Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Illinois Woman Awarded $1.5M in Dog Bite Lawsuit
An Illinois dog owner agreed to settle a dog bite lawsuit for $1.5 million after the dog escaped his yard and attacked a woman who was walking her own dog. According to the lawsuit, the victim was walking her female Labrador Retriever at 6:30 a.m. when three unleashed dogs escaped their yard through an… Read More »
State Must Argue Why Less Restrictive Conditions Do Not Mitigate Threat Posed by a Defendant Under the SAFE-T Act
Under the SAFE-T Act, which eliminates cash bail, the state has the burden of proving that the defendant is a threat to public safety in order to hold the defendant during and before a trial. There are several factors that the state must weigh when deciding whether or not a defendant can be held… Read More »
Allstate Attempts to Deny Claim Related to Vicious Dog Attack Resulting in Death
The insurance company, Allstate, has filed a lawsuit against two dog owners whose dog killed an elderly man last year. The widow of the 81-year-old victim filed a lawsuit against the dog owners after her husband was killed in February of 2023. The dog owners asked Allstate to indemnify them from the claim. Allstate… Read More »
Illinois Jury Awards $7.1M to Woman Severely Burned in Cooking Spray Mishap
An Illinois jury has awarded a Pennsylvania woman $7.1 million in a personal injury product liability lawsuit filed against Conagra Brands. According to the lawsuit, the woman was badly burned when a can of commercial-brand cooking spray ignited and exploded in a kitchen at her workplace, setting her on fire. The plaintiff was working… Read More »
Dunkin’ Donuts Franchisee Pays $3M to Settle Claim Related to a Coffee Burn Lawsuit
A Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee is paying a plaintiff $3 million to settle a claim related to a hot coffee burn injury. Such lawsuits are common for coffee shops and one of the most famous personal injury lawsuits in American history involved an elderly woman who was burned by McDonald’s coffee. In this case, the… Read More »
Appeals Court Grants State’s Petition to Hold Defendant in Jail Before Trial
In a recent case that went before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the circuit court granted defendant Demontez L. Spruill’s pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act. The SAFE-T Act is the new Illinois rule that did away with cash bail. Today, the court makes a decision based on several factors as to whether… Read More »
Defendant Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor
In the case of People v. Fenton, the defendant, William Fenton, was charged with three counts for the sexual abuse of a minor. According to the indictment, the state alleged that the defendant touched his stepdaughter’s sexual organs on three occasions and charged him individually for each offense. During the case, the defendant waived… Read More »
Defendant’s Petition for Nunc Pro Tunc is Denied
In People v. Bolton, the defendant pleaded guilty to armed robbery with a firearm and was sentenced to 21 years for armed robbery and 12 years for possession of a weapon. The sentences were to run concurrently meaning he would only have to serve out the longer of the two sentences. The court also… Read More »
Defendant Appeals Post-Conviction Relief Over Sex Crimes Committed Against Step Daughters
Following a 2014 trial, defendant Timothy Davis was convicted on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against his two stepdaughters and one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. The trial court sentenced him to concurrent 5-year prison sentences on the charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and 12 years on… Read More »
Illinois Appellate Court Upholds Restrictions/Clarifies Limits on COVID-19 Lawsuits Filed Against Healthcare Facilities
During the pandemic, Governor Pritzker signed a piece of legislation that made healthcare facilities immune from personal injury lawsuits filed by individuals who contracted the coronavirus. There was only one way around the statute and that involved allegations of willful misconduct. Several lawsuits tested the limits of the immunity package signed into law by… Read More »