News from June 2005
Governor swings through Metro-East, vows to sign med mal
Governor Blagojevich pictured during the BRAC announcement last month. Governor Rod Blagojevich vowed he would sign a bill which would cap non-economic damages at $500,000 for doctors and $1 million for hospitals while meeting with area mayors at the Collinsville Holiday Inn today.
New Lawsuits: Friday, June 17
Fresh from the courthouse:
Correction
Greg Kellerman, a private investigator with Kellerman Investigations, does not buy drugs in sting operations. The Record regrets the error.
The harder they fall
When they tell the story a few decades from now, it will start with Lloyd Karmeier, the small town would-be judge who could and did.
Paths of Glory
As all who care already know, the Illinois state legislature met in final session last month. Showing the courage and moral integrity of the French Army, they buckled in to political pressure and passed a medical malpractice bill.
In favor of even handed justice
To the editor:
June 20-24
3M
Coming and going
Planning Was that Judge Philip Kardis and his wife at the Edwardsville courthouse last week, talking retirement options with the county’s pension consultant?
Asbestos critics see signs of hope in Madison County
For years Madison County's asbestos docket was seen as a model of swift and favorable resolution for plaintiffs, attracting trial attorneys from near and far to file grievances for the recruited ill. An ensuing traffic jam has helped earn status as Number One judicial hellhole in the nation.
A lesson in history: Founder of bankrupt Johns Manville died of asbestos-related illness
Henry Ward Johns started experimenting with asbestos in 1879, at age 21. His work laid the foundation of Johns Manville, a great American business. It also killed him.
Railroad worker sues employer and lawyers
A railroad worker filed suit in St. Clair County Circuit court June 9 against his employer and former attorney over a workplace injury that occurred on Aug. 20, 2002.
Attorney Lowe files another Madison County Vioxx suit
Jeffrey Lowe Claiming their strokes were the result of taking the arthritis pain reliever Vioxx, two Illinois residents filed suit against Merck & Co. and the pharmacies where they purchased the medicine, according to a suit filed in Madison County Circuit Court June 16.
Plaintiff says doctor should have performed c-section
St. Elizabeth's Hospital Two doctors and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville were named in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court June 10 by Lynnesha Young on behalf of her daughter, Lakenzie Herring.
New Lawsuits: Thursday, June 16
Fresh from the courthouse:
Defense verdict reached in personal injury case against Alton Belle
Alton Belle Casino In the less-reported realm of Madison County's "LM" Civil Division--where the injured seek less than $50,000 in damages--it took a jury 90 minutes to clear Argosy Gaming Company of wrongdoing in a personal injury case filed by a Bethalto woman. She claimed permanent injuries from slipping on a “foreign substance” in the buffet line at the Alton Belle Casino in February 2002.
PI Kellerman serves justice, stakes out cheaters
If you’re a viewer of the TV show “Cheaters”-- face it. You’re fascinated by clandestine glimpses into the seamy side of life
Wrongful death suit targets Belleville PD
Belleville Police Department A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the City of Belleville and one of its police officers in St. Clair County Circuit Court June 9, seeking damages in excess of $50,000 stemming from a fatal police chase a year ago on Foley Drive in Belleville.
QA: ITLA president elect Cates challenges caps
Q: Are caps a bad idea? If so, why?
A: Caps on compensation are a bad idea.
Vioxx named in another St. Clair action
Betty Herrick, a former user of the arthritis medicine Vioxx, claims she suffered a heart attack after using the arthritis pain reliever Vioxx. She filed suit against Merck & Co. in St. Clair County Circuit Court June 8 seeking damages in excess of $200,000.
FELA suit filed against CSX
Dennis Hartman filed a Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) lawsuit in St. Clair County Circuit Court seeking damages in excess of $50,000 alleging his employer, CSX Transportation, failed to provide him with a safe place to work.