HeplerBroom News Archive

Anne Oldenburg and Linda Hay will be the featured speakers at Legalities in the Dental Industry, a Dental CE Solutions seminar being held in Davenport, Iowa, on May 10, 2018. The program is aimed at restorative clinicians and their administrative staff and is intended to keep them up to date on the legal changes in the industry.

In an article in the March 2018 issue of the Illinois Bar Journal, Charles Insler examines the dual questions of why there has been a large increase in the number of cases involving Illinois’ 10- year-old Biometric Information Privacy Act and how to defend against them. Insler also notes that the majority of these cases are class actions, raising the potential for dramatically amplified damages.

On May 4, the public is invited to a free Law Day celebration at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville. This year’s theme is Separation of Powers, and Judges David Dugan (Madison County), John O’Gara (St. Clair County), and Richard Brown (Randolph County) will discuss the part that the judicial branch plays in enforcing and upholding the law.

Katie Jacobi and Zoe Gross are serving as panel moderators for an Illinois Defense Counsel Insurance Law Seminar, which is being held in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 3. The seminar will address how policyholders, defense lawyers, and insurance claims professionals can respond to, litigate, and settle claims and lawsuits involving liability coverage issues.

Partner Kathleen Hamilton and associate attorney Bradley Zaffiri recently obtained summary judgment for a client in a St. Charles County case. Plaintiffs alleged damage to their multimillion dollar home arising from the design and installation of an inadequate heating and cooling system in the room that housed their indoor pool. Because the contract at issue expressly disclaimed any liability for work done prior to its execution, and because the undisputed material facts demonstrated that the system was designed and installed in the home prior to that date, the Court found that HeplerBroom’s client was entitled to summary judgment.

Kathryn Modeer and Josephine Sangiorgio-Hirth were recently elected Chair and Chair-Elect, respectively, of the Women in the Legal Profession Section of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Michael Young and Katie Jacobi are scheduled speakers at day-long continuing legal education seminar on insurance coverage issues for Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education

In his most recent Law Update column, Rick Hammond outlines a fraud investigation case that illustrates the importance for both insurers and plaintiffs to preserve evidence as early as possible. (In the case discussed, that evidence was a cell phone.)

After a four-day trial, HeplerBroom attorneys Linda Hay and Matthew Brandabur secured a complete defense victory for their client, a dentist. The case involved a Plaintiff who, at the age of 19, had her wisdom teeth removed and alleged she suffered a bilateral lingual nerve injury. The undisputed medical evidence at trial was that Plaintiff had permanent numbness throughout the anterior two-thirds of her tongue. Plaintiff’s attorney, however, was unsuccessful in persuading jurors that the dentist was professionally negligent in the removal of Plaintiff’s wisdom teeth.

Greg Odom is chairing and Glenn Davis will be one of the speakers at the Spring Symposium, the flagship annual event for the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC). Topics will include current and emerging cybersecurity threats, protecting a law firm and its clients from cybersecurity threats, responding to cybersecurity breaches, securing confidential medical information from breaches, insurance coverage issues arising from breaches, and ethical issues specific to cybersecurity.

Holly Whitlock-Glave recently obtained a summary judgment in a Cook County case involving an electrical subcontractor. Toward the end of the project, one of the drywall subcontractor’s employees tripped and fell over construction debris. Some of the debris contained unidentified tubes, plywood, and cords, and the drywaller sued the subcontractor as well as the mechanical and general subcontractors. Witnesses called by Whitlock-Glave testified that none of the tubes, plywood, or cords were electrical, relieving the subcontractor of its responsibility. Despite a late-appearing plaintiff’s witness, who claimed the unidentified tubes were “most definitely” electrical tubes, Whitlock-Glave was able to establish a solid argument that the witness’ information was merely speculative and not admissible at trial. The Court agreed and granted the summary judgement.

Glenn Davis was among the speakers at the recent “Leading Through the Breach” seminar in St. Louis, which was co-sponsored by HeplerBroom’s HBCyberGroup. Seminar attendees learned about practical steps to take to avoid, minimize, and respond to cyber threats and information security vulnerabilities.

Beth Bauer was one of the speakers at the 2018 Winter Meeting of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, which was held recently on Amelia Island, Florida. Bauer, a trial attorney, was the moderator of a panel discussing the best practices to keep litigation from becoming a mass action or other major exposure for a client or insurer. Other panelists included in-house counsel for Sherwin-Williams Paints and a claims manager from insurance company Sompo International.

Partner Kathleen Hamilton and associate attorney Brad Zaffiri obtained an opinion from the Missouri Supreme Court, affirming the trial court’s entry of summary judgment in favor of HeplerBroom’s client. [Matthew Fogerty v. Larry Meyer, Missouri Supreme Court No. SC96030]. The ruling in this case changes Missouri law regarding co-employee liability and when one co-employee may sue another.

Michael Young and Katie Jacobi are scheduled to present sessions at two upcoming CLM (Claims and Litigation Management Alliance) events. Jacobi will be in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, on March 19 to discuss evaluating additional insured coverage and contractual indemnity issues. She and Young will discuss the impact of Missouri’s reformed 537.065 statute, which now grants liability insurers a right to intervene in certain suits, at a St. Louis CLM Chapter meeting on March 29.

Dede Zupanci will be one of the speakers at a March 15 medical malpractice seminar in Chicago. The seminar, entitled “New Trends in Medical Malpractice: From Conflict Checks to Trial,” is sponsored by the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. HB attorney Leslie Odom is co-chair of the event. The seminar will cover topics pertinent to medical malpractice attorneys of all experience levels and will address both pretrial and trial issues, including conflicts of interest, the Petrillo doctrine, and preparing defense witnesses for deposition. The Reptile theory and how to reach the jury with exhibits, demonstrative evidence, and technology will also be discussed. More information about the seminar is available here. Zupanci, a partner in the firm’s Edwardsville office, focuses her practice on the defense of medical malpractice litigation and healthcare regulatory matters. She has been named an AV Preeminent® Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, as well as an Illinois Leading Lawyer. Odom, an associate in the Edwardsville office, focuses her practice on healthcare defense litigation and professional liability. She has been named an Emerging Lawyer by Illinois Leading Lawyers Network.

Benjamin Wilson has co-authored a chapter in the new Eighth Circuit Appellate Practice Manual, 8th edition. Wilson’s contribution is Chapter 21 - Costs on Appeal, which he co-authored with the Hon. Mary R. Vasaly, Fourth Judicial District Court in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Aleen Tiffany and Holly Whitlock-Glave were among the featured speakers at a recent seminar on construction worker injuries. The seminar, sponsored jointly by the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC) and the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys (SOICA), was specifically geared toward attorneys who defend construction worker accident claims, as well as those who negotiate and draft construction contract safety provisions.

Medical records personnel, nurses, and administrators in the Chicago area are benefitting from a series of educational lectures on the legal importance of good medical documentation. The series, presented at multiple nursing and rehabilitation facilities, is being given by HB attorneys Anne Oldenburg, Susan Wagener, and Tammera Banasek. Topics covered include recent changes in federal and state laws regarding the production of electronic medical records, understanding the legal process, and major areas of litigation and ways to avoid them. Oldenburg, Wagener, and Banasek are all partners in the firm.

HeplerBroom is pleased to announce the addition of Amy E. Johnson as Attorney of Counsel in the firm’s Chicago Office. Johnson focuses her practice on insurance, personal injury and property damage, premises, and appellate law. She is a certified mediator and has 20 years of experience mitigating risk on coverage issues and high exposure or bad faith claims. She also has significant litigation experience in bad faith insurance claims, including a successful appeal record.

Meg Fowler, HeplerBroom Attorney obtains summary judgment for client

Jason Rankin, partner with HeplerBroom has been appointed in 2011 to serve as Vice Chair.

Matthew Champlin and Beth Bauer, Hepler Broom attorneys to be congratulated for writing an amicus brief on behalf of defendants-appellants

Stephen R. Kaufmann, Thomas H. Wilson, Michael P. Murphy, and Tara E. Kuchar of HeplerBroom’s Springfield office began a jury trial in Peoria federal court

Thomas J. Magee successfully tries case in St. Louis County on August 23-24, 2010: Bruce Bollinger v Kerrie McKenna.

THOMAS J. MAGEE JOINS HEPLERBROOM LLC AS A PARTNER KATHLEEN SCHLEF HAMILTON AND MEG L. FOWLER JOIN THE FIRM AS ASSOCIATES

Gerard Noce, HeplerBroom partner obtains a defense verdict for the client

Four Attorneys Join Hepler Broom Law Firm