Case Results

Read Steven J. Morton & Associates case results in Illinois, and find out how we help our clients get the fair settlements and verdicts they deserve.

Our client, a 37 year-old computer analyst, was struck by a tow truck while crossing Montrose Avenue in Chicago. He was knocked unconscious and was rushed to the emergency room. Brain imaging revealed subarachnoid hemorrhaging and brain contusions, both evidence of a traumatic brain injury. He was held in a drug-induced coma for four days, but recovered full use of his limbs and was later able to return to work. However, he had suffered subtle brain damage impacting his personality, mood and cognitive abilities. Our firm gathered essential witness statement and photographic evidence of the scene, and successfully proved liability (which Defendant admitted only at the time of trial). The tow truck company contended that our client had made a good recovery, but we deposed neurologists and a vocational expert to show that the effects of his brain injury were significant and lasting, and that they would impact both his home life and his ability to earn money in the future. Working with Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. at the time of trial, the twelve-person jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of our client, awarding him and his wife a total of $3,400,000.00 including $1,000,000.00 for lost earning capacity and $800,000.00 for future medical expenses. The last offer prior to being sent out to trial was $500,000.

Our client, an Aramark employee, was servicing a Continental Airlines plane at O’Hare International Airport when her Aramark service vehicle malfunctioned and pinned her between the aircraft and the vehicle’s bumper. Her pelvis was crushed and her bladder and bowel were ruptured, requiring extensive medical treatment and causing permanent disfigurement. At the time of the incident, a co-worker, who was also injured during the occurrence, reported that plaintiff had left the truck in reverse, without the parking brake on, and without chocking the tires. He repeated that allegation in a recorded statement a day later. Our firm brought in two expert witnesses to demonstrate that the equipment and procedures used by Aramark were primarily responsible for our client’s injury, and that the truck could not have been left in reverse, without the parking brake on, and without the tire chocks placed. We analyzed the terms of the contract between Continental and its subcontractor Aramark and determined that Continental Airlines had sufficient control of the servicing procedures to be legally liable, not only for its failure to supervise but also the negligence of the plaintiff’s coworker in operating the truck. Armed with this information, we were able to obtain for our client a settlement with Aramark of $45,000.00 in Workers’ Compensation and a personal injury arbitration award from Continental Airlines in the amount of $2,321,540.61, after only a reduction of 40% for plaintiff’s comparative negligence.

While entering defendant premises on her return to work, our client slipped on an accumulation of water on the tile floor and fell with her leg under her, fracturing her right femur. After hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation, infection set in at the site of the wound that ultimately proved fatal. Employing photographic and video evidence along with expert testimony, our office proved that the water on the floor was due to a structural defect in the building. We settled a workers’ compensation claim with our client’s employer for $410,000.00. We also successfully arbitrated a personal injury claim against the property owner, obtaining for our client’s heirs an award of $5,841,418.88, reduced by comparative fault to $5,257,276.99 and by a high-low agreement to $4,500,000.00. 

During the course of his employment, our client was exposed to toxic chemicals. As a result of this exposure he suffered serious and lasting medical conditions including paraplegia and memory loss. After collection of chemical and medical evidence and significant litigation, we were able to obtain a settlement for our client, subject to confidentiality agreement, in the eight-figure range.  

Our elderly client was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in a crosswalk and with the walk signal in her favor. She was rushed to the hospital with major injuries, where she tragically passed away six days later. Our office determined that the driver of the vehicle was covered by a modest automobile insurance policy of $25,000.00. However, after extensive collection of evidence including a Chicago Police Department major accident report, we discovered that the driver was employed by a charitable organization and engaged in the organization’s business at the time of the accident. Armed with this information, we were able to settle with the driver and his employer for a total of $545,000.00. The settlement was distributed among the victim’s heirs.    

While crossing the street with the walk signal in her favor, our elderly client was struck by a service vehicle turning left into the crosswalk. Acting quickly to preserve evidence, we were able to obtain Chicago Police Department “blue light” camera footage showing the accident and clearly demonstrating the driver’s liability. Although our client had a pre-existing arthritic condition in her knees and had previously planned to undergo knee replacement surgery, we were able to establish that her condition was aggravated by the accident and that her subsequent knee replacement surgery was related to this incident. As a result, we were able to improve our client’s recovery from an initial offer of $75,000.00 to a final settlement of $250,000.00. 

Our client stopped his vehicle to assist a disabled vehicle who had broken down on the shoulder of a Cook County highway.  As our client assisted the stranded person, another vehicle drove into the broken down vehicle at a high rate of speed.  This collision resulted in the vehicles violently impacting our client as he stood on the highway shoulder.  Our client suffered severe fractures to his right and left legs, scalp abrasions, a sprained right thumb, and strains to his chest wall.  Carriers for both vehicles argued that the Plaintiff was negligent for stopping his car in the middle of a roadway without his hazards lights on. During litigation against both Defendants, Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to secure a settlement totaling $250,000.00 for the Plaintiff.  This settlement included policy limits of $50,000 and $100,000 from each defendant, as well as the full policy limits of an additional $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage.  

While working as a promotions person inside a suburban restaurant, our client was struck by a vehicle that crashed through the restaurant’s wall.  This bizarre accident caused our client to suffer multiple bulging discs.  Despite extensive litigation the Defendant insurance carrier refused to offer the policy limits of $100,000.00 and instead offered $35,000 as a final offer.  Not happy with the settlement offer, Steven J. Morton & Associates knew his client deserved more for her serious injuries and took the case to a jury trial.  Steven J. Morton & Associates won the trial and obtained a judgment against the Defendant, with the jury returning a verdict for over $185,000.00 in less than 30 minutes. We were then able to force the insurance company to pay the entire verdict, even though it was $85,000.00 above the defendant’s policy limits.   

Steven J. Morton & Associates recently settled a case against the Chicago Police Department for an accident that arose from an illegal pursuit.  Two Chicago Police officers initiated and continued the unauthorized and illegal chase of a vehicle.  This chase lead to the fleeing vehicle crashing into our client’s vehicle as she innocently traveled down a Chicago street. Our client, a healthy and outgoing 17 year old girl, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered severe brain injuries.  Her quality of life was dramatically affected by this accident.  Following four years of litigation and over 20 depositions, we were able to overcome the numerous legal hurdles of taking on the Chicago Police Department and obtained a $3,000,000.00 dollar settlement for our severely injured client following mediation.

Our client, a diabetic, had presented to the hospital with foot sores and was released without proper care.  Only days later, the sores had engulfed his foot, causing it to become gangrenous and necessitating a below-the-knee amputation.  Steven J. Morton & Associates filed a medical malpractice lawsuit following the amputation of our client’s leg due to the clear negligence of a local hospital.  After the filing of the lawsuit, Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to facilitate a settlement of $1,450,000.00, while avoiding the time and cost associated with trial.

While under the care of the nursing home, an elderly and diabetic gentleman went into hypoglycemic shock.  In an attempt to raise his blood sugar, a nursing home staff member poured 8 packets of sugar down his throat.  Sadly, he choked on the sugar and passed away.  This fact was concealed by the defendant nursing home, but Steven J. Morton & Associates represented the gentleman’s family in a lawsuit against the nursing home for their negligent treatment of the decedent.  After nearly three years of arduous litigation, Steven J. Morton & Associates obtained a settlement of $445,000.00 (the subject policy being $500,000) for the family of the deceased.

Our client, a DCFS worker in Lake County, reached a $950,000.00 settlement with a trucking company for an accident when our client was rear-ended by a tractor trailer while driving his vehicle in Lake County. Neither vehicle required repair. The client suffered injuries to his lumbar spine which caused him to endure physical therapy, epidural injections and, eventually, a lumbar fusion. The parties agreed to enter into non-binding mediation, and Steven J. Morton & Associates was successful in obtaining $950,000.00 of the $1,000,000.00 insurance policy. Plaintiff’s attorneys were also successful in getting the worker’s compensation lien waived as part of the settlement.

Our client was a construction worker that was severely injured on the job when he fell from a construction wall with improper harness tie-ons.  After the horrific fall, he suffered multiple spinal fractures and brain damage.  Our client’s quality of life was substantially affected by the negligence of the construction company. Our office was able to secure a $2,400,000.00 settlement, not including a worker’s compensation award of over $200,000.00.

Steven J. Morton & Associates recently settled a worker’s compensation claim for $239,000.00. Our client had suffered a left elbow ligament tear w/ surgery resulting from an on-the-job injury.  After treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation, he was unable to fully return to his occupation. Our client was persistent in trying to obtain a different job and eventually found employment, but the difference between the job he obtained and the job he could no longer perform allowed our office to demand that the employer compensate him for the difference in the wages earned. We were able to secure a settlement that allowed for his resulting medical bills to be paid, as well as compensation his wage differential.

Our elderly client involved in an accident with an oncoming vehicle which without warning turned in front of him, causing a frontal collision. He was initially diagnosed with only a neck strain and back pain.  A day later he was admitted to a hospital with symptoms of confusion and complaining of a headache.  One hour following his arrival he lost consciousness and ultimately was diagnosed with having a left-sided intraparenchymal blood clot, for which he died shortly afterward. Despite the clear responsibility of the defendant for the accident and the man’s death, the insurance carrier forced years of arduous litigation upon the Plaintiffs. Our office fought to win the case and eventually Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to settle the case for the Plaintiff’s survivors for $850,000.

Our clients, two professional movers, were traveling eastbound on I-90 when the Defendant, traveling westbound, careened out of control, crossed the median, and caused a horrifying collision with our client’s moving van.  Both clients sustained serious injuries to their neck, back, shoulders and knees.  These serious injuries caused the movers to miss a considerable amount of work.  After months of litigation in Cook County, Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to settle the case for both clients for $121,000.00.

Our client was driving in Niles, Illinois when his vehicle was t-boned by a driver who ran a red light.  The collision, at no fault of our client, resulted in severe property damage to both vehicles. Our client suffered soft-tissue back injuries, multiple broken ribs, and injuries to his internal organ.  The Defendant contended that the internal organ injuries were unrelated to the crash.  Steven J. Morton & Associates deposed our clients treating physicians and we were able to prove the relation between the crash and all injuries. The Defendant then offered the insurance policy limits of $100,000.00 to settle the case.

Our client had the right of way as he entered a busy intersection in Cook County.  The Defendant ran a stop sign and violently crashed into the front of our client’s vehicle.  Our client was seriously injured as a result.  He suffered a tear to the meniscus of his left and right knee and sprains to his left MCL and LCL.  He was eventually forced to undergo surgery to repair the meniscal tear to his right knee.  Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to secure an $86,296.60 arbitration decision for our client.

Our client was a department store clerk in her mid-thirties.  While at work, she was struck by a shelf that fell due to a faulty design. The shelf manufacturer admitted liability and agreed to the high/low limits of a verdict. The impact with the shelving caused our client to suffer a debilitating knee injury, requiring full knee replacement.  Our client’s matter proceeded to trial and the jury granted a $900,000.00 award. This $900,000.00 award did not include benefits the Plaintiff received under worker’s compensation.

Steven J. Morton & Associates brought a lawsuit to a successful close following a non-binding mediation between the parties. The lawsuit resulted from our client’s involvement in a motor vehicle accident that occurred while he was working.  Following mediation, the parties were able to agree on a settlement of $75,000.00.  Because the accident occurred while the Plaintiff was at work, Steven J. Morton & Associates was also able to obtain a worker’s compensation settlement of over $13,000.00 in addition to the third-party settlement.

Steven J. Morton & Associates recently settled a worker’s compensation claim for $239,000.00. Our client had suffered a left elbow ligament tear w/ surgery resulting from an on-the-job injury.  After treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation, he was unable to fully return to his occupation. Our client was persistent in trying to obtain a different job and eventually found employment, but the difference between the job he obtained and the job he could no longer perform allowed our office to demand that the employer compensate him for the difference in the wages earned. We were able to secure a settlement that allowed for his resulting medical bills to be paid, as well as compensation his wage differential.

Our client had left her apartment on a typical winter day in Chicago.   Unfortunately, her landlord failed to maintain the common area walkway of her building.  Our client slipped and fell and sustained major injuries as a result of her fall.  Her landlord had been advised of the condition for quite some time, and failed to remedy the situation.  Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to obtain the full value of the homeowner’s insurance policy for our client.

A six year old boy “dashed-out” into the street while he was playing with his brother.  Tragically, an out-of-control motorist failed to notice the boy and hit him with his car. The boy suffered severe internal injuries as a result of the driver’s negligence.  In representing the mother of the injured boy, Steven J. Morton & Associates was recently able to bring a prompt conclusion to a tragic claim by compelling the defendant’s insurance company to tender the driver’s insurance policy limits of $100,000.00.