Dennis Fitzpatrick Associate

Dennis joined the firm in January 2015. He concentrates his practice on insurance defense litigation with a focus on defending against potentially fraudulent insurance and health care claims. He has tried more than 50 personal injury jury trials in five different Illinois counties. He has given seminars on topics such as health care provider licensing violations and developing defense strategies for suspicious soft tissue and pain management-bodily injury claims. He is a Past President of the Illinois Chapter of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators. In addition to trying several cases each year, Dennis serves as an arbitrator for several insurance companies.

Representative Matters:

January 2023, Progressive Universal Insurance Company v. Juan Walker and Laverne Jones

Declaratory Judgment Action seeking determination of no coverage under policy for Defendants' 2019 material misrepresentations

Alleged hit and run accident on e/b Lake Street in Chicago, IL. Defendants contended that they were rear-ended by an unknown black van and forced into and elevated train pillar before the van fled the scene. Through the use of post-mva body camera footage and EDR data, carrier successfully argued that the Defendants%u2019 vehicle was not involved in a hit and run loss with an alleged black van. The EDR data supported that Defendants vehicle sustained two rear impacts before a frontal impact and in all three impacts, the vehicle accelerated from a stopped position within 5 seconds prior to the impact. The CPD body cam footage depicted no debris behind the Defendants%u2019 vehicle on scene and carrier successfully argued that the incident was staged. Court made a judicial determination on jury%u2019s verdict that Defendants made material misrepresentations and no coverage was to be afforded for the alleged loss.

June 2017, Ziemke v. Mehmood, 15 L 2865

Demand: $125,000. Offer: $20,000. Asked of Jury: $461,036. Verdict: Not Guilty.

Three vehicle rear-end accident. Admitted negligence. Plaintiff was a 49-year old claiming a posterior malleolar fracture of the right ankle, high ankle sprain, and three ruptured ligaments in the right ankle. She required several surgical procedures, including insertion of a syndesmotic screw, repair of the talofibular ligament, arthroscopic repairs of osteochondral defect, removal of the screw after it loosened, exostosis shaving, and bony fragment removal. $112,783 medical expenses, $13,253 lost time. Dennis denied plaintiff's ankle injury was related to the collision and argued the mechanism of impact was insufficient to have caused her claimed injuries. Dennis supported his theory by calling an orthopedic medical expert.