope, Chtd. has moved to its state of the art offices at 10 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois 60603. Its telephone number, facsimile number and e-mail addresses remain the same.

COURT FINDS NO COVERAGE ON UIM CASE
Tom Underwood obtained summary judgment on behalf of the insurance carrier in an underinsured motorist case. The Court found that there was no duty for the excess carrier to offer UIM coverage and that the declarations page did not create an ambiguity in the policy.

ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN MENTAL HEALTH/ADDICTIONS: WHAT SUPERVISORS NEED TO KNOW
Tom Underwood and Jennifer Simms recently presented a seminar "Ethical and Legal Issues in Mental Health/Addictions: What Supervisors Need to Know" for the Academy of Addictions Treatment Professionals.  Anyone interested in having the seminar for their office should contact Tom Underwood.

AMTRAK LITIGATION RESOLVED
On the day of the 1999 Amtrak derailment, Brad Purcell was called out to investigate and then represent the truck driver, John Stokes, and his employer, Melco Steel. After years of litigation, Brad was able to resolve the 95 lawsuits within Melco’s primary policy limits.

STATELINE EXPLOSION CLAIMS DISMISSED
Brad Purcell represented an electrical company named as a defendant in seven cases resulting from the 1998 explosion at the State Line Generating Plant in Indiana. Brad achieved dismissal of its client without payment in 6 of those cases. The seventh case recently settled. Our client paid only 1.1% of a multi-million settlement.

SECURITY COMPANY SUMMARY JUDGMENT
On June 22, 2006, Brad Purcell had summary judgment granted in favor of his client, a security company, in connection with five consolidated cases arising out of the February 5, 2001, multiple homicide incident at a Melrose Park manufacturing plant.

THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TOXIC TORTS
Tom Underwood and Thomas Kanyock recently presented a seminar "The Epidemiology of Toxic Torts" for one of the firm's insurance clients.  Anyone interested in having the seminar for their office should contact Tom Underwood.

EMPLOYERS TORT LIABILITY FOR EMPLOYEES' INJURIES
Jennifer Simms' article "Employers' Tort Liability for Employees' Injuries: A Primer" was published in the November issue of the Illinois Bar Journal.  (Reprinted with the permission of the Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 94 #11 November 2006 Copyright by the Illinois State Bar Association, on the Web at isba.org).

SETTLEMENT STRATEGIES AND NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUES
Brad Purcell recently presented an all day seminar on the topic of settlement strategies and negotiation techniques for an insurance company client in Ohio.

BRADFORD S. PURCELL OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION
Brad Purcell spoke on the topic of handling premises liability claims and litigation at the annual PLRB/LIRB Claims Conference held in Nashville, TN on April 3 and 4, 2006, and received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the Presenters' Luncheon in connection with his seminar. 

NATURAL ACCUMULATION RULE
Brad Purcell achieved summary judgment for a retail client in a slip-and-fall case relying on the "natural accumulation" rule.  

SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON STRICT PRODUCT
LIABILITY AND NEGLIGENCE
Brad Purcell successfully argued a Motion for Summary Judgment on behalf a product manufacturer sued in a strict product liability and negligence action as a result of a worker who required amputation of three fingers after coming in contact with an accessory attached to the product.

COURT DISMISSES CLAIM FOR PREJUDGMENT INTEREST
Jennifer Simms won her motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims that they were entitled to pre-judgment interest on a legal malpractice case.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT OBTAINED ON CONSUMER
FRAUD AND CONSPIRACY CLAIM
Jason Friedl obtained summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims for consumer fraud, conspiracy and negligent hiring with regard to a vehicle stolen from a restaurant’s valet parking lot.

TRIAL AND ARBITRATION WINS
Jason Friedl recently won two trials defending trucks involved in motor vehicle accidents. Additionally, he won two arbitrations where claims were being made against retail establishments for injuries on their premises.

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