Michael S. O’Connell provides representation in general, commercial, and real estate litigation on personal and business claims whether the client is the party bringing a lawsuit (the plaintiff) or the party who has been sued (the defendant).

REPRESENTATIVE CASES FOR PLAINTIFF CLIENTS:

• Our client, a $20 million dollar Illinois lottery winner, brought a case against his former attorney whom our client claimed had confiscated a portion of his winnings.  The case resolved in favor of our client after the attorney testified during a preliminary injunction hearing to knowingly making false statements to the Illinois Department of the Lottery.

• Co-counsel in False Claims Act case resulting in multi-million dollar settlement relating to alleged fraudulent billing practices on federal Chicago housing projects built by construction company.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES FOR DEFENDANT CLIENTS:

• We represented an attorney/CPA who was a partner in an accounting firm and left to start a law practice.  The accounting firm sued based on a non-compete agreement contained in the partnership agreement. Our client counter-sued for his capital account.  The trial court ruled the non-compete agreement was unenforceable against an attorney practicing law.
  

• Represented a foreign corporation sued on a contract claim in federal court.  After 42 minutes of deliberation, the jury ruled in favor of our client.

• Defense verdict after trial for our clients, a Chicago real estate brokerage and agent, accused of failing to disclose alleged mold issues in a home where plaintiffs sought nearly one million dollars at trial.