Workplace Injury | Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd

Who Has The Power To Enforce Laws?

August 14, 2017/in Blog, Car accident injury law, Civil rights law, Court System, Elder abuse, Medical malpractice, Medical negligence, nursing home neglect, Personal injury claim, Personal injury law, Uncategorized, Workplace Discrimination, Workplace Injury, Wrongful death action/by Yao Dinizulu

When the United States established our institution of government through the Constitution the jury system was enshrined in that document. The 6^th and 7^th amendment were later added to the Constitution and protected the right to juries in criminal and civil cases.

But still more was needed to enforce this cherished right. African-Americans under federal law were given the right to serve on juries in 1875, but in practice many were openly and routinely removed from juries based on race until a US Supreme Court case in 1986 declared that conduct was prohibited by the constitution. Watch the video to learn more.

As late as 1942, only 28 states had laws that allowed women to serve as jurors, but these states also gave them the right to claim exemption based on their sex. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 gave women the right to serve on federal juries, but not until 1973 could women serve on juries in all fifty states.

The right to serve on jury is something people fought for and died for because this right is so important to the fabric of our laws. The primary purposes of civil tort law in America and here in Illinois as described by the Illinois Supreme Court is when someone has been wrongly injured by the acts of another the law is to:

to compensate the victims;
to reduce future wrong acts; and
to encourage careful conduct in the future to protect all of our citizens.

The jury enforces these laws through their collective verdict. By serving on juries, you are able to voice your opinion and influence the collective verdict. If you do not show up, you are allowing someone else to decide how the laws should be enforced. Therefore, someone else will have the power to determine the type of community you will live in. So remember, the juries’ verdict is how you enforce the laws of your community. That is why it’s so important to serve.

If you have questions about trial or your own serious injury, contact the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at 312-384-1920 or by email. Our Chicago personal injury attorneys are known for their expertise and tough litigation. Schedule a free consultation with one of our personal injury trial lawyers practicing throughout Illinois.

3 Reasons To Go To Jury Duty

August 11, 2017/in Blog, Car accident injury law, Civil rights law, Court System, Trucking accident injury law, Uncategorized, Workplace Discrimination, Workplace Injury, Wrongful death action/by Yao Dinizulu

Juries are an important part of the justice system in America and a pillar of our democracy. Our constitution guarantees citizens receive a fair trial that is overseen by an impartial jury. Not only does this create confidence that our laws will apply equally to all, but this is also one of the purest and most immediate way to participate in our justice system. Watch the video to learn more.

Here are more reasons why you should answer that jury summons:

You are giving back to your country. Many of us have never served in the military for our country. Jury service is one of the few times that we can give back to our country by serving on a jury and ensuring that our system of justice is supported.
We are stronger as a country when we serve on a jury with our fellow man and woman as the conscience of the community.
You will prevent absolute power by the politicians and corporations. This is your time to show what your community finds important to enforce or not enforce through your verdict.

A typically jury is made up of 6 to 12 jurors who are peers. Meaning it’s you and your fellow citizens who are asked to serve on a jury. You may be a laborer or a corporate executive. However, when you sit on a jury, it’s a community of equals that are on a jury, rather than a panel of experts. The case may well be about a union laborer who may have been injured or about a physician whose failed to diagnose a child. Either way, it is a collective jury that is to enforce the law and facts that has been presented to you by the judge and the parties.

It is the jury’s collective reasoned choice to interpret the facts and enforce the law. The jury makes the decision on a case, producing a verdict. These verdicts then become a part of what our communities expects from our doctors, lawyers, corporations, hospitals, and more. They outline what you the jury will expect now and in the future from the conduct of us all. This method of administering justice prevents absolute power. A jury of 6 to 12 people, who all come from different backgrounds and life experiences, must reach a unanimous decision.

So the next time you get that jury summons, make sure to serve. It may be a hassle, but in the end you, like so many others before you, will have made a huge commitment to our democratic system of government. That small burden is a small price to pay for the privileges and protections of our government and laws. With rights, come responsibilities. Jurors owe it to their fellow citizens to perform this service seriously; justice depends all on the quality of jurors who serve. The survival of your own right to trial by jury depends on the willingness of all to serve, so be part of the system and make a difference.

If you have questions about trial or your own serious injury, contact the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at 312-384-1920 or by email. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers are known for their expertise and tough litigation. Schedule a free consultation with one of our personal injury trial attorneys practicing law throughout Illinois.

Employee Fired For Being Injured After 22 Years On The Job

February 24, 2017/in Blog, Workplace Injury/by Yao Dinizulu

Have you been fired by your job after giving them years of your life? Why did they fire you? Did you have a workers’ compensation claim?

Workers’ compensation is a huge slippery slope. On one hand, it gives protections to you as an employee. On the other hand, your employer may try to retaliate because you filed workers’ compensation. You have a right to workers’ compensation, and a company cannot fire you as retaliation for filing a worker’s compensation claim. The key is having evidence to prove that this is why you were fired.

I once had a client who had worked for the same company for over 20 years. She injured her arm while working, and had to file a workers’ compensation claim. The doctor checked her out and told her it as Fibromyalgia, then had her take a leave from work. Her employer didn’t like that, so they sent her to a different doctor who declared that she was able to return to work.

She re-injured herself, and had to go on leave indefinitely. Her employer begged her to come back, and being a hard worker, she did. She requested and was granted some unpaid days off around a winter vacation. She was fired 2 days into her unpaid vacation. She was upset. Her employer said they were firing her because of job abandonment, but she knew she had received permission.

We had several experts testify on behalf of the client, but the most important testimony is the one from a coworker who their supervisor giving our client permission to have those days off. In response, the jury awarded a verdict of $1.8 million in favor of our client. Watch the video to learn more.

You can also find more videos and learn further about workers compensation laws on our media page. If you have questions about what to do if you were fired from a job for filing a worker’s compensation claim for an on the job injury, please contact us by email or at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. At the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd., our workman comp lawyers from Chicago are here for you.