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Category Archives: Commercial Litigation

Not Just Another Day at the “Breach”: Risk Allocation in a Specialized Construction Climate

September 26, 2019

As construction projects become more complex, new technologies and innovations more specialized, trades more regulated, and bidding more competitive, general construction contractors have become increasingly reliant on subcontractors to perform construction contracts. The result is that general contractors are less able to control, inspect, and even assess the work. Yet despite this continued shift, general […]

This entry was posted in Commercial Litigation and tagged , , , , on by Daniel Lytle.

Daniel Lytle
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Self-Serving Pleadings for Additional Insureds

March 14, 2018

In a recent decision, the Illinois Appellate Court, Third District, considered what should and should not be considered by a trial court when making a determination on a motion to stay a declaratory judgment action on insurance coverage pending resolution of the underlying litigation. Pekin Insurance Company v. Johnson-Downs Construction, Inc., 2017 IL App (3d) […]

This entry was posted in Commercial Litigation, Illinois Law, Insurance Law and tagged , on by Unavailable.

Unavailable
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When Independent Insurance Producers are Not-So-Independent: Illinois Appellate Court Rejects Insurer Request for Policy Rescission Due to Producer Conduct

February 27, 2018

Independent insurance producers often are thought to be, well, independent from the insurance companies for which they sell policies. Independent producers typically sell insurance policies for a number of carriers, and often work with intermediaries to sell policies for even more carriers, so that they can offer their policyholder clients the insurance product most suitable […]

This entry was posted in Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law and tagged , , on by Mike Young.

Mike Young
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Read Your Insurance Policy Carefully: Insured Bound to Terms of Policy Despite Alleged Representations by Insurer’s Agent

February 6, 2018

As we have learned in recent days, we all need to be careful with the things we say, for sometimes those things we say can be used against us. But the life lessons do not end there. We also need to read things carefully, for the things we fail to read can be used against […]

This entry was posted in Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Illinois Law, Insurance Law and tagged on by Mike Young.

Mike Young
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Missouri Appellate Court Finds Ambiguity in Anti-Stacking Provision, Allows Stacking of Limits of Liability in Four Separate Auto Liability Policies

February 1, 2018

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, issued an opinion on Jan. 31, 2018, in Shelter Mutual Insurance Company v. Lester that allowed stacking of full auto liability coverage policy limits on four separate policies. The underlying matter involved bodily injury claims brought by multiple claimants. Each of the auto insurer’s liability policies had applicable […]

This entry was posted in Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Missouri Insurance Law and tagged , on by Mike Young.

Mike Young
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Illinois Appellate Court Rejects Request to Re-Write Insurer’s Additional Insured Coverage to Conform with Construction Agreement

January 30, 2018

It is commonplace in construction projects for a contractor to require its subcontractors to purchase liability insurance that protects against certain claims and that includes the contractor as an additional insured. The problem is that many times the policy that the subcontractor purchases does not on its face meet the requirements set forth in the […]

This entry was posted in Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Illinois Law, Insurance Law and tagged on by Mike Young.

Mike Young
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Insurer Seeks Rescission Due to Misrepresentation in an Application for Insurance – Court Rules that an Insurer is Required to not only Ask Questions but also to Investigate Answers

December 21, 2017

Background Virtually all property policies provide an insurer with the right to rescind coverage when there’s evidence that the insured intentionally concealed or misrepresented material facts in their application for insurance. For a misrepresentation to be deemed material, it must have been an untrue fact that would have, if the truth was known, caused the […]

This entry was posted in Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law and tagged on by Unavailable.

Unavailable
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Developments in Judicial Estoppel following Seymour v. Collins

October 19, 2017

Judicial estoppel, also known as estoppel by inconsistent positions of law, precludes a party from taking a position in a case that is contrary to a position it has taken in earlier legal proceedings. Often, it is asserted as an affirmative defense in a personal injury lawsuit where the plaintiff failed to disclose the existence […]

This entry was posted in Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Illinois Supreme Court, Torts and tagged , , on by James DuChateau.

James DuChateau
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Total Eclipse of …Liability? A Cosmic Reminder of the Use and Effectiveness of Exculpatory Language in Contract

September 12, 2017

Southern Illinois was recently in the national spotlight as the path of a total solar eclipse passed across the state. This rare occurrence brought hundreds of thousands of people to a thin path of the state to experience a natural phenomenon that, if not experienced correctly, could cause serious and permanent eye injuries.  It also […]

This entry was posted in Business Transactions, Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Illinois Law and tagged , on by Daniel Lytle.

Daniel Lytle
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Expanding Prohibitions on Accessing Applicants’ and Employees’ Personal Online Accounts: An Amendment to Illinois’ Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act

April 19, 2017

Does your company monitor its network or devices for network security or data confidentiality? Does your company have any policies or practices that seek access to any employees’ personal online accounts? If so, a recent amendment to Illinois’ Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act (“Act”) may require your company to adopt or revise its […]

This entry was posted in Employment Law, Illinois Law, Right to Privacy and tagged on by Julieta Kosiba.

Julieta Kosiba
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COVID-19 Updates

HeplerBroom is pleased to announce that its physical offices have reopened. While the health and safety of our clients, employees, and families, remain our top priority, HeplerBroom attorneys and staff are returning to our offices on full-time or modified schedules. Our offices are open to visitors and clients with scheduled appointments, with appropriate screening of visitors and social-distancing protocols. HeplerBroom will continue to follow CDC recommendations for cleaning and sanitizing.

We are very proud of the dedicated efforts of our attorneys and staff to provide great service and work product to our clients during the pandemic. This would not have been possible without the incredible support provided by the HeplerBroom IT Department and other essential personnel who supported our personnel and clients from the office locations while the rest of our teams worked remotely.

If you have questions about visiting our offices, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to seeing you in person again in the near future.