Personal Injury

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Experiencing a COVID-19 Outbreak

Published on: December 14, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Many people, including elderly veterans, have faced fears about COVID-19 for good reason. With millions infected and 800,000 deaths recorded in the U.S. alone, it’s clear why that worry exists, especially among the older or ill adult populations. People trust their medical providers to meet their ongoing needs without putting them at any enhanced risk for the spread of coronavirus. Yet, at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, the recent COVID-19 outbreak may have more to do with staff behaviors than expected.

 VA Medical Center Has Seen a Significant New Outbreak

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center is one of numerous VA facilities throughout the country that has experienced a recent COVID-19 outbreak. Reports indicate that at least 18 COVID-19 infections occurred, and one person has died. One of those infected was waiting for a lung transplant.

Chicago Native and Former NFL Player Glenn Foster Jr. Dies in Police Custody

Published on: December 10, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Questions have surfaced regarding the mysterious police custody death of Glenn Foster Jr., a Chicago native who played for the New Orleans Saints from 2013 – 2015. He was 31 and a father of two. 

Foster, who his parents say was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of about 20, was showing erratic behavior at the time of his arrest. He engaged in a high-speed chase after police in Reform, Alabama attempted to pull him over for going approximately 90 MPH, according to their report. While handcuffed he engaged in a “small, minor tussle” with police, according to Reform Police Chief Richard Black, then was booked into Pickens County Jail on December 4th, 2021. By December 6th, he had died.

At his initial court appearance, he was assessed as being non-compliant and would not participate beyond asking for an attorney. The judge decided he was “not mentally stable and a danger to himself and others” and ordered Foster be held without bond pending a mental evaluation. 

Texas Gas Leak Explosion Leaves Multiple Wounded

Published on: July 21, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

A suspected gas leak is thought to be the cause of an explosion that destroyed multiple houses and injured six people in Plano, Texas earlier this week.

On the afternoon of Monday, July 16th, an unexpected explosion occurred in a house occupied by a single male resident. The resident of the home was transported to the Medical City Plano. The neighboring house on the east side was also severely impacted due to its proximity to the blast. The home was being rented by the Jagielski family. Mother Jennifer, father Philip, and their three children were immediately transported to different hospitals for treatment. The children are out of the hospital and staying with their grandparents, but the parents are still being monitored. They are primarily receiving treatment for cuts caused by debris, according to CBS reporter Andrea Lucia.

According to reporting by Fox 4 KDFW, Jennifer Jagielski physically shielded one of her children from the blast. The child in question was recovering from a recent hernia surgery, so the family was tending to him in the master bedroom on the east side of the house, when the blast occurred. Neighbors responded to the incident, aiding the family in exiting the house and calling for help.

People With Chicago Ties Are Missing In Miami Building Collapse

Published on: June 28, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Three People Connected to the Greater Chicago-Area Still Unaccounted For After Florida Condo Collapse

On Friday, June 25, 2021, The Chicago Tribune reported that more than 150 people were missing after a high-rise condominium partially collapsed near Miami Beach early Thursday. It’s estimated that 55 of the 136 residential units were affected. According to local officials, at least four people have died in the catastrophic event, and more than ten have been injured. The search amongst the rubble is expected to continue for several days and possibly weeks using rescue dogs and unique search technology and equipment such as sonar.

Public records identify the condo complex as Champlain Towers South in the oceanfront community of Surfside, home to about 6,000 people. The skyrise was built in 1981. It is still unknown exactly how many people were in the building at the time when the tragedy occurred or what caused the building to collapse partially.

Levin & Perconti Attorney’s Top Chicago’s Leading Lawyers List

Published on: June 17, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

LNP-copy-300x91 Congratulations to these Levin & Perconti attorneys recognized in Leading Lawyers magazine as Top Attorneys. Their peers have recommended these exceptional attorneys in their practice areas among the nation’s best. Less than 5% of all lawyers licensed in each state have received the distinction of Leading Lawyer, and less than 2% of all lawyers licensed in each state have received the distinction of Emerging Lawyer.

Levin & Perconti partners Steven Levin, John Perconti, Susan Novosad, Michael Bonamarte IV, Kelly Sabo Gaden, and Margaret Battersby Black have achieved the Top Chicago Injury Lawyer recognition for their work representing clients in medical malpractice and personal injury cases, including nursing home abuse and neglect.

Top Lawyers – Chicago Injury

Chicago Law Firm Welcomes Partner Kelly Sabo Gaden

Published on: March 18, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Levin & Perconti Names Attorney Kelly Sabo Gaden as Firm’s Newest Partner

Levin & Perconti is thrilled to welcome our newest partner, attorney Kelly Sabo Gaden. With nearly 15 years of experience in representing nursing home abuse and neglect victims and their families, medical malpractice, and other personal injury cases, she adds further depth to the industry-leading firm’s practice in representing and protecting our most vulnerable communities.

“Kelly is an extremely talented and effective trial attorney. She will make a strong addition to the firm in this leadership role,” said founding partner Steven Levin. “She shares our mission of holding nursing homes accountable for poor care and protecting the rights of long-term care residents.”

Illinois’ Detention Shelters Must Protect Migrant Children

Published on: March 5, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

What Do You Know About the Migrant Shelters Around Chicago?

Thousands of children remain detained by Customs and Border Protection and ICE, and horrific stories of abuse and neglect continue to erupt from the centers these young migrants have been forced to call home. For more than 20 years, Chicago has been the temporary home to many children who have been detained after entering the U.S. Some of them have either crossed the border alone or, most recently, were taken and separated from their parents under the Trump Administration immigration policies. Some of the displaced children are taken to the shelter facilities licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The majority of the centers are run by a large nonprofit under the name Heartland Human Care Services, which oversees the program in and around Chicago. It is an umbrella service of The Heartland Alliance.

In April, more than 40 children tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak occurred at a Heartland facility on Chicago’s South Side. It was considered one of the most significant outbreaks of the virus in any shelter for immigrant youth in the country.

Pennsylvania Officials Face Lawsuit After Police Shoot and Kill Mentally Ill Man

Published on: February 26, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Family Files Wrongful Death Suit After Police Shooting of Ricardo Muñoz

Attorneys Steven Levin, Daisy Ayllon, and Julie Murphy from Levin & Perconti in Chicago are representing the family of Ricardo Muñoz in a wrongful death suit against the Lancaster Police Department and local officials. The team is working alongside Michael Perna and Ryan Borchik of Pennsylvania’s Perna & Abracht Law Offices.

Ricardo Muñoz, of Pennsylvania, was fatally shot by police on Sept. 13 in response to his family asking for assistance during his mental health episode. Mr. Muñoz, 27, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in his early 20s, was well-known by the local police department, whom his family had turned to repeatedly for help in similar situations.

Proposed Bill Would Hold Tech Platforms Accountable For Wrongful Death

Published on: February 17, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Proposed SAFE TECH ACT Could Help Safeguard Against Fraud, Abuse, and Exploitation of Online Users

With so many more individuals, organizations, and private companies using mostly online-based and platform-mediated channels to reach communities and consumers, many of us have started to question the safeguards and civil rights protections regarding who is responsible for abusing or exploiting those involved, especially in moments of tragedy. In response, the SAFE TECH ACT has been introduced by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and rallied for by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and designed to make it easier for targets of fraud, exploitation, and harassment to sue online and social media platforms that host abusive or harmful content.

According to the office of Sen. Warner, “Service providers’ disregard of the misuse of their platforms has produced more than just consumer harm: in many cases, continued – and reckless – inaction of platforms has facilitated pervasive online harassment of users. With abusers often shielded by online anonymity and platforms’ neglect of meaningful reporting tools, victims are in large measure left to fend for themselves.”

Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sex Crimes

Published on: December 31, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

Fashion Executive Charged with Sex Trafficking Crimes Against Women and Young Girls

On Tuesday, December 15, the U.S. attorney’s office, the F.B.I., and the New York Police Department charged an influential and wealthy fashion executive with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and several other related crimes that involved dozens of women and girls as young as 14 over a 25-year-period. More than 80 women from the United States, the Bahamas, and Canada have signed on as plaintiffs. At the time of the assault, many victims were sought out to be models or actresses, recruited by Nygaard’s company.

According to The New York Times, Peter Nygard is “accused of targeting victims from disadvantaged economic backgrounds and, in some cases, with a history of abuse. Mr. Nygard sexually assaulted some, it said, while his associates assaulted or drugged others to ensure their compliance with Nygard’s sexual demands.”