Blog

With more than 35 years of experience, the team at Hurley McKenna & Mertz has built a reputation for tackling some of the country’s most complex and emotionally challenging legal cases. Our attorneys and staff have worked together for decades, guided by trust, respect, and a shared commitment to the truth.

The HM&M Blog is where we share insights, resources, and updates across our core practice areas:

Medical Malpractice – Breaking down patient rights, hospital responsibilities, and the realities of pursuing claims against healthcare providers.
Sexual Abuse – Covering legal developments, survivor resources, and our fight to hold institutions accountable.
Vehicle Accidents – Offering guidance on navigating insurance, liability, and recovery after serious crashes.
Personal Injury – Helping victims understand their options for compensation when negligence causes harm.
Product Liability – Shedding light on unsafe products and the corporations that must be held responsible.
Nursing Home Abuse – Advocating for the safety and dignity of vulnerable elders facing neglect or mistreatment.

Through this blog, we aim to make the law more accessible, highlight important case updates, and provide information that empowers victims and families to take the next step toward justice.

All Posts

How to Choose the Right Malpractice Attorney

How to Choose the Right Malpractice Attorney Medical malpractice creates an extremely upsetting circumstance for victims and their families. The physical and emotional effects of medical malpractice are life-long and associated expenses can be unmanageable. Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, nurse, hospital, nursing home, or other health care provider fails to care for a patient in the way a reasonably careful health care provider would under similar circumstances.

Mar 31, 20222 min read

Wrongful Birth Lawsuit: What Is It, Exactly?

Wrongful Birth Lawsuit: What Is It Exactly? In a wrongful birth lawsuit, a parent alleges that medical providers who facilitated testing, exams, or assessments during pregnancy or during fertility treatments failed to provide proper information and/or counseling to the parents prior to the baby’s birth, resulting in the birth of a child with severe disabilities. The parents of a child born with a genetic or congenital disorder have a Wrongful Birth Lawsuit if, but for the

Mar 24, 20223 min read

Personal Injury Lawyer: When Do I Need One?

Learn what personal injury law covers, why hiring an attorney matters, and how Hurley McKenna & Mertz can help you seek justice.

Mar 17, 20222 min read

Sexual Abuse Statistics: The Surprising Truth

Sexual Abuse Statistics: The Surprising Truth Sexual abuse is a deeply troubling circumstance for victims and their families. Often, the effects of abuse for a victim are life-long. Furthermore, powerful organizations like churches, medical institutions, and athletic groups frequently choose to protect their reputations instead of appropriately disciplining the perpetrators they employ. In situations like these, it’s vitally important to understand the truth about sexual abu

Mar 10, 20224 min read

Institutional Negligence: What it Means, Who’s to Blame, and How You Can Achieve Justice

Institutional Negligence: What it Means, Who’s to Blame, and How You Can Achieve Justice Institutional negligence is when an incident occurs at a hospital, “surgicenter,” or other health care facility at which time the independent duty to supervise and ensure that care is safely provided is violated. This violation results in injury or abuse to a patient. In situations where institutional negligence occurs, specifically sexual assaults, formal reports or complaints are often

Mar 3, 20224 min read

Common Birth Injuries—And What To Do About Them

Did you know that approximately seven out of 1,000 infants suffer a birth injury ? And those are only the numbers we know of immediately following birth, considering some children are diagnosed later in life . Birth injuries can lead to long-term disabilities and can range from cerebral palsy to brachial plexus trauma. While birth injuries of all kinds can be devastating, it’s especially difficult when the injury is caused by medical malpractice. Below, we explore four co

Feb 25, 20224 min read

Sexual Predators In The NHL: The Developing Chicago Blackhawks Story

The beloved Chicago Blackhawks franchise has skeletons in its closet. While it has a loyal following of fans, the thought of this organization for sexual assault victims is gut-wrenching. In the developing story of the Chicago Blackhawks, three victims have been working closely with Attorney Christopher Cortese of Hurley McKenna and Mertz since 2021. These individuals allege they were either sexually assaulted by former Chicago Blackhawks video coach, Brad Aldrich, or punis

Feb 18, 20223 min read

BSA Tort Claimants Committee Recommendation

BSA’s revised plan improves youth protection, trust governance, and survivor recovery. TCC now urges survivors to accept.

Feb 11, 20222 min read

Hurley McKenna & Mertz Spearheads Negotiations Resulting in BSA's Revised and Improved Plan of Reorganization

Christopher Hurley and Evan Smola of Chicago’s Hurley McKenna & Mertz, working in conjunction with the Tort Claimants’ Committee (“TCC”) in the Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy proceeding, has negotiated important modifications to the BSA’s plan of reorganization that will benefit all BSA abuse survivors. The Revised Plan The revised plan will now (1) enhance child protection procedures for current and future Boy Scouts; (2) ensure independent governance of the Settlement

Feb 11, 20222 min read

UCLA Settles Gynecologist Sex Abuse Suit For $243.6 Million

The University of California has agreed to pay $246.3 million to settle allegations that hundreds of women were sexually abused by a former UCLA gynecologist, The Associated Press reports . The university ignored decades of complaints and deliberately concealed abuse by Dr. James Heaps over his 35-year career as an obstetrician and gynecologist at UCLA. This case is among several others exposed in recent years. A History of Abuse In the last several years, over 300 women ha

Feb 9, 20222 min read

Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse: How to Spot It & Stop It

There are 1.3 million people living in nursing homes . As the number of people residing in these facilities grows, some may not be receiving the level of care they deserve. Congress passed the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) of 1987 , requiring all nursing homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds to maintain facilities that are safe for their residents. The standards state: “The resident has the right to be free from verbal, sexual, physical, and mental abuse, c

Feb 3, 20225 min read

Robert Anderson & the University of Michigan: What to Know About Coaching & Sports Abuse

The opportunity to participate in organized sports has given athletes around the world the opportunity to improve their health, enjoy time with teammates, and relieve stress. However, that’s not always the situation participants face—especially student athletes. What should be a safe, comfortable environment for athletes to practice their sport sometimes devolves into a situation of gross power abuse. This is the unfortunate scenario that more than 1,000 student athletes fro

Jan 26, 20223 min read

4 Real-Life Examples of Sexual Abuse by Doctors

Sexual abuse suffered in a medical setting is a disturbing and traumatic experience. Often, victims of sexual abuse are left feeling confused and isolated. However, the sad truth is that sexual abuse in a healthcare setting is more common than you may realize. While many victims are afraid to come forward, plenty of others have—sometimes making headlines, and sometimes quietly bringing their abuser to justice. And whether you remain anonymous or not (the laws around anonymit

Jan 13, 20223 min read

How to Report Your Doctor for Sexual Abuse

Too many people end up in devastating scenarios when they think they’re going to receive routine healthcare. Many doctors abuse their position of power and respect with inappropriate comments, actions, and/or advances towards their patients. People who suffer sexual abuse at the hands of doctors are often left confused. They might convince themselves that what happened was an accident or a fluke, and nobody would believe them even if they did come forward. Others may not ev

Jan 7, 20223 min read

The National Trial Lawyers Announces Michael Mertz as One of Its Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Illinois

The National Trial Lawyers and Hurley McKenna & Mertz, P.C. are pleased to announce that Michael Mertz has been selected for inclusion into the National Trial Lawyers' Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Illinois . Only a select group of lawyers receive this prestigious honor for their superior skills and qualifications in the field. Membership in the National Trial Lawyers is by invitation only and is limited to the top 100 attorneys in each state or region who have d

Dec 29, 20212 min read

Can I Sue If I Was Sexually Abused By a Doctor?

When survivors stand up against sexual abusers , it’s because they’ve bravely chosen to confront the pain and trauma caused by those abusers. For most, reaching this point took weeks, months, or even years. Each survivor’s journey is their own; there are many paths by which sexual abuse survivors find closure. For many, however, one important step is determining whether they can sue for the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of a doctor or medical professional. While

Dec 29, 20213 min read

Patients Who Were Sexually Abused By Doctors Can Find Closure. Here's How.

Sexual abuse is often committed by perpetrators who victims knew, respected, and trusted. While all sexual abuse is devastating, surviving and living with the pain of sexual abuse by a doctor is one of the most unimaginable situations. Unfortunately, however, sexual abuse in hospitals is more common than most realize. Doctors who commit sexual abuse not only violate patients’ bodies, but their trust. Patients place arguably unrivaled trust in their doctors, seeking their ex

Dec 22, 20213 min read

3 Common Threads Among Doctors Who Commit Sexual Abuse

Doctors are the most trusted professionals out there, according to 69% of Americans who participated in Ipsos’ 2021 survey gauging Americans’ trust in several different professions. While more than two-thirds of Americans trust doctors more than any other profession, a staggering number of Americans have had their trust betrayed . More than 3,100 doctors across the States faced public sexual abuse accusations between 1999 and 2015, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitut

Dec 13, 20213 min read

How Do Hospitals Handle Sexual Abuse Claims?

When a hospital admits a patient, its team of medical professionals and staff are expected to take all necessary steps to help the patient leave their care in a much better state than when they arrived. However, while the overwhelming majority of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals invest their mental and emotional energy and skills in caring for patients, a disturbing number of them do not. Investigative reporting has shown that more than 3,100 doctors faced p

Dec 3, 20213 min read

4 Facts About Sexual Abuse That Might Surprise You

Sexual abuse is one of the most heinous crimes a person can endure, especially when the abuse was committed by people they knew, loved, and trusted. In cases involving a privileged or powerful person sexually abusing those who do not share that privilege or power, perpetrators often get away with their crimes longer than abusers who are not shielded from the law by their equally powerful peers. But no matter who commits these awful acts, many facts surrounding sexual abuse

Nov 24, 20213 min read