FIRM NEWS AND LEGAL UPDATES
LEGAL UPDATES
March, 2010
February, 2010
In 2005, a statutory provision, part of
Public Act 94–677, took effect in Illinois that places limits on awards for
noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering, in medical malpractice cases. The total
limit is $1 million for hospitals and their personnel and $500,000 for doctors. The Illinois Supreme
Court said that the damage limitation violates the constitutional principle of separation
of powers by interfering with the authority of the judicial branch to reduce verdicts.
What the statute allows for amounts to a “legislative remittitur.” The Supreme
Court agreed with the circuit court that, because the challenged provision is not
severable, the entire statute is invalid. However, the legislature is free to reenact the
other provisions.
January, 2010
Recertification:
Weldon-Linne & Vogt was rectified as a Women’s Business Enterprise
(WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC); National
Association of Minority and Woman Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) and the State of Illinois.
Weldon-Linne & Vogt has been a WBE law firm certified by various agencies since
we formed the firm in 1996.
Recognition: Madeleine
Weldon-Linne was named again as a 2010 Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers Magazine names attorneys in each state who
received the highest point totals, as chosen by their peers and through the independent
research of Law & Politics.
Hang
Tough and Wait: After six years of discovery and
with a March 2010 trial date set, our emergency physician client was the only
defendant dismissed without paying any settlement monies in a Cook County wrongful
death case involving a spinal epidural abscess. After the plaintiff presented one of
two experts, a total settlement amount of $1.7 million was accepted by the plaintiff on
behalf of four codefendants.
Weldon-Linne & Vogt is pleased to announce the addition of Zain Atassi as associate attorney with the
firm.
Back to Top
|
