Pfaff & Gill News

Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Bruce R. Pfaff as the “Chicago Best Lawyers Product Liability Litigator of the Year” for 2011. After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2011) is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. The lawyers being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” have received particularly high ratings in our surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Bruce R. Pfaff reports that his clients, the survivors of a 52-year-old Chicago area woman, settled their wrongful death case against the anesthesiologist who failed to intubate her and the hospital where he was on staff. The doctor will pay his full policy proceeds of $2,000,000 and the hospital, sued under the principle of apparent agency, will pay $6,000,000.  See the full settlement report on our blog.

Bruce Pfaff was notified of his inclusion in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He was elected in the specialties of Medical Malpractice Law, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation. For over a quarter of a century, Best Lawyers® has been regarded – by both the profession and the public – as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States.

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.

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.

Bruce Pfaff recently reached a $9,000,000 settlement in a product liability case with the manufacturer of a garage door that catastrophically failed and trapped a 4-year-old boy under the door. Read more.

In May 2009, Bruce Pfaff, co-authored a scholarly article for the Chicago Bar Association publication, the CBA Record, entitled, “The Right to Submit Questions to Jurors.” Read more.

The attorneys and staff of Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. would like to announce the launch of the firm’s blog. The blog is a place for us to share information and news with our colleagues, clients, and friends about the legal system and our current activities.

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. The case was settled within six months of filing, greatly reducing lawyers’ expenses and fees.

Doctor’s Mistake Led to Birth Injury

The doctor should have understood that the fetal heart tracings showed an ominous pattern indicative of hypoxia and ischemia and that a cesarean delivery was necessary to protect the baby. Instead, he proceeded to a vaginal delivery, delaying the birth and increasing the baby’s exposure to harm.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy refers to a spectrum of chronic movement disorders that affect the body and muscle coordination. While the movement disorders vary from mild to severe, the most common symptoms of cerebral palsy include one or more of the following:

• Stiff, spastic muscles
• Difficulty learning to walk and talk
• Difficulty grabbing objects
• Involuntary muscle movement
• Vision impairments
• Seizures

Cerebral Palsy: Birth Injury

Every year approximately 8,000 babies are born with cerebral palsy. One of the leading causes of cerebral palsy is asphyxia, or lack of oxygen, to the infant’s brain during the birthing process. In many cases, this can be prevented with special attention and care by the doctor. If the doctor sees signs of distress before or during labor, he or she should speed up delivery by initiating an emergency cesarean.

If the doctor delays delivery or attempts to deliver the baby vaginally, the baby’s risk of developing cerebral palsy or another birth injury is substantially increased.

Recovering Compensation for Birth Injuries

Having a new child is one of the most special moments in a parent’s life. When medical mistakes occur, resulting in birth injuries, it causes a life-time of devastation and trauma for both the injured infant and his or her family. Most children with cerebral palsy will need life-time care and treatment for their condition.

Personal injury lawyers and law firms who are experienced in handling cases involving birth injuries are able to help the injured and their families recover compensation to help with the lifetime medical bills and expenses that follow a birth injury. They will also fight to recover compensation for other losses associated with the injury, including:

• Emotional pain and suffering
• Physical pain and disfigurement
• Permanent disabilities
• Life-long treatment and care

Contact Pfaff & Gill For Help Today

If you or someone you love has a child that was born with cerebral palsy and you suspect it was caused by a medical mistake, please contact Pfaff & Gill for help today. We will thoroughly investigate the situation, using medical professionals, and will fight aggressively to ensure all responsible parties are held accountable.

To schedule a confidential, complimentary consultation with Attorney Bruce Pfaff or another highly-skilled Pfaff & Gill Chicago medical malpractice attorney, please call us today (312) 828-9666. We are standing by to help you.

The 2009 Super Lawyer ratings are out. All firm members achieved high recognition among their peers. Bruce Pfaff has again been named as one of the top 100 lawyers in Illinois (one of only 16 plaintiff’s Illinois personal injury lawyers on the statewide list. Michael Gill and Matthew Ports have been named "Rising Stars" among Illinois Super Lawyers.