In August 2011, the railroad injury attorneys at Coplan + Crane represented a Metra employee in a trial against Metra. The employee prevailed at trial, and the jury returned a verdict for $272,000. Shortly thereafter, Metra appealed this jury verdict to the First District Illinois Appellate Court, asking the Court for a new trial. Specifically, Metra argued that the trial judge made a mistake in ruling on nuanced legal issue (a “special interrogatory”). The issue raised by Metra was an “issue of first impression,” meaning that the Illinois Appellate Courts and the Illinois Supreme Court had not previously addressed the issue. If Metra was successful on appeal, the original trial would have been for nothing, and a new trial would have taken place. Over the course of several months, Metra wrote briefs in support of its position, and the attorneys at Coplan + Crane responded. On June 6, 2013, the First District Illinois Appellate Court handed down the opinion in the case. The Court agreed with the arguments made by Coplan + Crane, and upheld the jury’s verdict.
