Legal malpractice plaintiffs in Illinois can recover for punitive damages they incurred due to attorney negligence, despite a ban on punitive damages in malpractice cases themselves, the state’s top court ruled.
A unanimous Illinois Supreme Court ruled in favor of Midwest Sanitary Service Inc., which sought to recover $625,000 in punitive damages from Sandberg, Phoenix & Von Gontard PC, the law firm the company blamed for its loss in a whistleblower retaliation case.
Justice P. Scott Neville, writing for the court, agreed with the company’s argument that the $625,000 counted as compensatory damages in the malpractice case, even though the ...
Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:
Learn About Bloomberg Law
AI-powered legal analytics, workflow tools and premium legal & business news.
Already a subscriber?
Log in to keep reading or access research tools.