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MARK SILVERMAN
LAW OFFICE LTD.
225 W. WASHINGTON
22ND FLOOR
CHICAGO, IL 60606
(312) 775-1015
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Class Action
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Past results
are not guarantees of same results in your case
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Some cases settle before court. All
of them probably should. There
are a lot of landlords with good intentions. This is why we usually
send a landlord a copy of the complaint we intend to
file in court before filing it, advising the landlord to
consult with their own lawyer and settle the matter
before it is filed.
If a case cannot be settled then
there has to be a trial (or
mandatory arbitration).
Renters should be prepared to testify honestly and
provide evidence related to their tenancy. The landlord who loses at
trial in most cases must pay both damages and also the renter's court
costs and attorney fees. This gives attorneys some
incentive to represent tenants who otherwise cannot
afford to pay a lawyer to get their wrongfully withheld
deposit back. It also gives landlords some
incentive to think twice about ripping tenants off.
Below are examples of some cases we had to take to
trial, or the Court of Appeals:
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If we end up having to go to trial, the landlord
will never believe our attorney fees are
reasonable. But judges
have found our fees to be fair. As one
judge put it:
![And I might add, although [Landlord] may not appreciate it, but this matter has been handled about as efficiently as I've seen many lawyers for plaintiffs handling these matters, and the amount that's to be imposed for attorney's fees is probably one of the lower amounts I've seen and is due primarily to the efficiency with which this lawyer has conducted himself during the matter. So there will be judgment accordingly. You can total the whole thing up. That will be the order.](courts.jpg)
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Sometimes many renters are part
of
class actions. This
makes sense when lots of people were subject to
the same allegedly unlawful practice by the same
landlord. We have filed cases resulting in
cash or rent-credit settlements for thousands of
renters in Chicago and other
Illinois cities like Arlington Heights, Lisle,
Morton, Naperville, and Schaumburg. |
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In theory, renters who represent their class
(1) do neighbors a
favor, (2)
motivate
landlords to abide
by the law, and
(3)
represent the rights of all Illinois renters.
Click
HERE
to fill out and submit a questionnaire for a free review
of your tenancy situation. Email to
mark@depositlaw.com or call (312) 775-1015.
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