K T C O
CH I CAGO TR I AL L A W Y E R S
Chute O’Malley Knobloch & Turcy
llc
TRIAL ATTORNEYS
MAY 2020
COMING TOGETHER IN A TIME OF CRISIS How We’ve Adapted Under Unprecedented Circumstances
(773) 906-4063
ChuteLaw.com
I want to start off by saying thank you. Thank you for your patience as we’ve navigated new territory. Thank you for trusting us to move your case forward and provide you with excellent service through this time. I’ve felt overwhelmingly grateful for how understanding you have been. None of this has been easy, but together, we will get through this. Challenging circumstances can threaten to tear us apart, but when we come together instead, we become stronger in the face of adversity. The last couple months have challenged all of us, but I’ve seen my team and our clients rise to the occasion. I’ve seen us be there for one another in new ways and find ways to connect despite social distancing. I’ve seen each person do their part to keep others safe. When this all started, that was our priority: keeping our team members safe and employed and continuing to serve our clients. When we learned on a Friday in mid-March that schools would be closed the following week, we knew we needed to act fast. Most of my partners and most of our staff have children. We couldn’t continue operating in the same fashion if everyone had children at home. We wanted to set up our team the right way so they could be home to care for their families and still be able to work. Right away, we started looking into alternatives. We worked with our IT company to get everything set up, and the day before schools closed, we told our team that we would be going remote. From there, we’ve done everything we can to adapt to the circumstances and keep our employees safe while still serving our clients. While courts have been closed, we’ve been doing everything we can to move cases forward.
Naperville Office 475 River Bend Road Suite 101 Naperville, IL 60540 Chicago Office 218 North Jefferson Suite 202 Chicago, IL 60661
PERSONAL INJURY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION WRONGFUL DEATH
In some ways, this shift in our daily lives is an opportunity to be there for others. Even if we can’t be there in person, it doesn’t prevent us from reaching out to see how a friend is doing or calling an elderly neighbor to ask if they need anything. We’ve looked at this as an opportunity to provide better service to our community. With all this in mind, please let us know how we can help you. We’re here for you and have been putting our all into moving your case forward. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Wishing you good health this month,
–Tom Chute
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Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy | ChuteLaw.com
THE $60,000 HEIST YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF
Crimeless Theft in Cyberspace
Because of the risk-reward nature of the game, many players unite in huge factions for safety and to pool their resources. One of these groups, Circle of Two or CO2, was the target of the 2017 attack. Within a matter of hours, CO2’s bank accounts were drained and the space stations holding their fleets of ships were sold to their enemies. It was clear from the beginning: This was an inside job. The thief was CO2’s own head diplomat, a player called “The Judge.” For years he’d worked his way through the alliance’s ranks, only to use the access he eventually gained to rob it blind. But greed may not have been his only motivation. He’d had public disagreements with CO2’s leader called Gigx, and a rival faction was able to capitalize on this internal conflict. During an in-person EVE Online summit held in Iceland, representatives from The GoonSwarm Federation convinced The Judge to leave CO2 and commit the single largest robbery in gaming history on his way out. In the real world, The Judge’s actions were completely legal — currently, international law doesn’t treat such virtual objects as personal property. But this perception may be changing. As in-game purchases become more widespread in video games, legal lines have blurred, causing an increasing number of lawmakers to rethink what constitutes “ownership” in the digital age. But, for now at least, it seems like a good time to be a space pirate.
In 2017, sometime between Sept. 11 and 12, a total of $60,000 worth of digital assets were stolen from people around the world. The conspirators didn’t hide their identities, and they faced no criminal charges. As it turns out, there are no laws against stealing spaceships in a video game — even if they’re worth thousands of real-world dollars. EVE Online is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) that was launched in 2003, and it was on this game that the theft occurred. This science-fiction game is all about spacefaring, but one notable feature of the game is that it allows players to purchase in-game assets with real money. This attracts players who can spend large sums on the game, with some of the game’s largest spaceships costing $9,000. But one thing to note in EVE Online is that no matter how much you pay, once you lose an asset, it’s gone forever.
THE STORY OF GRANDPA MASON
How a Feral Cat Came to Care for Orphaned Kittens
comfortable place to sleep, plenty of food, and time to relax in the last months of his life. Grandpa Mason had a hard time adjusting to domestic life and would often shy away from being petted. In an interview with The Dodo, Roche described him as “an elderly gentleman [who] lived his whole life a certain way, and then, all of a sudden, [was] forced to live completely differently.” After Grandpa Mason grew accustomed to his home, Roche took in several foster kittens, and those new roommates completely altered Grandpa Mason’s behavior. Roche expected him to hiss, swat, or growl at the kittens when they invaded his space, but he didn’t. Instead, he allowed them to crawl all over him and appeared to enjoy it when they licked his ear. Suddenly a playful, affectionate, and gentle personality came out of Grandpa Mason as he played with, bathed, taught, and cared for the orphaned kittens that Roche welcomed into her home. Potentially due to the kittens’ influence, Grandpa Mason surpassed his prognosis by more than two years. During the last few years of his life, Grandpa Mason passed on important lessons and good manners to the kittens he looked after and adored, as a true grandfather should. He passed last September, but he spent his last night in his ultimate happy place: snuggling in his bed surrounded by kittens.
When cats are orphaned as kittens, they don’t get the chance to develop all the skills needed to become successful cats. Just like human children, kittens need older role models too. The most famous cat role model had a rough start in life but became an inspiration for kittens and
humans alike. His name was Grandpa Mason, and during the last years of his life, he stepped up and gave love, care, and guidance to the orphaned kittens that lived with him. The Canadian animal rescue group TinyKittens rescued Grandpa Mason in 2016 from a property that was scheduled to be bulldozed. The poor feral tabby was suffering from many health problems, including severe dental issues, a badly injured paw, and advanced kidney disease. Since TinyKittens is a no-kill rescue organization, euthanization was out of the question. Given his health conditions, veterinarians predicted the battle- scarred Grandpa Mason didn’t have long to live, so TinyKittens’ founder, Shelly Roche, took him in and provided him with a
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Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy | ChuteLaw.com
GET THE COMPENSATION YOU DESERVE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT
How to Navigate the Process
you were injured in a collision, and the other driver is found to be 80% responsible. Under Illinois’ comparative negligence rules, you could still pursue compensation for 80% of your damages from the other party directly or from their insurance company. The only catch is that you must be less than 50% responsible to qualify for compensation. How do I get compensation? If you are in a car accident, the first step is to document the scene. Take pictures of both vehicles and get insurance and license information from the other driver. Next, you have a few options for pursuing your claim. You can file a claim with your own insurance company that will pay the claim and seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver’s insurer, or you can file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company yourself. You can also file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver or their insurance company. As you navigate these choices, having a competent Naperville car accident lawyer on your side may help you avoid liability if the other driver claims it was your fault. Additionally, an attorney can fight for compensation to cover medical bills, lost income, car repairs, and more. Our firm can help you determine a fair compensation amount that takes all costs into account. Give Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy a call to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
On top of the stress of everything going on in the world, a car accident can add extra worry to your life. It’s scary and nerve-wracking, and no one wants to have to go through it. Fortunately, in the state of Illinois, there are laws in place that protect your right to compensation in the event that you’re injured or your car is damaged by a negligent driver.
Who pays? Illinois operates under a traditional tort system for car accidents. This means that drivers are responsible for paying for any damages and injuries they cause to others in the event of a crash. In Illinois, injured parties also have the right to sue the at-fault driver directly. What is shared responsibility? Because car accidents can be caused by many factors, Illinois combines its fault-based car accident system with a concept known as “modified comparative negligence.” This allows an injured party to recover some compensation even if they were partially responsible for the crash. Say
PUZZLE TIME!
GRILLED PRIME RIB
Inspired by Primal Palate
Ingredients
• • •
1 1/2 lbs beef rib roast 1 tsp Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions 1. Take rib roast out of the
4. Turn off the grill but continue cooking the steak, flipping every 4–5 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 F. Remove from grill. 5. Allow the roast to rest — its internal temperature will continue to climb — for 5–10 minutes. Slice and serve.
refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling.
2. Season roast with salt and
pepper and allow it to rest for 10 minutes while you heat a gas grill to 600 F.
3. Sear roast for 3–4 minutes on each side.
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218 N. Jefferson, Ste. 202 Chicago, IL 60661
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
K T C O
Chute O’Malley Knobloch & Turcy
llc
TRIAL ATTORNEYS
WHAT’S INSIDE
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HowWe’ve Adapted Under Unprecedented Circumstances
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A $60,000 Robbery With No Jail Time
The Best Grandfather a Kitten Could Have
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How to Protect Yourself From Treacherous Insurance Tactics
Grilled Prime Rib
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Your May Entertainment
ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME
Take a virtual tour. Many museums and other sites, including the Art Institute of Chicago (ArtIC.edu/visit-us-virtually) and the Chicago Botanic Gardens (ChicagoBotanic.org), are offering amazing views of their spaces online as well as suggestions for activities the whole family can enjoy. Visit their websites and social media to get a front-row view of some incredible artwork and some beautiful gardens and natural areas. Stream a movie or concert. Many movies that would have been released in theaters last month are now available to stream, including “Onward,” “Emma,” “Birds of Prey,” “Dolittle,” and “The Call of the Wild.” Many musicians are also jumping on the livestream bandwagon, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, who’s been putting on daily concerts and taking requests. These artists are putting on concerts to keep people entertained, and in some cases, raise money for a good cause. When all else fails (or your internet connection decides to take a break) and you need a mood boost, play an upbeat song and dance along to instantly turn your day around.
With many events being postponed, we figured we’d provide some entertainment that you can partake in from the comfort of your home. Here are a few ways to enjoy yourself this month. Play a game. Maybe this is a good chance to brush the dust off of Monopoly or Clue or learn how to play the notoriously complex card game
bridge. You could also turn to more high-tech options. If you have a Nintendo Switch, Wii, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4, Just Dance is an active, fun game that will get everyone in your house moving (and laughing). It’s a great mood booster. Jackbox Games has a variety of different options and uses your phone as a controller; plus, you can invite friends and family who are in different places to play along.
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