Smith Blake Hill LLC

SBH partner Jenny Blake and associate Suzana Broderick secured a decisive defense verdict in Cook County on behalf of their clients, an anesthesiologist and anesthesiology group. The case involved a sixty-three-year-old man with suspected cervical radiculopathy who underwent three MRIs (cervical spine, wrist, and forearm) under general anesthesia due to claustrophobia.??Plaintiff alleged the anesthesiologist failed to protect and/or prevent a right rotator cuff injury during or after the MRIs. He claimed the injury was caused by positioning for the MRIs and/or occurred during transfer of the patient from the MRI table onto the transport cart or gurney. As a result of the alleged negligence, Plaintiff claimed he suffered injuries to his right shoulder rotator cuff, including multiple traumatic tears of his rotator cuff and/or aggravation of his chronic rotator cuff tear, which required surgical repair 30 days after the MRIs. Defendants argued the Plaintiff’s shoulder injury pre-dated the MRIs, was not the result of anything that occurred during or after the MRIs, and was a progression of his chronic shoulder issues and not as a result of negligence. Plaintiff asked the jury to award $510,000. After less than ten minutes of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the Defendants. The case was tried in the Cook County Circuit Court before The Honorable John Ehrlich.

SBH Congratulates Our Newest Partners, Samantha D'Anna and Kevin Fleming!

SBH Congratulates our 2025 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars: Jenny Blake, Kevin Bugos, Tom Hill, Samantha D'Anna, and Kevin Fleming!

Smith Blake Hill is a great place to work and we'd love to have you join us! We are currently seeking a legal assistant to join our team. See the full details below! Legal Assistant Smith Blake Hill LLC is seeking a Legal Assistant to join our team. Experience working in a law firm is required and knowledge of litigation and medical terms would be beneficial. Tasks include preparing court filings and written discovery, maintaining attorneys' calendars, maintaining open communication with clients, and assisting in all aspects of the trial litigation process. Typing proficiency and a working knowledge of Office365 is required. A partial work-from-home schedule is available. Principals only. Recruiters, please refrain from contacting. Interested candidates, please submit your resume to [email protected]

SBH is proud to be recognized by 2025 edition of Best Law Firms? as a Tier 1 Best Law Firm for Medical Malpractice Law and Professional Malpractice Law.

SBH congratulates our newest associates, Michael Fowler and Lauren Reyes!

Happy Halloween from Smith Blake Hill LLC!

SBH partners Mark Smith and Greta Powell (Hafeman) along with associate Jack Moore secured a defense verdict in Cook County on behalf of their client, a vascular surgeon. The case involved the death of a fifty-eight-year old woman with significant atherosclerosis and peripheral vascular disease. Our client, a vascular surgeon, had attempted numerous interventions to treat blockages in the patient’s legs. Those treatments unfortunately failed, and the patient required a left leg amputation. While rehabbing, the patient developed wounds on her right leg, as a result of arterial blockages and reduced blood flow. Our vascular surgery client performed a femoral-tibial bypass surgery to restore blood flow and salvage the patient’s remaining leg. The patient’s hemoglobin and blood pressure were low throughout the procedure. A chest tube was placed after a chest x-ray showed a hemothorax. While the patient had some improvement she later became hypoxic, arrested, and died. ?It was later revealed that when the central line was placed by the anesthesiologist during surgery, it had punctured the right innominate vein, resulting in internal bleeding. Plaintiff argued our client should have stopped surgery to investigate the cause of the low hemoglobin and low blood pressure. The defense argued the patient’s death was the result of a known complication of central line placement and due to the patient’s underlying medical conditions that limited her ability to withstand the insult. Stopping the procedure would have necessitated disposing of harvested vessels and amputating the patient’s remaining leg.?The defense further argued the patient had reassuring mean arterial pressures (“MAP”), that her hemoglobin improved to its preoperative level with the administration of blood products, and that other interventions caused the patient’s condition to improve without needing to stop the surgery.?Plaintiff asked the jury to award in excess of $4.5 million. After approximately four hours of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the physician. The case was tried in the Cook County Circuit Court before The Honorable Brendan A. O’Brien.