Marty Lucas began his career as a trial attorney representing victims of negligence in 1991 after graduating from IIT/Chicago Kent College of Law in Chicago. He was the winner of the American Jurisprudence Award for Torts while a student at Kent. He is an experienced trial lawyer who recognizes the great privilege and responsibility he has to represent victims of negligence.
Mr. Lucas takes pride in having tried cases to verdict in jurisdictions throughout the state. He has tried and argued cases in state court throughout the northern half of Illinois, the federal trial courts, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the Cook County Human Rights Commission. These trials have included medical malpractice, construction negligence, automobile collisions, sexual harassment and discrimination claims, and other personal injury matters. In addition to his trial work, he has argued cases on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court, multiple Illinois Appellate Courts, and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
He has been selected as an “Illinois Super Lawyer” every year since 2012 and has consistently achieved an AV-Preeminent rating with Martindale-Hubbell. Both of these distinctions are based on the review of his peers in the legal community. He has spoken at legal seminars about the status of construction negligence law in the state of Illinois.
He has obtained substantial awards for his clients in a range of personal injury cases, including multi-million dollar recoveries in medical malpractice and construction negligence cases.
Case Results
Below is a sampling of his verdicts and settlements over his career:
Construction Negligence/ Product Liability
- $36,100,000 Construction Negligence/Products Liability settlement for young construction union laborer crushed by a heavy machine on a jobsite.
- $15,650,000 for the Wrongful Death of one laborer and severe injuries to two other laborers who were severely burned due to a fire related to a faulty water heater while performing demolition work in an apartment building. The case involved Construction Negligence, Product Liability, and Premises Liability against multiple defendants.
- $5,550,000 plus waiver of workers’ compensation liens of approximately $1,000,000.00 construction negligence case settlement for three ironworkers injured when a steel caisson collapsed while they were tying reinforced steel bars.
- $5,030,000 plus waiver of workers’ compensation lien of approximately $725,000 construction negligence case settlement for a union ironworker whose dominant hand was crushed by a crane outrigger that was retracted without warning.
- $3,850,000 and waiver of the worker’s compensation lien for ironworker superintendent who slipped and fell 12-15 feet from a beam while taking measurements for decking placement. The ironworker fractured both ankles and his wrist
- $2,922,000 Construction Negligence settlement for a painter who fell from a second floor landing due to lack of guardrails. The worker sustained fractures to his spine. He died of unrelated causes three years after his fall.
- $2,600,000 settlement for a laborer who was struck by a concrete panel that was not secured during interior demolition work. The general contractor and the architect/engineer contributed to the settlement.
- $1,850,000 construction/automobile case settlement for a laborer who was struck by a utility company bucket truck while helping to relocate an old train depot.
- $1,351,000 gross settlement for an ironworker who fell while attempting to climb over a wood guardrail that blocked his path. The guardrail failed causing him to fall to the deck on his arm leading to a tear of the labrum in his shoulder. After two surgeries, the client did return to work as an ironworker despite development of post-traumatic arthritis in the shoulder.
- $1,300,000 and waiver of worker’s compensation lien for a pipefitter injured due to a compressed air explosion while connecting pipe. The worker was thrown from a ladder and sustained compression fractures in his back, a fractured wrist, and penetration of glass, metal, and dirt in his face and eyes. The defendants agreed to the settlement figure even though the client had returned to work as a pipefitter.
- $1,250,000 and waiver of the worker’s compensation lien for a bricklayer struck by a stack pipe left unsecured by the plumbing contractor. The client underwent surgery to remove a herniated disc from his neck as well as treatment for jaw pain, headaches, and dizziness.
- $1,050,000 and waiver of worker’s compensation lien for an ironworker who slipped and fell on ice while welding. The client underwent surgery to his low back, but he courageously returned to ironwork. The Defendants met Plaintiff’s settlement demand once trial began.
- $800,000 settlement for a 63 yr old laborer who was pinned by construction materials that were improperly loaded on an elevator on a jobsite. The injury aggravated a previous shoulder injury and required surgery.
- $1,350,000 settlement for an ironworker who tripped in a hole which had not been properly backfilled.
Medical Malpractice
- $6,000,000 Medical negligence settlement at the end of a jury trial for a 6 month old boy who sustained brain damage after an endotracheal tube became dislodged.
- Mr. Lucas was asked to appear as additional counsel in a medical negligence/birth injury case where it was alleged that a baby’s cerebral palsy was caused by the failure to perform a timely cesarean delivery. He assisted the other firm in preparing the case for trial and helped obtain a $5,000,000 settlement at the time of trial. The case was strongly contested with approximately twenty expert witnesses hired by the parties.
- $2,800,000 settlement in Medical Malpractice/Wrongful Death case for 60 yr old man who committed suicide in a hospital.
- $1,500,000 Wrongful Death/Medical Malpractice settlement in Winnebago County for woman who died as a result of undetected internal bleeding following a cesarean delivery.
- $1,000,000 settlement in a Wrongful Death/Medical Negligence case in which a premature infant died when the defendants allegedly failed to recognize and re-position an intravenous line that moved into the heart.
- $1,000,000 (full policy limits) settlement for Wrongful Death due to her physician’s failure to diagnose lung cancer.
- Settlement of $880,000 for the family of an elderly woman who died from Legionella she was exposed to while in the hospital for treatment for another serious medical condition.
- Wrongful Death/Medical Negligence settlement for 58 year old man injured in a car collision. It was alleged that the anesthesiologist failed to properly and timely respond to a dangerous drop in blood pressure during administration of pain medication. The case settled for $900,000.
- Wrongful Death/Medical Malpractice verdict of $950,000 for a 58 year old woman who died after her internist failed to diagnose a rare blood clotting disorder resulting from medication given after she suffered a heart attack.
Other Personal Injury
- $4,500,000 Verdict for a young woman injured when struck by a car involved in a police pursuit/chase. The jury found the defendant police department was willful and wanton/reckless when its officers engaged in the pursuit
- Obtained a verdict of more than $260,000 for a young teenager whose calf was severely lacerated on the edge of metal bleachers the Chicago Park District placed by an outdoor basketball court. The Appellate Court upheld the verdict and agreed that the Plaintiff proved the Park District’s conduct was willful and wanton, a much higher standard for Plaintiffs to prove.
- Verdict for the Plaintiff in federal court involving a fall down a stairway. Our client claimed someone left a cardboard tray on the stairs causing him to fall. After the court ruled in our client’s favor on liability issues under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the government agreed to settle the case.
“It is important to understand that the world can turn upside down for my clients who have suffered a serious injury. We firmly believe in this office that our efforts in the civil justice system can bring about a renewed sense of security for our clients.”
Areas of Practice:
- Trials/Litigation
- Construction Negligence
- Medical Malpractice Matters
- Personal Injury Claims
- Products Liability
- Police Misconduct/Vehicle Pursuits
Bar Admissions:
Education:
- J.D. Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, 1991
- B.A. John Carroll University, 1986
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Listed as an Illinois “Super Lawyer”
