Bruce R. Pfaff Inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers

Bruce R. Pfaff, Esq., of Pfaff & Gill Ltd, in Chicago, IL was recently inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) at their Mid Year Meeting held July 17-21, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois.

The International Academy of Trial Lawyers limits membership to 500 Fellows from the United States.  The Academy seeks out, identifies, acknowledges and honors those who have achieved a career of excellence through demonstrated skill and ability in jury trials, trials before the court and appellate practice.  Members are engaged in civil practice on both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s side of the courtroom, and the trial of criminal cases.  The Academy invites only lawyers who have attained the highest level of advocacy.  A comprehensive screening process identifies the most distinguished members of the trial bar by means of both peer and judicial review.  Mr. Pfaff has been evaluated by his colleagues and the judges in his jurisdiction and has been highly recommended by them as possessing these qualifications and characteristics.

Chartered in 1954, the Academy’s general purposes are to cultivate the science of jurisprudence, promote reforms in the law, facilitate the Administration of Justice, and elevate the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession.

The Future of Illinois Courts

Bruce R. Pfaff was invited by the members of the Illinois Supreme Court to participate in a conference on Shaping the Future of Illinois Courts, held in April 2013.  The conference addressed desired outcomes of the participant in how courts will operate in the future.

Another Tragedy Caused by a Garage Door Opener

A three year old child died recently in Eastern Maryland when she was trapped under a garage door, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/06/girl-killed-by-garage-door_n_3028950.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003. This is a needless, recurring tragedy. Garage door openers (also called operators) are required to have electric eye beam devices that provide fail-safe operation and prevent accidents like this which typically happen to those under 6 years old. Those safety systems have been available as an option in the U.S. since the mid 1980's and have been mandatory in the U.S. since 1994. Older garage door operators had less effective safety devices.

Our office successfully prosecuted a $9,000,000 claim against a manufacturer of garage door operators that caused a substantial brain injury to a young child trapped under a descending garage door, just like the recent case in Maryland. From the news reports, it is reasonable to believe this most recent case is due to some defect in the garage door operator or the way it was installed. Please make sure no child can access the push pad for the door operators in your garage or the remote in your vehicle. Please also make sure the safety devices on your garage door operator are working as they should or contact the manufacturer so they can be replaced or repaired.

More Patients Come Forward in Northwestern Sperm Destruction Cases

On February 27, 2013, Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. filed suit on behalf of another individual whose sperm samples were destroyed when a Northwestern cryopreservation storage tank failed.  See Chicago Tribune Article. 

Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. filed the first lawsuit against Northwestern Medical Hospital and Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation on behalf of a testicular cancer survivor on October 15, 2012.

Since filing suit, Pfaff & Gill has been contacted by other patients who believe their samples have been affected.  Patients who were affected should have received a letter from Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation as well as a phone call from a Northwestern representative. 

Over thirty (30) patients have joined in the pending litigation against Northwestern Medical Hospital and Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation. Recently, all pending legal matters related to this cryopreservation tank failure were assigned to Judge Thomas L. Hogan of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County for management of all pretrial matters.

If you received a letter or phone call from Northwestern advising that your sample was destroyed, contact the attorneys at Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. today – (312) 828-9666.

No-Show Nurse Causes Death in $12,261,131 Verdict

A Cook County jury on February 15, 2013, awarded $12,261,131 to the Estate of M.G. after a three-week trial before the Honorable James P. Flannery, Jr.  Bruce R. Pfaff and Matthew D. Ports of Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. tried the case for the family of the deceased. The focus of plaintiff’s case was on Nurse Maria Zurawski, employed by Acute Extracorporeal Services, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care North America.  Fresenius is one of the largest providers of dialysis and apheresis services in the country.  Doctors at Advocate Christ Medical Center made arrangements through a dispatcher at Fresenius at 4:30 p.m. on 10/25/09 for a nurse to come to do a plasmapheresis on plaintiff “as soon as possible.”  The dispatcher said the nurse was “on the way.”  Although the nurse was in Winfield at the time of the call, 45 minutes away, she arrived 6 hours later. 

By the time Nurse Zurawski arrived at Advocate Christ Medical Center, plaintiff  had already coded and was pronounced dead 40 minutes later.  The nurse testified that she chose not to go to the hospital right away because she might have to wait for the plasma to be prepared.  “Her conduct went beyond carelessness, it was callous,” said plaintiff's attorney, Bruce R. Pfaff of Pfaff & Gill, Ltd.  “The doctor ordering the plasmapheresis did everything possible to see that a catheter was placed for plasmapheresis immediately, sufficient plasma was ordered to the blood bank on a stat basis, and he phoned the plasmapheresis service himself to make sure that the word got through that immediate plasmapheresis was necessary,” Pfaff added.

The other defendant found liable was Advocate Christ Medical Center, which was sued as the apparent principal of the plasmapheresis service as well as for the negligent conduct of its nursing staff and its blood bank. Co-defendants, Dr. Gregory Rauch of Orland Primary Care Services, and Dr. Brian Crowley of Palos Emergency Medical Services received not guilty verdicts.  

M.G. is survived by his wife and three adult children. 

This is the sixth case in which Mr. Pfaff has obtained a verdict in excess of $10 Million.