November 2009 Archives

All Buffalo Grove Village Trustee Lisa Stone knows about the person she claims tormented her 15-year-old son (Tribune) during last spring's heated election, which she won, is his online handle "Hipcheck16." And that's all she will know for at least another month as Stone jousts with Hipcheck16's lawyer, Michael Furlong (who referred to his client as a "he").

It's a case that could test the limits of free speech and has attracted the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. 

It's a truly awful story (Tribune). A group of fraternity brothers from Eastern Illinois University were partying atop a double-decker bus -- the kind with an open-air top deck -- when suddenly two of the taller men who were standing suffered fatal head injuries when the bus drove under a low overpass.

Twenty-two-year-old fraternity brothers Justin Sleezer and Cameron Chana, 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3 respectively, were pronounced dead the next morning. Several lawsuits sprang from the unfortunate incident, including a pair of wrongful death suits against multiple parties by the families of Sleezer and Chana (JG-TC Online).

Now bus passenger and fellow fraternity mate Michael McKenna has filed suit (Daily Eastern News) for mental and psychological injuries suffered as a result of the May 30 tragedy that took place just outside of Charleston, Ill.

• Wrongful Death FAQ (FindLaw)
• Chicago Injury Lawyers (FindLaw)

Seems like everyone is responsible for something these days, just not for their own actions. That sums up the sentiments of most Northwest Herald readers who commented on a story (Northwest Herald) about a boy who is suing the McHenry County Conservation District (MCCD) for negligence.

But based on the what facts have been made available, he may have a legitimate claim.

How's this for bad PR: Former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael allegedly overshoots his highway exit and slams his Cadillac into Marzanna Jakszewicz's vehicle (WBBM Chicago), which was stopped at a light, resulting in a herniated disc.

Instead of apologizing to Jakszewicz or at least checking to see if she was okay, he reportedly "staggered from his car mumbling incoherencies," verbally abused her and promptly left the scene.

It's hard to put a price on something like a left leg, especially one lost at two weeks of age as a result of medical negligence. A Cook County jury (Sun-Times), at least, valued the damages -- nothing less than a lifetime with only one leg -- at $22.3 million.

And while some medical malpractice suits (probably a highly publicized minority of them) are frivolous, this legal action was certainly legitimate.