Chicago Lawyer: Shelter collapse settlement sets records
CHICAGO (October 12, 2018) – Potential jurors might have suspected this case was different during voir dire. In addition to the usual questions on bias and conflicts of interest, they were asked if they could sign off on a verdict of $150 million or more, should the evidence support it.
The jurors ended up finding for plaintiff Tierney Darden and awarding her $148 million. Rather than face appeal, they chose to settle for $115 million, itself the largest reported personal-injury settlement for an individual in Illinois history.
Patrick A. Salvi, the lead attorney on the case, spoke with Chicago Lawyer Magazine about the strategy behind his record-breaking verdict, which was the largest Cook County personal-injury verdict ever reported and the largest verdict ever reported against the city of Chicago.
