Plaintiffs’ attorneys have plenty to be thankful for in modification of IPIs

For the Defense

By Donald P. Eckler

Donald “Pat” Eckler is a partner at Goldberg Segalla focusing on professional liability defense, insurance coverage litigation, and general tort defense. He is the legislative chair of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Eckler also is the co-host of the Podium and Panel podcast with Daniel Cotter. His views are his own and not those of his firm or its clients.

Posted November 24, 2021 11:08 AM

In a continuing string of gifts to the plaintiffs’ bar (prejudgment interest, last summer’s Cook County Case Management Order, and the recent Cook County HIPAA Qualified Protective Order), the Illinois Pattern Instruction Committee has eliminated IPIs 12.04 and 12.05 and amended IPI 15.01 such that the words “sole proximate cause” are no longer in the pattern jury instructions. This change was made in August without notice and comment, as is the procedure for the IPI Committee. It fundamentally changes the instructions …

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