Investigator Doug Wojcieszak, whose reports form the basis of corruption claims against Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier, might not take the stand at trial on that subject. Lawyers who paid him for evidence that State Farm secretly financed Karmeier’s campaign in 2004 have abruptly reduced his status to potential witness.
HILLSBORO – Lawyer Tom Keefe of Swansea accused lawyer Bill Knapp of Edwardsville of tipping the Record about a deposition of client Sarah Deatherage, in a message he sent to Knapp and 25 other lawyers. Keefe also accused two other lawyers of leaking to the Record, in a brief for a Dec. 14 hearing in Montgomery County circuit court.
A Chicago cancer doctor whose research organization has received funding from the Simmons Mesothelioma Foundation has appeared in at least seven Madison County asbestos lawsuits as a treating physician or expert witness for cases filed by the Simmons firm of Alton.
With a presidential election year coming up, political commentators and party hacks are sure to resuscitate that old canard about how so much money is spent on campaigning, how big donors undoubtedly expect something in return for their “investments,” and how we need to get the money out of politics.
On Nov. 30, jurors found former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver guilty of giving state funds to Dr. Robert Taub while making money on referrals from him. The Simmons Foundation in 2010 executed a contract with Taub's research center at Columbia University, pledging $3.15 million in five years.
SPRINGFIELD – Lawyer Stephen Tillery wants all Illinois Supreme Court Justices except Lloyd Karmeier to consider restoring a $10 billion judgment he won against cigarette maker Philip Morris in 2003. On Nov. 17, Robert King of Tillery’s firm moved to recall a mandate the Court issued against the judgment in 2005. King also moved for Karmeier’s recusal or disqualification, citing an objective and reasonable public perception of his bias in favor of Philip Morris.
A Madison County woman is suing over chemicals her former husband worked with that she says caused his premature death. Joan Green, on behalf of the estate of Thomas Green filed the suit Nov. 3 in Madison County District Court against 3M Company, Apex Oil Company, Clark Oil & Refining Company, Premcor Refining Group, Radiator Specialty Company, Safety-Kleen Corporation, Safety-Kleen Systems, Turtle Wax Inc., and U.S.
NEW YORK CITY – John Simmons and his firm spend $15 to $20 million a year on advertising, his former chief executive testified at the criminal trial of former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Nov. 10. Greg Kirkland testified that the firm employs about 200 persons, which would mean that the firm spends $75,000 to $100,000 per employee on advertising.
NEW YORK CITY and EAST ST. LOUIS – Actions that Alton asbestos lawyer John Simmons took six and 12 years ago have stuck him in the spotlight of a criminal corruption trial in New York and an $8 billion corruption claim in Illinois. In New York, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has served a subpoena for documents about Simmons in preparation for his trial, set to start on Nov. 2. Physician Robert Taub, who received the subpoena, told the court that Silver could get the documents from fede
NEW YORK CITY – Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, facing a corruption trial, won’t call to the witness stand a professor who blessed his cozy position in the asbestos firm of Weitz and Luxenburg. On Sept. 30, Silver abandoned his argument that Roy Simon of Hofstra School of Law exonerated him in a report to Weitz and Luxenburg. He declared he doesn’t intend to call Simon as an expert witness, relieving U.S.
During the HarrisMartin Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference, asbestos attorneys from Husch Blackwell and the Simmons Firm discussed whether any asbestos exposure above background is causative, which is also known as the any exposure theory.
A three-day medical malpractice trial in Madison County came to an end on Thursday after the parties settled for an undisclosed amount in Circuit Judge Barbara Crowder’s courtroom. Prior to the settlement, the case was expected to last until Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
Jennifer L. Hightower, 32, will take the bench in Madison County with a resume that includes roles as asbestos litigator and prosecutor which she says have helped prepare her for her new role as judge.
This summer the Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee coordinated its annual Madison County Intern Program, allowing 12 students the chance to learn more about the legal system.
Third Judicial Circuit judges have voted to select Jennifer L. Hightower and Sarah D. Smith as associate judges, according to an announcement from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.