Articles Posted in Workers Compensation

Stewart v. Brill & Fishel, 2026 IL App (1st) 240056-U

This is an unpublished Illinois First District Appellate Court decision issued May 12, 2026, reversing a circuit court grant of summary judgment in a legal malpractice case.

Background. Plaintiff Ricky Stewart was injured in 2017 when he fell while working in a Jewel grocery warehouse, suffering a herniated cervical disc that required surgery. He retained attorney Francine Fishel of Brill & Fishel, P.C. to pursue a workers’ compensation claim against Jewel. Following an arbitration hearing, the arbitrator denied Stewart all benefits, finding he failed to prove both that his injury arose out of his employment and that a causal connection existed between his fall and his injuries. Stewart then sued Fishel for legal malpractice, alleging she committed several critical errors in handling his case.