Thomas Wilson and Julieta Kosiba secured a plaintiff verdict in a Tazewell County commercial lawsuit that involved a lease of a gas station and convenience store.

The lease stated that the plaintiff (HeplerBroom’s client) could sublet the property with the landlord defendants’ consent. It additionally stated that the defendants could not unreasonably withhold consent. Despite that, the defendants put up multiple roadblocks to an assignment of a sublease over an extended period of time, killing the deal for the assignment.

Our client and the existing subtenant sued as co-plaintiffs. After seven years of litigation, the case went to trial. The jury deliberated for only about two hours before returning a verdict for both plaintiffs, awarding our client all of the requested damages and a substantial amount of punitive damages for intentional interference with the business deal. Kosiba handled the bulk of the trial work. Both she and Wilson also credited the contributions of legal secretary and paralegal Erika Lynch, office manager Brian Lee, and litigation clerk Madeline Beeler in their ability to triumph for a small, family-owned business.

Wilson, a partner in the firm’s Springfield office, focuses his practice on defending a wide variety of industry leaders and businesses in general tort claims, including defense of medical malpractice cases, as well as employers and government officers and employees in employment and civil rights claims. He is rated an AV Preeminent Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named both an Illinois Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Super Lawyer.

Kosiba, an associate attorney with the firm’s Springfield office, focuses her practice on the defense of civil litigation matters, including defending personal injury, premises liability, and products liability claims; litigating property damage claims; and representing employers in employment-related issues.