Firm News

2010

Bruce Pfaff will be giving at presentation entitled, "Product Liability Update," at the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association's Update & Review Seminar on October 1, 2010 at the Westin Michigan Avenue in Chicago. For more information, see www.iltla.com.

2009

In a landmark Illinois case, Bruce Pfaff and Michael Gill successfully settled the claims of an south suburban man who died because the seat on his 1996 Ford Escort failed during a rear impact collision. Because of the seat failure, our client was thrown into the rear seat/rear window area of his car and he suffered a fatal head injury. Bruce Pfaff and Michael Gill tried the case to a record $27,000,000 jury verdict in 2005 against the rear ending motorist, Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Company. After two trips to the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court, the judgment against the manufacturers was reversed because the high court changed the law concerning defective products and required a new trial. During the third day of trial proceedings in the Circuit Court Cook County, Illinois, the case settled. The case highlighted the dangers that exist in front seats of cars and light trucks that are weak. The seat is the main safety device to protect a person in a rear impact collision and if it fails to stay upright, the seat occupant will be accelerated toward the back of the car where he can hit rear seat occupants or structures in the vehicle, causing severe injuries or death. This is the second seat defect case the office has tried against Ford Motor Company with success. Pfaff & Gill has also successfully represented plaintiffs in seat defect cases against other manufacturers.

Related Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury News

April 10, 2009
Family Awarded $7.9 M in Chicago Birth Injury Case

Bruce Pfaff settled a Chicago birth injury case with a suburban physician’s group for $7.9 million on behalf of a four-year-old child with moderate cerebral palsy due to a physician’s neglect in delaying delivery.

What We Do

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Vehicle Related Cases

Causes: Seat Belt Injuries - Tire Blow Out - Seat Back Failure - Sudden Unintended Acceleration

Personal Injuries

Birth Injuries

Medical Malpractice and Neglijence

Defective Products

Unsafe Products

Wrongful Death

Wrongful Death

Awards & Ratings

Bruce Pfaff has been named one of Chicago's Best Lawyers in the 2010 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of personal injury ligation, product liability litigation, and medical malpractice law. Best Lawyers® is considered the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.
Bruce Pfaff is currently ranked one of the Top 100 Illinois Lawyers by Super Lawyers and The American Trial Lawyers’ Association
Super Lawyers selected both Michael Gill and Matthew Ports as Rising Stars in Illinois - the top lawyers under 40 years old.
The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin has recognized Michael Gill as one of its “40 Lawyers Under 40 To Watch”
Bruce Pfaff has the highest possible ratings given by Martindale Hubbell (“A.V.”) and AVVO.com (“10.0 Superb”)
Michael Gill is rated “9.2 Superb” by AVVO.com and "A.V." by Martindale Hubbell
The Leading Lawyers Network recognizes both Bruce Pfaff and Michael Gill as among the top 5% of lawyers in Illinois in the areas of Personal Injury law and Professional Malpractice law.

Verdicts & Settlements

R.B. v. Garage Door Manufacturer $9,000,000 settlement for the family of a 4-year-old boy who suffered brain injuries after being trapped under a garage door.
L.C. V. Ford Motor Co.
$14,500,000 verdict for a woman who became paraplegic when her 1991 Ford Explorer was rear ended.
K.B. v. Kim
$30,000,000 jury verdict for a six-year-old girl who suffered cerebral palsy due to a delayed emergency cesarean section delivery.
D.B. v. Advocate Medical Group, S.C.
$10,500,000 jury verdict for a 72-year-old woman who suffered an above knee amputation of her leg due to a failure of the emergency room doctor to diagnose bacterial cellulites.

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