by Brett KruckmeyerMan fractured spine when a school bus ran over a pothole
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin // In Circuit Court
A Chicago man with a brittle bone disease whose spine was fractured when a school bus ran over a pothole has settled his lawsuit against the bus company for $1.9 million.
Rocky Eljubeh, who suffers from Torg’s Osteolysis, claimed that the Chicago School Transit bus company should have out- fitted their special needs bus more carefully and should have trained its drivers to recognize road hazards better.
Eljubeh and the bus company came to terms Wednesday and Cook County Circuit Judge Bill Taylor formally dismissed the suit Friday. Under terms of the settlement, Chicago School Transit will put the $1.9 million into an compound-interest- bearing annuity, which will pay Eljubeh more than $8 million over 56 years.
Eljubeh was 14 and on his way to Jesse Spaulding High School on Jan. 10, 2000, when the bus was rattled. He suffered compression fractures on his lumbar spine.
He was represented by Joseph D. Parente and Christopher M. Norem of Parente & Norem P.C.
The case was mediated by retired Cook County circuit judge Anthony John Bosco of LaRose & Bosco Ltd.
Craig A. Tomassi of The Law Offices of Craig Tomassi defended Chicago School Transit.
Tomassi said that he thought the settlement “was very fair to both sides.” Eljubeh was “severely injured” in the accident and would have made “a very sympathetic witness” at trial, Tomassi said.
The case was Rocky Eljubeh, et al. v. Chicago School Transit, No. 00 L 3867.
Copyright (c) 2014 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.
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CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM // In the News
FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2005 // Volume 151, No. 109
by Brett KruckmeyerConstruction worker falls from overhang
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin // In Circuit Court
A construction worker who fell from an overhang covering a concrete stairwell reached a $1.1 million settlement with the general contractor on the project. The plaintiff, whose right foot was severely injured as a result of the fall, was an employee of a siding subcontractor that had been enlisted by the general contractor to do rough framing work on a residence.
The plaintiff was represented by Joseph D. Parente and Christopher M. Norem of Parente & Norem P.C. Co-defendants David Beechy and By-The-Book Construction were repre- sented by Larry Schectman and Rita Filiaggi of O’Hagan, Smith & Amundsen LLC, and Jon Yambert of Chilton, Yambert, Porter & Coghlan, respectively. The case was settled on Friday before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Richard J. Elrod. Mark Anderson v. David Beechy and By-The-Book Construction Inc., No. 00 L 004344.
Copyright (c) 2014 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.
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CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM // In the News
TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2003 // Volume 149, No. 152
by Brett KruckmeyerWoman suffered head injuries when she fell on a concrete stairwell
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin // In Circuit Court
A woman who suffered head injuries when she fell on a concrete stairwell has reached a $2.5 million settlement with the owner of the building.
On June 16, 1999, Barbara Everett fell in what she claimed was an unlit, garbage-strewn stairwell at her apartment build- ing on the South Side. She sustained a head injury and underwent surgery at Cook County Hospital.
Cook County Circuit Judge Irwin J. Solganick approved the settlement Monday after a week of trial, in which facts such as the condition of the stairwell and the effects of the fall were disputed.
Joseph D. Parente, Christopher M. Norem and Randall W. Schwartz of Parente & Norem represented Everett. Mitchell H. Frazen of Litchfield, Cavo represented the building owner.
The case is Barbara Everett v. South Lowe Ave. Terrace LLC, No. 99 L 13249.
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CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM // In the News
Volume 149, No. 49 // WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2003
by Brett KruckmeyerVehicle rear-ended by a truck
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin // In Circuit Court
A $3 million settlement stemming from a 1997 Arlington Heights auto accident was approved Wednesday by Cook County Circuit Judge Susan G. Fleming.
Javaid Malik was traveling westbound on West Higgins Road, when the vehicle in which he was a passenger was rear-ended by a Jack Gray Transport truck. As a result of the accident, Malik underwent double-level cervical fusion surgery, which aggravated his preexisting condition of degenerative disk disease, said plaintiff attorney Christopher M. Norem. Javaid Avan Malik, et al. v. Jack Gray Transport Inc., et al., No. 97 L 0867.
The defense was represented by Martin D. Synder, an attor- ney in Williams, Montgomery & John.
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CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM // In the News
Volume 147, No. 97 // WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2001