CHICAGO (October 1, 2026) – A $20.5 million Cook County jury verdict obtained by Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard has been recognized as the 46th Highest Wrongful Death Verdict in the United States in 2025 by Top Verdict, an ALM publication. The list recognizes significant verdicts obtained in cases tried before state or federal juries across the United States.
On October 29, 2020, 11-year-old Ava Wilson, who was in remission from B-lymphoblastic leukemia, went with her mother to a follow-up appointment at a Chicago hospital. Ava was experiencing significant pain, difficulty walking, and foot drop, and testing revealed several concerning abnormalities, including persistently low blood pressure. Despite these symptoms, she was discharged and prescribed 15 mg of morphine every four hours as needed, along with an increased dose of gabapentin.
Approximately 36 hours later, Ava died in her sleep from acute combined drug toxicity involving morphine, hydroxyzine, and gabapentin. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit through her attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, and a trial began on May 29, 2025, before the Honorable Brendan A. O’Brien. On June 10, 2025, a Cook County jury awarded Ava’s family $20.5 million for their past and future loss of society and past and future grief, sorrow, and mental suffering. The Wilson family was represented at trial by attorneys Matthew L. Williams, Aaron D. Boeder, Eirene N. Salvi, and Marisa A. Gelabert.
Please click here to learn more about the case.
Top Verdict is an online journal published by ALM that features lists of the largest nationwide financial recoveries attained by law firms for their clients. Please click here to view the full list of Top 50 Wrongful Death Verdicts in the United States in 2025.
For more information, please contact Marcie Mangan at (312) 372-1227 or mmangan@salvilaw.com.
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Case No.: 2022 L 007728 [The Estate of Ava Wilson v. Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation, et al.]
