The winning attorneys of Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC , Anthony R. Elman and Frederick Joseph III, settled a Chicago wrongful death case for $975,000. The State Farm insurance policy was $1,000,000. The lawsuit involved the death of an 86-year-old elderly man who died as a result of a fire at a Chicago apartment.
Eddie Fort, 86, was visiting friends at their apartment in the South Side of Chicago on Christmas Day, 2017. After everyone went to bed, a fire of an unknown origin broke out in Mr. Fort’s room. The fire engulfed the entire apartment. Despite the best efforts of the decedent’s (Eddie Fort) friends and Chicago Fire Department first responders, he did not survive.
Initial interviews with Chicago Fire Department officials indicated that there may have been some non-working smoke detectors in the multi-unit building owned by the defendant. The defendant’s insurance company, State Farm, denied that their insured was liable for any non- working smoke detectors, and refused to offer anything to the victim’s family until after they were represented by Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC. State Farm Insurance claimed that all the smoke detectors were operational and fully functioning at the time of this fire.
The Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC handled the case from the beginning of the post-fire accident scene. Frederick Joseph III, a partner at the Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC was on the accident scene with a fire investigator/expert within a few days. While the cause of the fire remained undetermined, the fire investigator expert hired by the Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC found that the building and the unit Mr. Fort was sleeping in during the night of the incident lacked functioning smoke detectors. State Farm maintained that their insured, owner of the building, was not responsible for any alleged non-working smoke detectors. The Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC aggressively and quickly filed the wrongful death lawsuit after policy demands to State Farm Insurance were ignored.
During the discovery process of interrogatories and depositions of parties and witnesses, State Farm Insurance’s position became clearer. State Farm fought the case on liability and offered only 1/10 of their policy amount ($100,000) to settle this matter. Anthony Elman and Frederick Joseph didn’t back down and fought the litigation discovery battle. More depositions were taken and experts were retained. Ultimately Anthony R. Elman and Frederick Joseph III were able to build a case that forced State Farm to offer $975,000.00 to settle the matter and bring closure to the Fort family, who lost a loved one too soon.
The Illinois trial attorneys at Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC are winning and highly accomplished in maximizing the amount of just compensation for those persons that have been injured or who have died due to the negligence of others. The trial attorneys at Elman Joseph Law Group, LLC have attained numerous successful jury trials verdicts and settlements in motor vehicle accident, motorcycle accident, premises liability, and death cases. In November of 2019, Anthony R. Elman was honored to be awarded the attorney with the “Most Personal Injury Jury Verdicts” by the Chicago/Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter, a division of the Chicago Law Bulletin.