Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Plaintiff Secures $5.5M in Wrongful Death Suit Against Nursing Home
The family of an 80-year-old woman filed a personal injury wrongful death lawsuit against an Illinois nursing home after their loved one suffocated during a power outage. According to the lawsuit, the victim entered the defendant’s facility in June 2016 to receive specialized care for her medical conditions. She had a life expectancy of… Read More »
City of Champaign Sued After Death of Tow Truck Driver
A 20-year-old tow truck driver was killed in March 2022 after being struck by another driver while cleaning up debris from a different accident. The other driver was a 16-year-old who ended up being convicted of failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The 16-year-old paid a fine and had his license revoked… Read More »
Appellate Court Rules Plaintiff Not Bound by Arbitration Agreement in Nursing Home Wrongful Death
An Illinois appellate court recently overturned a decision handed down by a lower court that compelled an Illinois plaintiff into arbitration with a nursing home. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s mother was admitted to the defendant’s nursing facility in September 2019. As her mother’s power of attorney, the plaintiff signed documents that included… Read More »
Defendant, Found Guilty on Two Counts of Predatory Sexual Assault, Loses Appeal
In the case of People v. Hinman, an Illinois jury convicted the defendant on two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of criminal sexual assault. The defendant was sentenced to 55 years in prison and 3 years to life of mandatory supervised release. The defendant appealed his conviction…. Read More »
Defendant, Found Not-Guilty by Reason of Insanity, Appeals Denial of Transfer to a Less-Secure Psychiatric Facility
In People v. Haynes, the defendant was charged with attempted first-degree murder on April 29, 2002. In July of that year, the trial court ordered that the defendant should be evaluated to determine his fitness to stand trial. An independent psychiatrist found that the defendant was unfit to stand trial. The defendant was ordered… Read More »
Murder Defendant Moves to Suppress Evidence of Text Messages on Cellphone
In the case of People v. Price, the defendant, Price, was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury of his peers. As a result, he was sentenced to a 60-year prison term. He later appealed the conviction on the grounds that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. On July 22, 2015, the defendant was… Read More »
Defendant Appeals Convictions of DUI Causing Death on Ground of One-Act, One-Crime
In the case of People v. Rynders, the defendant was charged with two counts of DUI causing death. He entered a negotiated plea of guilty and was sentenced to 10 years for each charge to be served consecutively. He appealed his sentence. In this case, the appeals court found that the defendant waived his… Read More »
Court Denies Pretrial Release Under SAFE-T Act for Defendant Accused of Firearms Offense
In People v. Forthenberry, the defendant was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm (a class 1 felony), two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (a class 3 felony), two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (a class 3 felony), and one count of possession of a weapon… Read More »
Defendant Sentenced to 120 Years for Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child
In People v. Anderson, the defendant was charged with four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and subsequently sentenced to 120 years in state prison. The defendant appealed the sentence and petitioned the court for relief from judgment. The appeals court denied his petition. The case’s history In 2010, the defendant… Read More »
Defendant Sentenced to 20 Years for Aggravated Battery of a Child
In the case of People v. Steele, the defendant, Steele, was convicted of aggravated battery of a child, a Class X felony in Illinois. As a result of the conviction, the defendant was sentenced to 20 years in state prison, to be served at 85% with three years of mandatory supervised release. The defendant… Read More »