- Posts by Matthew B. ChamplinPartner
With over 20 years of litigation experience, Matthew B. Champlin emphasizes pragmatism, cost-effectiveness, and innovative problem-solving to secure the best possible outcomes for his clients in complex litigation matters.
He ...
Analyzes Illinois appellate court decision on law distinguishing between roadway’s intended versus permitted user and effects on municipalities and bicyclists
Illinois’ Supreme Court will decide whether an Appellate Court opinion in Gant also applies to negligent training claims against employers
The Illinois Supreme Court recently decided Sienna Court Condominium Ass'n v. Champion Aluminum Corp., 2018 IL 122022 (December 28, 2018). The case raised a rather straightforward question: May the purchaser of a newly constructed home assert a claim for breach of an implied warranty of habitability against a subcontractor who had no contractual relationship with the purchaser? The Court held that the purchaser could not assert such a cause of action, regardless of the general contractor's insolvency or the unavailability of recourse against the general contractor. This ruling ...
The Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act, 745 ILCS 10/1-101, et seq.—commonly known as the Tort Immunity Act—provides certain statutory immunities to local public entities. These protected entities include, but are not limited to, counties, townships, municipalities, school districts, park districts, and other local governmental bodies. See 745 ILCS 10/1-206. The Act sets forth those circumstances in which an entity is entitled to immunity, but many of the Act’s provisions expressly except immunity when an entity’s conduct is ...
The Joint Tortfeasor Contribution Act (the Act), 740 ILCS 100/0.01, et seq., codified the Illinois Supreme Court’s opinion in Skinner v. Reed-Prentice Division Package Machinery Co., 70 Ill. 2d 1 (1977), and created a right of contribution among joint tortfeasors. BHI Corp. v. Litgen Concrete Cutting & Coring Co., 214 Ill. 2d 356, 363 (2005). Since its inception, the Act’s application has been the subject of hundreds of Illinois appellate court and supreme court opinions. Despite this abundance of jurisprudence, many questions remain unanswered when addressing the ...