Isaac R. Melton

Isaac R. Melton concentrates his practice on first- and third-party insurance defense and insurance coverage, along with fraud and bad faith litigation. He represents a broad range of clients and has extensive civil litigation experience, including successfully taking numerous cases to verdict. He has also been involved in numerous uninsured and underinsured arbitrations both as counsel for the insurer and as an arbitrator.

Mr. Melton also does extensive work counseling and representing insurers on issues involving medical fraud. He has assisted in the investigation of fraudulent claims and has presented on numerous topics associated with medical fraud. Throughout his career, Mr. Melton has filed and effectively prosecuted numerous affirmative litigation actions on behalf of his insurance company clients.

Before joining HeplerBroom in 2016, he practiced with a regional full-service defense firm. Previously, he was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Allen S. Goldberg, a commercial law judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Education

• Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, J.D., with Certificate in Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2007
• University of Iowa, B.A. in Political Science, 2004

Admissions & Affiliations

• Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

• $63,106.54 verdict for Plaintiff; asked for $1,098,106.54 (Watson and McCants v. Pawlow, 18 L 13235, September 2022)

• $16,289 verdict for Plaintiff; asked $171,000 (Mabrouk v. Schaff, 18 L 7051, August 2022)

• Plaintiff awarded $4,000; asked for $475,000 (Varnado v. Jaskierski, 18 L 005901, February 2017)

• $225.00 verdict for Plaintiff; asked $90,000 (Alexander v. Aaron, 15 L 7181, July 2017)
• Defense verdict (Kozik v. Nagy, 15 L 3708, April 2017)

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• Verdict for Allstate (Allstate v. Reese, 12 CH 18514, May 2015)
• Defense verdict (Murphy v. State Farm, 07 L 14481, March 2014) Click here and go to page 2 to see further information on this case from Jury Verdict Reporter
• $4,000 verdict for Plaintiff; asked $450,000 (Carter v. Ciszynski, 11 M1 301790, July 2013).
• Defense verdict (Cocoma v. State Farm, 08 AR 794, June 2012).
• Defense verdict (Nunez v. Guzman, 09 L 15225, January 2012).
• $11,000 verdict for Plaintiff; demand $75,000 (Benyamin v. Stern, 10 L 9751, June 2011).
• Defense verdict (Rashed v. Frasunek, 05 M1 304256, November 2010).
• $9,109.40 verdict for Plaintiff, asked $307,013 (Clark v. Harden, 07 L 7656, September 2009.

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Honors & Awards

• Illinois Super Lawyers
  • Rising Star (2016-2021)

Events & Speaking Engagements

• “Anatomy of Modern Pain Management Injury Claim Fraud,” Illinois Chapter of International Association of Special Investigation Units’ 30^th Insurance Fraud Conference (Chicago IL, 2023).

• “Deposing Treating Physicians in Non-Medical Malpractice Cases,” HeplerBroom University (Chicago IL, 2022)

• “Drafting and Responding to Written Discovery, “ HeplerBroom University (Chicago IL, 2021)

• “Cell Tower Data in Claim Investigations, Vacancy v. Occupancy in Property Damage Claims, Medical Fraud Trends & Defense Strategies, Illinois IASIU (Chicago IL, 2021)

• “Examination Under Oath: Looks Like a Dep… Walks Like a Dep… But It’s Not Just Another Deposition,” National Insurance Crime Bureau Special Investigations Academy (St. Louis MO, 2019).

• “Fighting Organized Medical Fraud: How to Spot It. How to Defeat It,” Chicago, Chicago-Northwest, and West Suburban Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) Chapters’ Insurance Law and Coverage Seminar (Oak Brook IL, 2018).

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• “Payback: Using Affirmative Litigation to Combat Organized Medical Fraud,” National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (Chicago IL, 2018)

• “Whose Claim is It Anyway? Claims Involving Mortgagees, Foreclosures and Bankruptcies,” Chicago, Chicago-Northwest, and West Suburban Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) Chapters’ Insurance Law and Coverage Seminar (Oak Brook IL, 2017).
• “Examination under Oath for the SIU,” National Insurance Crime Bureau Special Investigations Academy (St. Louis MO, 2017).
• “Preparing Your Insurance Claims Representative for Deposition and Trial,” International Association of Arson Investigators and the Insurance Committee for Arson Control (Las Vegas NV, 2017).
• “Preserving Issues for Appellate Review,” Advanced Appellate Practice Seminar, Appellate Lawyers Association (Chicago IL, 2017).
• “Updates & Trends: Medical Fraud, Bad Faith and Legal Decisions,” International Association of Special Investigations Units (Woodridge IL, 2017).
• Panelist, Advanced Insurance Fraud Seminar, National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (Bloomingdale IL, 2016).
• Panelist, ExecuSummit’s First Annual Bad Faith Litigation Strategies (Uncasville CT, 2014).
• “Handling Insurance Coverage Disputes,” Panelist, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education Insurance Law Conference (Bloomington IL, 2014).

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Blog Posts

Publications

• “Uncovering Fraudulently Incorporated Professional Service Corporations,” Defense Research Institute Insurance Law Committee Newsletter, Vol. 30 Iss. 10 (November 14, 2019). (Co-author)
• “‘Reasonable Belief’ Exclusion,” Johnson & Bell Insurance Newsletter (2012)
• “Issues Regarding Treatment at Unlicensed Surgery Centers,” Johnson & Bell, Ltd. Insurance Law Alert (Fall 2011).
• “Anti-Indemnity Statutes that Affect the Transportation Industry,” AFLA Transportation Compendium (May 2011).