Expert Legal Services You Can Trust: Professional & Personal Liability
Experienced Civil Litigation and Trial attorney fighting for your rights
Meet W Stone Law
Experience
William Stone (“Bill”) was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the Chicago Public School System. As a trial lawyer, Bill has managed over 40 civil trials and injunction hearings, including more than 10 jury trials as "first chair." He specializes in personal and professional liability, insurance coverage, and defense, and
William Stone (“Bill”) was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the Chicago Public School System. As a trial lawyer, Bill has managed over 40 civil trials and injunction hearings, including more than 10 jury trials as "first chair." He specializes in personal and professional liability, insurance coverage, and defense, and has tried cases in both state and federal courts in Illinois and Indiana. Recently, Bill has focused on defending catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases with demands ranging from $16 to $18 million. He has also handled numerous personal injury and insurance coverage cases valued between $10 and $300 million through mediation, litigation, arbitration, and resolution before trial.
Bill is the founding partner of Stone and Johnson Chtd. and the former named partner at Bullaro, Carton & Stone Chtd.
Accolades
Cited as an Illinois Super Lawyer by Chicago Magazine and Law & Politics and among the Top 5% of Lawyers in Illinois for 2001-2020 as published in Crain’s Chicago Business. Member of Leading Lawyers Net Work (1999-2023) and “AV” Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell (1992-2023).
REPRESENTATIVE JURY TRIALS
Estate of Komacko v. Central Rent-A-Crane, et al, Cause No. 45C01-1106-CT-0091. (June 2012). The Estate of Komacko was the first case tried in Indiana where the Indiana Supreme Court allowed a video camera in the court room and the delayed web broadcasting of the trial to the general public. Komacko was a 14 day jury trial of an ironwork
Estate of Komacko v. Central Rent-A-Crane, et al, Cause No. 45C01-1106-CT-0091. (June 2012). The Estate of Komacko was the first case tried in Indiana where the Indiana Supreme Court allowed a video camera in the court room and the delayed web broadcasting of the trial to the general public. Komacko was a 14 day jury trial of an ironworker wrongful death case arising from a construction accident. The plaintiff asked the jury to award $16 million in damages and to find Bill’s client 60% at fault. Bill successfully persuaded the jury to apportion only 16% of fault against his client which resulted in a verdict of $1.3 million.
Yongping Zhou v. John Huang, et al, Case No. 03 L 5438. (April 2010). This was the trial of an attorney malpractice case where Bill represented the plaintiff who claimed as a result of his immigration attorney’s prior malpractice he was wrongfully incarcerated for 25 months. The jury, following 10 days of trial, returned a verdict in favor of Bill’s client for $4 million to compensate him for his loss of liberty, psychological and emotional injuries sustained and likely to be sustained in the future and the reasonable amount of psychological treatment needed stemming from his wrongful detention. The defendant appealed the case. Bill handled the appeal. The appellate court, in a non-published Rule 23 decision, granted the defendant judgment notwithstanding the verdict finding that attorneys (unlike doctors), in Illinois, cannot be held liable for non-economic damages. The appellate court based its decision on orbiter dictum and even held that the jury’s award of economic or money damages to compensate Bill’s client .
Hadrys v. Morrow Equipment, et al, Case No. 01 L 001279. (December 1-12, 2008). Hadrys was a construction injury “arm off” case tried twice. The first trial involved Bill’s client and three other construction company defendants. It ended in a mistrial on Bill’s motion due to the plaintiff’s liability expert’s violation of several critical motions in limine. The case was retried 10 months later solely against Bill’s client with the other defendants reaching settlements. The plaintiff’s pretrial demand was $14 million and the plaintiff asked the jury to award damages of approximately $17 million against Bill’s client. Bill successfully persuaded the jury to apportion 40% of the fault against the plaintiff which resulted in a net judgment of approximately $2.7 million. This judgment was quickly satisfied.
National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Dowd & Dowd, P.C., 191 F.R.D. 566, 1999 WL 1249311, N.D. Ill., December 14, 1999 (No. 97 C 6200). The Dowd case was an attorney malpractice case where Bill’s client sued the Dowd firm for botching the trial of an underlying catastrophic injury trucking accident case. The case was tried before a jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of lL. After a two week jury trial, the jury awarded Bill’s client $2 million. The defendants appealed to the United States Circuit Court for the Seventh Circuit and days before their decision was to be issued, the case settled for a confidential but significant amount. This case is significant because it involved the trial within the trial and created new law which allowed an excess carrier not in privity of contract with defense counsel to sue the Dowd firm under principles of equitable subrogation. The case is further significant because three decisions were published.
Representative Appellate Decisions
Walsh Const. Co. of Illinois v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 153 F.3d 830, 1998 WL 557580, C.A.7 (Ill.), September 02, 1998 (No. 97-3059)
American Intern. Adjustment Co. v. Galvin, 86 F.3d 1455, 1996 WL 339824, C.A.7 (Ind.), June 20, 1996 (No. 95-1966, 95-2089)
Matei v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 35 F.3d 1142, 1994 W
Walsh Const. Co. of Illinois v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 153 F.3d 830, 1998 WL 557580, C.A.7 (Ill.), September 02, 1998 (No. 97-3059)
American Intern. Adjustment Co. v. Galvin, 86 F.3d 1455, 1996 WL 339824, C.A.7 (Ind.), June 20, 1996 (No. 95-1966, 95-2089)
Matei v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 35 F.3d 1142, 1994 WL 502503,30 Fed.R.Serv.3d 355, C.A.7 (Ill.), September 15,1994 (No. 93-3172, 93-3373)
Jaurequi v. John Deere Co., 986 F.2d 170,1993 WL 27409, Prod.Liab.Rep. (CCH) P 13,403, C.A.7 (Ind.), February 08,1993 (No. 91-3852)
Emerson Elec. Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 319 Ill.App.3d 218, 743 N.E.2d 629, 252 Ill.Dec. 761, 2001 WL 38676, Ill.App. 1 Dist., January 16, 2001 (No. 1-98-4762, 1-98-4780, 1-99-244)
Los Amigos Supermarket, Inc. v. Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., 306 Ill.App.3d 115, 713 N.E.2d 686, 239111.Dec. 155, 1999 WL 398733, Ill.App. 1 Dist., June 17, 1999 (No. 1-96-3118)
St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. Lefton Iron & Metal Co., Inc., 296 Ill.App.3d 475, 694 N.E.2d 1049,230 Ill.Dec. 771, 1998 WL 221093, Ill.App. 5 Dist., May OS, 1998 (No. 5-96-0130)
Horn v. Urban Inv. and Development Co., 166 Ill.App.3d 62,519 N.E.2d 489, 116 Ill.Dec. 597, 1988 WL 8486, Ill.App. 2 Dist., February 09, 1988 (No. 2-86-0910)
National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Dowd & Dowd, P.C., 191 F.R.D. 566, 1999 WL 1249311, N.D. Ill., December 14, 1999 (No. 97 C 6200)
National Union Ins. Co. v. Dowd & Dowd, P.C., 2 F.Supp.2d 1013, 1998 WL 188247, N.D.Ill., April 20, 1998 (No. 97 C 6200)
Whitmer v. John Hancock Mut. Life Ins. Co., Not Reported in F.Supp., 1989 WL 197400, N.D.Ill., October 2, 1989 (No. 87 C 20306)
T-K City Disposal, Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 761 F.Supp. 552, 1991 WL 61797, 33 ERC 1390, 21 Envtl. L. Rep. 21,318, N.D.Ill., April 3, 1991 (No. 90 C 2204)
Chicago Miracle Temple Church, Inc., et al v. Lansing Bible Church, et al., 901 F.Supp. 901 F.Supp. 1333, September 26, 1995 (No. 94 C 413)
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