$750,000 – Negligent Medical Care
In 2021, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd., was able to secure a settlement of $750,000.00, on behalf of Norman Rose, Administrator of the Estate of Eric Holt, in his lawsuit against the United States of America relative to alleged negligent medical care and treatment provided to Eric Holt at Hines V.A. Hospital. In May, 2016, Hines V.A. Hospital prescribed Eric Holt methadone for his chronic back pain. Within 16 days of Eric Holt beginning this prescription medication, he died of methadone toxicity. Eric Holt left surviving him his minor child, B.P.
$1,050,000 – Wrongful Death
In June 2019, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. reached a $1,050,000 settlement in a case pending in Central Illinois for the Wrongful Death of an 8-year old girl. The plaintiff, WH, age 8, presented to the Emergency Department of a Central Illinois hospital with chest tightness, tachycardia (an elevated heart rate) nausea and vomiting. She was seen by a Nurse Practitioner who discharged her from the hospital within 3 hours, diagnosing her with a “stomach bug”. The Nurse Practitioner did not perform any chest x-ray, EKG or laboratory studies (other than a strep test). WH had a condition called “myocarditis”, an infection in her heart muscle. More than 80% of pediatric patients with this condition survive, with treatment. WH died within 12 hours of being discharged from the Emergency Department by the Nurse Practitioner.
$400,000 – Nursing Home Negligence
In June 2016, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. recovered a settlement of $400,00 in a nursing home negligence case in Effingham, Illinois against the defendant, Lakeland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the alleged negligent care and treatment of the plaintiff, Vicki S.
$500,000 – Medical Malpractice
In June 2012, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. successfully finalized a $500,000 settlement for Ronald J., an 80-year old gentleman who presented to a suburban hospital for an elective out-patient procedure known as an electrophysiology study to check the status of his previously placed defibrillator. During the performance of this procedure, the defendant physician mistakenly entered Ronald’s carotid artery, as opposed to his jugular vein, causing extensive bleeding and a hematoma to form at the entry site, which led to Ronald’s inability to breath. As a result of this medical error, Ronald suffered an anoxic brain injury. After months of rehabilitation, Ronald made a complete recovery.
$6,000,000 – Medical Malpractice
In March 2012, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. reached a $6,000,000 settlement on behalf of our client, a young girl, Grace B., and her parents, without having to engage the family in the lengthy, timely and stressful undertaking of a jury trial.
Grace B. was born at 36 weeks gestation with healthy Apgar scores. At the time of her birth, Grace was doing well. However, over the course of the first six hours of her life, Grace developed respiratory distress which was unrecognized by the medical staff assigned to her care. By the time Grace was sent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she was near death. Grace suffered severe brain damage as a result of the medical care provider’s failure to promptly recognize and treat her respiratory distress. The $6,000,000 settlement reached on Grace’s behalf compensates her and her family for her past medical expenses, her anticipated future medical expenses, her pain and suffering and her permanent disability.
$4,230,000 – Product Liability and Medical Negligence
In 2011, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. finalized a $4,230,000 settlement on behalf of Brenda and Bryant P., a mother and her young son who was born with serious birth defects. Brenda worked at an Illinois factory on the manufacturing line. During the course of her work, she was not provided proper safety equipment and was required to use toxic chemicals. As a result of her exposure in the work place, her son developed severe birth defects including a missing left arm, a deformity at his left shoulder and a cleft lip and palate. Brenda had numerous ultrasounds to ensure she had a healthy pregnancy, as this was her fourth child. None of her health care providers ever informed her of any abnormalities with her baby until after his birth.
$490,000 – Medical Negligence
In January 2011, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. reached a $490,000 settlement on behalf of James S., for injuries he sustained when he suffered a fall at a local Chicago Hospital. During his admission to the Hospital, James experienced mental status changes and was taken for a CT scan. On the way to the radiology department, it was acknowledged that James presented a fall risk, and he was properly secured. The CT scan demonstrated no abnormal findings. Following the CT scan, James was left unattended in the hallway, without being properly secured to his gurney, at which time he fell. As a result of this fall, James suffered a subdural hematoma and resulting seizure disorder.
$198,000 – Motor Vehicle Collision
On November 23, 2010 George I. was on his way home from work, heading west-bound on Illinois Route 30, when a drunk driver crossed the center line of Route 30 and hit him head on. Thankfully, George survived and only suffered brief unconsciousness, a left elbow fracture and muscle sprains which completely resolved within six months.
$1,100,317 – Medical Malpractice
In November 2010, Henry Phillip Gruss and Gena Gruss Romagnoli obtained a jury verdict on behalf of Arlyne S., with regard to a case in which Ms. S. fell while she was a patient at Northwest Community Hospital. Ms. S. had undergone a knee replacement surgery. Post-operatively, her doctor ordered that she was to have two persons assisting her while up from bed. Two days after her surgery, Ms. S. was left alone while using a bedside commode and fell to the floor. As a result of the fall, Ms. S. required three additional surgeries and suffered a severe infection.
$1,400,000 – Pedestrian/Motor Vehicle
In June 2009, Henry Phillip Gruss and Gena Gruss Romagnoli obtained a jury verdict on behalf of Luis S., a minor, in a case in which he was struck by a van while he was being pushed by his mother in a stroller through a crosswalk at Devon Avenue and Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago, IL. The defense argued to the jury that Luis’ mother was the sole proximate cause of his injury and argued that Luis was not significantly injured as a result of the collision. Attorneys Gruss and Romagnoli, who worked closely with the family and Luis’ educational providers, were able to establish that the boy had been developmentally on-track prior to this occurrence and that as a result of this collision he sustained a closed head injury resulting in speech and language disability and cognitive deficits.
$1,336,913.79 – Product Liability – Vioxx
In 2009, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. successfully secured settlements on two Vioxx cases, one settlement totaling $871,892.17 for the wrongful death of Beatrice M., and one totaling $465,021.62, for the wrongful death of Irwin R. With regard to the settlement on behalf of Irwin’s family, another prominent Chicago law firm had previously rejected this case, feeling that the type of stroke Irwin suffered would exclude him from the Vioxx settlement. Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. took on the case and successfully argued that Irwin’s stroke, while later categorized as hemorrhagic stroke, was in fact an ischemic stroke that converted to a hemorrhagic stroke, thereby qualifying it for settlement.
$2,000,000 – Medical Malpractice
In April 2008, Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. reached a $2,000,000 settlement on behalf of a minor, Kevin P., for injuries he sustained at the time of his birth. Kevin P. was born in February 1993, at a Chicago Hospital. His mother had a normal pregnancy, up until mid-way through the labor when she experienced a placental abruption. A prompt Cesarean delivery was required, but in this case, it took one hour and five minutes for the defendants to perform the delivery. As a result, the baby suffered fetal distress. While Kevin did not sustain any physical disabilities as a result of his birth experience, he does have cognitive deficits and a mild mental disability.
$5,900,000 – Medical Negligence
Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd., successfully settled the case of a young girl, Yaritza D. Yaritza’s mother had a totally normal pregnancy, until the delivery of her daughter. During the delivery, at the moment that the baby was being delivered, the defendant doctor moved away from the mother and the baby then came out of the birth canal, flying onto the floor and severing the umbilical cord, causing blood loss. As a result of this medical error, Yaritza was caused to suffer a hypoxic brain injury and she developed cerebral palsy. Notwithstanding her severe and extensive birth injuries, Yaritza has since gone on to a successful music career, becoming a popular Hispanic Christian-music star.
$4,400,000 – Product Liability
Henry Phillip Gruss, Ltd. successfully settled a product liability case on behalf of the Estate of Corky B. for $4,400,000 against the makers of a popular anti-depressant drug and Mr. B’s treating psychiatrist and psychologist. Attorney Henry Phillip Gruss personally developed a successful case strategy in this matter in which Mr. B. had been continuously prescribed increasing doses of the anti-depression medication, notwithstanding Mr. B.’s development of unusual, non-reassuring side effects from this medication. Eventually, shortly after receiving yet another increase in his dosage of this medication, Corky B. committed suicide.