Irina Dmitrieva has co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of the Illinois Defense Counsel (IDC) and the Defense Research Institute (DRI) in an Illinois Supreme Court case involving a challenge to the amended venue statute, 735 ILCS 5/2-101.5(a). In Piasa Armory, LLC, v. Raoul, No. 130539, a firearms dealer based in Madison County filed a suit in that county challenging the constitutionality of a recent state gun law. It also challenged the constitutionality of a recent venue amendment, fixing venue in Cook or Sangamon Counties for all lawsuits seeking declaratory or injunctive relief “against any State statute, rule, or executive order.” The trial court ruled that the venue amendment violated due process rights of those litigants who do not reside in Cook or Sangamon Counties. The trial court reasoned, in part, that the venue amendment precluded courts from transferring suits to a more convenient forum under the intrastate forum non conveniens doctrine.

The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) filed an amicus brief in support of the State, calling for the abolishment of the intrastate forum non conveniens doctrine.

In their opposing brief, Dmitrieva and her co-authors assert that the intrastate forum non conveniens doctrine is fundamental to the rights of defendants and the handling of lawsuits in Illinois. They also argue that the Court should disregard ILTA’s request because the intrastate forum non conveniens doctrine is irrelevant to the statutory venue issues in Piasa Armory.

Dmitrieva, a partner in the firm’s Chicago office, is a highly experienced appellate litigator with more than 20 years of success in federal and state appellate courts. She has represented both private clients and governmental entities. Prior to joining HeplerBroom, she served as the sole appellate attorney for the Chicago Transit Authority, one of the largest mass transit companies in the United States.