Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC

06/14/2022

Yesterday HME filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, for the death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton. Steven Hart and John Marrese announced the filing of the lawsuit to reporters in downtown Wichita yesterday, along with co-counsel Andrew Stroth of Action Injury Law Group and Kansas City lawyer Ben Stelter-Embry.

HME looks forward to continuing the fight on behalf of Cedric Lofton’s family to shed light on his tragic and unnecessary death.

Video coverage of the press conference is available here:

https://www.kwch.com/2022/06/13/lawsuit-cedric-loftons-death-jiac-foreshadowed/

05/26/2022

Today, Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC and its co-counsel, Action Injury Law Group, sued the Chicago Police Department and a currently unidentified officer on behalf of an African American 13-year-old who was shot in the back by the CPD officer on May 18, 2022 during a foot pursuit. The seventh grader now lies in a hospital bed suffering from severe and catastrophic spinal cord injuries with the CPD bullet still lodged in his body.

HME is pursuing claims of excessive force against the officer and has alleged a pattern and practice of excessive force by CPD against minorities. According to HME attorney Steven Alan Hart: “This shooting is the most recent tragedy in a long line of tragedies where CPD officers have used excessive force against African Americans. What makes this case particularly troubling is that the victim here was 13 years old, he was unarmed, his hands were up, and he presented no threat to the officer or anyone else in the vicinity.”

HME is holding a press conference today at 2:00 p.m. outside Stroger Hospital, where A.G. is currently admitted.

03/30/2022

$1,300,000 SETTLEMENT

Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC attorneys Steven Alan Hart, Brian Eldridge, and Jack Prior have secured a $1.3 Million settlement on behalf of a client who suffered pelvic and spinal injuries after attempting to elope from the psychiatric unit of a hospital. In 2018, the 53-year-old male plaintiff was admitted to the hospital suffering from suicidal and homicidal ideations. The complaint alleged that while the plaintiff was in the psychiatric unit he presented as an elopement threat but was not placed on appropriate elopement precautions or given proper supervision. The plaintiff suffered his injuries after exiting an unsecured window and falling to the ground. His medical bills totaled approximately $175,000.00. HME Partner Jack Prior was pleased with the result: “This settlement is particularly rewarding because our client is so deserving. Far too often, mental health patients do not receive the treatment and care they require. While that was sadly the case here, we are happy to get some level of justice for our client.”

11/30/2021

Join HME founding Partner Brian Eldridge this Thursday, December 2nd at Pincus Professional Education's 11th Annual Illinois Circuit Court Boot Camp. Brian will be presenting on deposition and general litigation strategies.

To register, visit Pincus' website here: https://new.pincusproed.com/product/11th-annual-circuit-court-boot-camp-2021-il-two-part-webinar/?utm_campaign=211202_Cir_Ct_IL_no5_sent_11_12_opens&utm_source=211202-Circuit-Ct-5-IL&utm_medium=email

09/20/2021

HART McLAUGHLIN & ELDRIDGE WINS APPELLATE VICTORY: The Second District Appellate Court of Illinois affirmed summary judgment in favor of HME’s client in a negligence and premises liability suit. After considering the appellate briefing prepared by Steven Hart and Jack Prior and hearing Jack's in-person oral argument, the Appellate Court agreed that HME’s client was not negligent and plaintiff could not show a factual basis for his claims beyond his own speculation. The opinion is Field v. Exel Inc. et al., 2021 IL App (2d) 200642-U and you can hear Jack's oral argument here:

09/08/2021

On August 30, 2021, after over five years of hard-fought litigation by Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC (Steven Alan Hart, Brian Eldridge, and Jack Prior) and Romanucci & Blandin, LLC (Antonio Romanucci and Marty Gould), the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued the attached landmark opinion certifying multiple classes relating to the City’s pattern and practice of unconstitutional stops.

In certifying the class, the Court found that the City of Chicago knew, or should have known, that its centralized “stop and frisk” program was “associated with a risk of widespread Fourth Amendment violations” and that the Chicago Police Department’s response to the problem “actually facilitated the coverup of unconstitutional stops.” This opinion marks a crucial step forward as Plaintiffs seek injunctive and declaratory relief in order to reform of the Chicago Police Department and the training, supervision and accountability deficiencies causing constitutional violations. For more, see the link below:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/10262637/admin/

06/28/2021

HME is hiring !

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2623067393/

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2623106179/

Posted 2:31:53 PM. Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, a civil litigation boutique with a dynamic and diverse practice, is…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

05/19/2021

Join Ben Shrader, HME Partner and Chair of The Chicago Bar Association Sports Law Committee, on Thursday May 20th, when he moderates a panel discussion via Zoom webinar of recent sports law cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

04/23/2021

Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, seeking justice for the families of A.J. Crooms and Sincere Pierce, who were slain by Brevard County Sheriff’s Deputy Jafet Santiago-Miranda on November 13, 2020 in Cocoa, Florida. Along with our co-counsel, preeminent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, HME is honored to fight for A.J., Sincere, and their families, and will not rest until justice is served.

You can read more about the case here:

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said he'll be visiting Brevard on Friday for a press conference aimed at asking the U.S. Justice Department to review the deputy-involved shootings of two Cocoa teens.

03/12/2021

Join HME Partner Ben Shrader via Zoom on March 18, 2021 at 12:15pm Central, when he will be moderating a panel sponsored by The Chicago Bar Association Committee entitled "Sports Gambling: Legal and Ethical Issues." Ben will be joined by some excellent industry panelists. Attendance is free for CBA members. You can find more information here:

To confirm you are ready to participate in an on demand webcast, please take the browser test here: http://eventcenter.commpartner...

02/26/2021

HME Partners Steven Hart, Bob McLaughlin, and Kyle Pozan were featured in the Cook County Record. Read more here:

Lawyers are scheduled to receive up to one-third of the settlement, or $51 million, for their work on the litigation, that dates back to 2016.

01/18/2021

HME is proud to announce that John Marrese and Kyle Pozan have been promoted to Partner. Congratulations John and Kyle!