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For the Defense

By Donald P. Eckler

Donald “Pat” Eckler is a partner at Pretzel & Stouffer focusing on professional liability defense, insurance coverage litigation, and general tort defense. He is the legislative chair of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Eckler also is the co-host of the Podium and Panel podcast with Daniel Cotter. His views are his own and not those of his firm or its clients.

Posted March 10, 2021 11:47 AM

One of the enduring questions of political philosophy, that must come before the decision of what should be done, is who is to decide. In the area of injuries to workers in Illinois, those decisions are usually made by the Workers’ Compensation Commission. In contrast to Public Act 101-0006 discussed in this space on May 18, 2020, and the decision in Quintana v. Ferrara Candy Company, 2020 IL App (3d) 190414-U, addressed here on Sept. 30, 2020, the court in the recent decision of Sampson v. Prairie Farms Dairy Inc., 2021 …

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