Concentration

Mr. Rice’s practice is concentrated in claims involving personal injury, wrongful death, medical and dental malpractice. Additionally, he has been lead counsel for insurance defense litigation, insurance coverage, personal, private, and corporate liability matters. He has conducted over one hundred jury trials concerning civil law matters.

Exemplary Litigation Results

Plaintiff Claims

Settlement — $300,000.00A 55 year old woman was injured in an automobile collision. The plaintiff experienced significant right hip pain, resulting in an arthroscopic procedure for labrum acetabular tear and a subsequent right hip replacement. The underlying insurance carrier paid $100,000.00, and the matter was settled for the additional $200,000.00 in underinsured motorist insurance on the eve of trial. Settlement — $295,000.00The 60 year old male client was involved in a significant T-bone automobile collision whereby he had a laceration to his forehead, fracture to the small finger on his right hand, and a patellar fracture to his right knee which required surgical repair and rehabilitation. The matter was settled for $295,000.00. Settlement – $5,500,000.00This was a medical malpractice claim whereby the physicians and nurses failed to recognize that the pregnant mother of a child was under duress and stress at the time of delivery. As a result, the child sustained severe hypoxic ischemia which resulted in severe encephalopathy and neurologic damage to the baby. The child suffers from partial paralysis, and her cognitive function and speech is impaired. The case settled within a month of trial with the claims being against the physician who performed the delivery and the hospital where the delivery was performed. Settlement — $500,000.00A twelve year old minor boy was injured when a bat tossed by a fourteen year old boy struck him in the eye. The minor underwent enucleation and prosthetic care and treatment. The homeowner’s insurance carrier for the parents of the fourteen year old boy settled on the eve of trial. Verdict — $450,000.00The 49 year-old female client was struck head-on by a vehicle that was turning left in front of her, and suffered neck, upper back, and soft tissue injuries which required no surgery. However, client had pre-existing condition of rheumatoid arthritis since she was ten years old. Claimed medical bills were over $50,000.00. Settlement — $907,000.00The 24 year-old female client was rendered a paraplegic from a head-on collision in a Downers Grove construction zone. She skidded across the center line before colliding with another automobile. Settlement — $1,500,000.00A 49 year-old man was killed in a head-on collision where the driver of a semi-tractor trailer crossed the center line. The client’s estate claimed the semi-tractor trailer was not adequately maintained. The defendant’s insurance carrier, when all coverage was exhausted, provided $1.5 million of coverage. The coverage was denied, and due to the tractor-trailer’s insolvency, the matter was actually tried before the bankruptcy court to determine value. The bankruptcy court rendered a value of $8 million, and subsequently, the underlying insurance carrier and the underinsured carrier paid their maximum limits. Settlement — $977,455.00A male drywaller, age 33, claimed that defective scaffolding caused an injury which resulted in a herniated disc at L5-S1 with fusion and discectomy. Medical bills of $53,480.00 with a potential lost wage claim. Verdict — $6,063,15.00A claim for two minor boys as a result of an automobile collision where their father was killed. The father was driving the two boys in DuPage County, Illinois, and turned left in front of a semi-tractor trailer. The issue was the color of the traffic signal. The minor boys made a claim against the semi-tractor trailer company, which offered $100,000.00 to settle the case. In one of the largest verdicts in DuPage County history, the jury returned a decision in an amount of over $6 million in favor of the two boys. Settlement — $1,250,000.00A 55 year-old male was proceeding eastbound at an intersection in DuPage County, Illinois, when an individual turned left in front of him. He sustained an injury to his ankle, which required a fusion. Medical bills were in the area of $75,000.00 with potential future lost earnings. Settlement — $977,000.00A product liability matter whereby the client was an employee of the City of Elmhurst and operating a salt spreader at the time of a large ice/snow fall. The client slipped, and the salt spreader grabbed his arm and pulled it. As a result, he lost half of his arm, i.e., up to his elbow. The defense alleged assumption of the risk. Settlement – $475,000.00The 62 year old female client exited her vehicle in the parking lot of her employer’s business. While walking to the front door of the building where the employer was located, the plaintiff slipped on ice. The allegations were that she could not see the ice due to the lights in the parking lot being in disrepair. The injuries included that of an aggravation of a pre-existing neck injury, which required anterior cervical discectomy at C3-C5. The management company for the building and the lighting company paid the plaintiff as far as the settlement was concerned with contribution from other parties. Settlement – $250,000.00This 58 year old lady was involved in a collision whereby a vehicle turned left in front of her. She incurred leg and back injuries. She required surgical intervention that resulted in loss of her employment. The matter was settled with the defendant’s insurance carrier for $100,000.00, and settled with the plaintiff’s underinsured policy limit for an additional $150,000.00 yielding the total insurance available. Settlement – $500,000.00In this matter, a 60 year old retired gentleman was riding his sports bicycle to join friends for a morning ride. The defendant, who was operating a company pick-up truck, did not see the plaintiff and turned left and struck the cyclist. This incident occurred in St. Charles, Illinois in March, 2012. As a result, the plaintiff suffered head trauma, arterial injury, pulmonary contusions, rib fractures, fracture of the left scapula, and a cerebral contusion. The matter was settled for the policy that was available, that being $500,000.00. Luckily, the injured gentleman made a very good recovery. Settlement – $4.5 millionIn this medical malpractice claim, a boy was born prematurely and developed an E. coli infection. The physicians and nurses failed to timely treat the infection which resulted in osteomyelitis, brain dysfunction, and visual impairment. The boy was born in 2004 and receives special education.

Insurance Defense Claims

Not GuiltyPlaintiff claimed that contractor modified a power lift for construction bricks which they delivered to a site. As a result, the bricks fell and crushed the plaintiff’s back, causing him permanent debilitating injuries. The contractor claimed that the plaintiff was assuming the risk and was in the wrong position. A jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendant, subsequent to a demand of $1,500,000.00. Not GuiltyA matter regarding the Structural Work Act in the State of Illinois whereby the plaintiff claimed that the construction company was negligent in failing to provide adequate scaffolding for him. This five-day trial concluded with the plaintiff requesting more than $2 million and the jury providing him with nothing in damages. Not GuiltyA 32 year-old man fell at a Downers Grove condominium association causing injury to his tibia requiring surgery, plates and screws. Plaintiff asked jury for $900,000.00. Not GuiltyA female exiting a condominium complex slipped and fell on ice due to an unnatural accumulation resulting in left shoulder fracture and rotator cuff tear. Surgical intervention was required. Defense contended Mother Nature was to blame. Not GuiltyIn one of the first cases tried on the basis of strict/product liability in DuPage County in twenty years, the plaintiff claimed that his lawn mower was defective, and as a result, severed his foot. The defense offered $100,000.00 to settle the claim on the day of trial, with the plaintiff demanding $2 million. We were successful in that the jury was out ten minutes and returned a verdict in favor of the defendant/lawn mower manufacturer.

Seminars and Publications

Mr. Rice conducts seminars on trial advocacy, civil law and practice, and tort law on a continual basis, with over fifty such presentations in the past twenty years. In addition, he has written numerous law journal articles on ethical representation of clients, personal injury litigation, and trial advocacy.