135 S. LaSalle St., Ste. 2200 Chicago, IL 60603
3550 Hobson Rd., Ste. 403 Woodridge, IL 60517
312-663-7016 | www.shannonlawgroup.com Text: 312-847-2428 FEBRUARY 2021
I ntroducing R honda L orenz -P ignato
We represent folks who are injured as a result of vaccination in a unique federal program called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). It offers a path to compensation for people who need it most. (We’ve written several blogs and a book on the topic. Check out our website for more information.)
Rhonda has been monumental in helping our clients over the last year. This has been a blessing to us.
Rhonda has been practicing law since 1992 in the Chicago area and first began her career working with insurance defense firms representing hospitals and health care providers. This hands-on experience in the medical field provides Rhonda the insight to analyze a medical-legal issue with wisdom and experience. A decade later, Rhonda branched out as a sole practitioner and collaborated with other law firms to handle litigation matters. Rhonda has also given back to the community by serving as an arbitrator in hundreds of arbitrations in the Chicago area. Rhonda also enjoys educating others and helping the community. She has taught legal courses in the paralegal program at Northwestern Business College and is an avid public speaker. Rhonda is also a professional actor, and she has used that creativity to write, direct, and perform in plays that inspire positive change. In her spare time, Rhonda likes hanging out with her dog, Nicki, and watching movies with her husband. She treasures spending time with her family and friends. Rhonda has been a real game-changer for us in representing our clients who need help in dealing with the VICP. We are grateful to have her at our side to help our clients in these sensitive matters. Thank you, Rhonda!
We wanted a driven team member to prepare our clients’ cases and push them through the VICP. Enter Rhonda Lorenz-Pignato.
If you’d like to say hi to Rhonda, email her at RLorenzPignato@ShannonLawGroup.com.
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B ehind the S cenes at SLG: F eaturing A shleigh Z urek Meet our superstar law
In the fall of 2020, Ashleigh started her first semester at the College of Law of Northern Illinois University. (Go Huskies!) She continues to work full time while going to law school. We’re always inspired by Ashleigh’s work ethic, and we’re blessed to have her on our team. Ashleigh graduated from Benedictine University with a bachelor’s in business management in 2019. In the past, she’s worked at another law firm, an insurance agency, and the Cinemark movie theater in Woodridge. In October 2019, Ashleigh ran the Chicago Marathon on behalf of a nonprofit organization called Blessons for Women, which provides educational resources to women in need. She also ran a half-marathon at Disney World in February 2020. She hopes to run a triathlon in 2021. (Fingers crossed!)
clerk and future lawyer: Ashleigh Zurek! Ashleigh joined our firm in the fall of 2019. She’s the oldest of six siblings and grew up in the western Chicago suburbs for most of her life.
Since then, she’s been crushing it behind the scenes at SLG. As soon as she came on board, Ashleigh hit the ground running. She was instrumental in opening our Chicago office located in the Bank of America Building. She’s also helped push our clients’ cases toward resolution as quickly as possible and improve our case management systems.
In her spare time, Ashleigh likes to experiment in the kitchen, read, write, and check out new trails to hike or run.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO FILE A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIM IN ILLINOIS?
Generally, if you’re injured on the job, you must file a claim for benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act within three years of the date of the injury (or within two years of the last payment of benefits, whichever is later). For instance, if you are injured today, you will have until three years from today’s date to file a claim. However, let’s say your employer’s insurance company pays benefits for two years after your accident and then discontinues your benefits for whatever reason. In this situation, you have two years to file a workers’ comp claim from when benefits are terminated. But there is a much shorter time limit you need to be aware of if you are hurt on the job. Under the Workers’ Compensation Act, an employee must notify their employer of an injury within 45 days of the accident. If notice is not provided within 45 days, the employee may lose the right to workers’ compensation benefits. This notice may be oral, but written notice is best, particularly if a dispute arises down the road. So, even if the injury does not appear to be serious at first, you should report the date and location of your accident to your supervisor or foreman and ask to fill out an accident report.
Keep in mind that notice to a coworker or fellow employee is not proper notice under the Act. You must report your injury to someone in charge.
What is a Form 45?
Many times, you will be asked to complete a “Form 45: Employer’s First Report of Injury.” Under the Workers’ Compensation Act, an employer is required to submit a completed Form 45 to the Workers’ Compensation Commission to report any accident that causes an employee to miss three or more days of work. The Commission provides the Form 45 to assist employers in complying with this reporting requirement. If you have any questions about a workers’ compensation claim, you can contact us at any time. We’re happy to assist you and your family.
– Pat Anderson
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IS ROUNDUP WEED KILLER SAFE TO USE?
Over the last few years, Monsanto’s Roundup product has been in the news and subject to a few massive jury verdicts. In those cases, plaintiffs argued that Roundup was a substantial factor in causing their Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Juries have agreed. Roundup is the most widely used herbicidal weedkiller in the world. For more than four decades, Monsanto (purchased by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer in 2018) has produced and sold Roundup to commercial (farmers, groundskeepers) and private consumers alike. The main weedkilling agent in Roundup is a chemical compound called glyphosate. In the late 1990s, Monsanto’s patent on glyphosate expired. Soon after, many other generic herbicide products began using glyphosate in their weedkillers. Because of its ability to kill weeds while not killing glyphosate- resistant crops, glyphosate is everywhere. Some experts estimate that over 90% of people have some level of exposure to glyphosate through residues in water, food, and dust. We don’t know yet if any of us have an increased risk of cancer due to trace amounts of glyphosate residues in our environment. In certain industries, however, workers face a much higher risk of significant exposure to glyphosate. These industries typically include farming, groundskeeping, lawn maintenance, and any other jobs that use weedkillers consistently. Oftentimes, these workers will use concentrated versions of glyphosate herbicide products and then dilute them with water. As a result, they’re exposed to an increased concentration of glyphosate.
When combined with the frequency they use the product, these workers are exposed to dangerous levels of glyphosate.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, determined that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic” in humans. Since then, many people sued companies like Monsanto, alleging that their Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was caused by their use of glyphosate-based Roundup products on the job. For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared glyphosate as a safe product. However, the Roundup cancer lawsuits have revealed a couple alarming facts:
1. The studies relied upon by the EPA did not take into consideration environmental or occupational exposure to glyphosate.
2. Several of the scientific studies on glyphosate were funded by Monsanto — which would financially benefit them most with an EPA-approved stamp of safety. So far, several juries presented with medical science have rendered verdicts in many millions of dollars. One verdict was for more than $2 billion.
At Shannon Law Group, many of our clients who have filed Roundup lawsuits have elected to stop using any glyphosate-based product altogether. In my own household, we have switched to non-glyphosate-based weed alternatives, along with manual weed pulling.
– Pat Cummings
This month, we’ve giving away a copy of “Be A Man” by Fr. Larry Richards to some of our lucky readers like you. Text MAN to 312-847-2428 by March 31 to enter. ‘BE A MAN’ BOOK GIVEAWAY: ENTER NOW!
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Phone: 312-663-7016 Text: 312-847-2428 www.shannonlawgroup.com
135 S. LASALLE ST., STE. 2200 CHICAGO, IL 60603
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Introducing Rhonda Lorenz-Pignato
page 1
Behind the Scenes With Ashleigh Zurek How Long Do I have to File a Workers’ Comp Claim?
page 2
page 2
Is Roundup Weed Killer Safe to Use?
page 3
10 THINGS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US
At our law firm, we have very high expectations for ourselves. We also have high expectations for how we treat our clients. Here’s what our clients should expect from us once we are retained:
1. We will treat you with respect. 2. We will treat you like we would like to be treated. 3. We will shoulder the stresses and burdens of dealing with insurance companies so that you can focus on your physical recovery. 4. We will be an aggressive advocate for you. 5. We will deliver straight advice.
6. We will make every attempt to move your case to resolution as quickly as possible. 7. We are willing to try your case before a jury. 8. We will provide you with reasonable expectations regarding the outcome of your case. 9. We will return your calls within 24 hours. 10. If we can’t help you, we will try to help you find someone who can.
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