Top Cases
We’re proud to represent clients in some of the most impactful and high-profile cases in Illinois and beyond. These cases reflect not only the complexity of our work—but the lives changed when justice is pursued with purpose.
Top Verdicts & Settlements
Delivering justice—and life-changing results—for the people we represent.
At Hurley McKenna & Mertz, we’ve built a national reputation by taking on the most difficult cases—and winning. From medical malpractice and sexual abuse to defective products and institutional negligence, our attorneys have secured record-setting verdicts and settlements for clients across Illinois and beyond.
Each case below represents more than a number—it’s a life changed, a truth uncovered, and a powerful institution held accountable. These outcomes reflect the experience, strategy, and care we bring to every client’s fight for justice.
$89 Million
Medical Malpractice - Stroke Medication Mismanagement
$41 Million
A Cook County, Illinois jury awarded over $41 million to our client, a 72-year-old man who suffered a severe cardioembolic stroke after his doctors failed to monitor his INR levels and manage his Coumadin therapy with the proper medication dosage. We held OSF HealthCare System accountable for failing to prevent a catastrophic stroke that left our client permanently disabled.
Birth Injury - Cerebral Palsy Due to Preeclampsia and Delayed Cesarean Section Delivery
$32 Million
We secured a $32 million settlement at trial for a child left with brain damage and cerebral palsy after hospital staff failed to diagnose her mother’s severe preeclampsia and deliver her by emergency cesarean section delivery.
Product Liability - Defective Bicycle Tire
$31.25 Million
We obtained a $31.25 million settlement for a client who suffered a severe, life-changing injury spine injury due to a defectively designed and manufactured bicycle tire.
Product Liability - Defectively Designed PACCAR Truck Hood
$20 Million
A Cook County, Illinois jury awarded $20 million to our client, including punitive damages, after a PACCAR truck’s hood collapsed and caused him to lose an eye. At trial we exposed PACCAR’s knowledge that it had negligently designed the truck’s hood so that the hood would collapse unexpectedly during heavy winds.
Medical Malpractice - Spinal Surgery Resulting in Paralysis
$15.2 Million
A woman who was paralyzed during spine surgery received $15.2 million after the start of trial. We showed how her surgeon injured her spinal cord during a routine spine surgery when he failed to diagnose a condition called Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament, or OPLL.
Birth Injury - Cerebral Palsy Due to Improper Use of Forceps and Vacuum Extractor During Delivery
$14.1 Million
We won a $14.1 million jury verdict for a 14 year-old boy who suffered a brain injury at birth when, is response to an arrest of descent of the child's head in his mother’s birth canal, he used forceps and then a vacuum extractor to accom[plish delivery instead of performing an emergency cesarean section delivery. We proved to the jury that medical staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital failed to act quickly to deliver the child in response to his mother’s excessive uterine contractions, which acted to reduce oxygen delivery to the child during labor. Northwestern made no settlement offers before the trial.
Birth Injury - Cerebral Palsy Due to Federally-Employed Obstetrician’s Misdiagnosis
$13 Million
We obtained a $13 million settlement from the United States government for a child born with brain injuries and cerebral palsy after a federally-employed obstetrician failed to perform an emergency cesarean section delivery when the baby’s heart rate deteriorated during labor.
Sexual and Physical Abuse - Foster Care
$12 Million
We recovered $12 million for three children who were abused and neglected in a foster home that was never properly monitored by the adoption agency. The adoption agency placed the three siblings with a foster parent who was mentally ill, resulting in physicial and sexual abuse of the children.
Birth Injury - Cerebral Palsy Due to Breech Birth
$11.28 Million
We secured an $11.28 million structured settlement for a child with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia caused when hospital labor and delivery staff failed to detect the baby’s breech position, which resulted in umbilical cord compression and oxygen deprivation of the baby.
Medical Malpractice - Negligent Genetic Counseling
$10.5 Million
A $10.5 million settlement was obtained for a family misled by negligent genetic advice that resulted in the birth of a child with severe disabilities. We changed the law in Illinois for Wrongful Birth cases -- we convinced the Illinois Supreme Court to hold that parents in Wrongful Birth cases are entitled to damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress in addition to compensation for the expense of raising their disabled child.
More Top Cases
Top Cases Under $10 Million
We secured $10 million for a man with a lifelong brain injury caused at birth when a doctor prematurely ruptured membranes, triggering an umbilical cord prolapse. We proved this error deprived the baby of oxygen and led to permanent harm.
We reached a $9.8 million settlement for a child who lost their hearing due to a failure to diagnose meningitis. Our legal team demonstrated that earlier treatment could have prevented lifelong consequences.
A jury awarded $9 million to our client after a podiatrist performed a botched surgery that led to amputation—and we proved the hospital should never have allowed him to operate. Our success created legal precedent as Illinois’ first reported negligent credentialing case.
We reached a $7.5 million settlement for twin newborns who suffered brain injuries because their doctors failed to treat a Group B strep infection. Our work ensured accountability and long-term support for the family.
We obtained a $7.3 million structured settlement for a young girl whose shoulder nerve was permanently damaged during delivery. Our team showed how excessive force by resident physicians caused avoidable harm.
We won a $7.2 million verdict—the highest ever in DuPage County at the time—for the wrongful death of a woman misdiagnosed and mistreated while hospitalized for pneumonia. Our case proved her oxygen levels were fatally ignored.
Our client, an 81-year-old woman, was left needing permanent dialysis after nursing home staff misused gentamicin. We successfully appealed to increase the recovery from $3.2 million to $6.8 million, holding the facility fully accountable.
We obtained $6.5 million for a child who suffered brain damage after hospital staff failed to recognize that a fetal monitor was recording the mother’s heart rate, not the baby’s. The delayed cesarean delivery resulted in oxygen loss and lifelong injury.
We helped survivors of childhood sexual abuse reach a $6.1 million partial settlement with a major U.S. religious institution. Our legal team continues to pursue justice for these clients as additional claims are resolved.
We secured $6 million for a Chicago man who suffered major leg injuries in a truck crash in Birmingham, Alabama. Our firm fought across state lines to ensure he received the compensation he deserved.
We achieved a $5.4 million jury verdict for a woman who was violently attacked in her apartment building after management failed to secure a broken front door. Our case highlighted the duty of landlords to protect tenants from foreseeable harm.
We obtained a record $5.3 million settlement in DuPage County for the wrongful death of a young mother whose stroke went undiagnosed despite timely imaging. Our attorneys proved the radiologist and neurologist missed a clear chance to save her life.
We secured $5.3 million in 2024 for an ironworker who sustained a serious hand injury when construction materials fell on site. Our case held the responsible parties accountable for unsafe job conditions.