Naperville, IL (11/2023) - Collins Law attorneys Shawn Collins and Margaret (Maggie) Galka were honored this week at the Trial Lawyers Excellence Awards held in Chicago by the Jury Verdict Reporter, a division of Law Bulletin Media. Shawn and Maggie received the 2023 Trial Lawyer Excellence Award for obtaining the "Highest Reported Illinois Verdict or Settlement for an Individual Plaintiff."
Shawn and Maggie were recognized for their work on the Sterigenics trial team that won a record-breaking verdict of $363 million in September of 2022 on behalf of Plaintiff Sue Kamuda, who was diagnosed with breast cancer after breathing a carcinogen, ethylene oxide, from a nearby Sterigenics sterilization plant for decades. The verdict, the highest ever reported single plaintiff verdict in the state of Illinois, included $38 million in compensatory damages and $325 million in punitive damages. Shawn stated: "The huge punitive damages verdict sends a message to all polluters that there is a serious price to be paid for placing profits ahead of the health of your neighbors."
