Education

• Loyola University School of Law & Hamline University (J.D., 1981)
• Lewis University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1978)
• Loyola Rome Center of Liberal Arts, Rome, Italy (1977-78)

Admissions to Practice Law

• Illinois Bar
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Federal Trial Bar
• Federal Courts of Appeal (5^th and 7^th Circuits)
• United States Supreme Court
• Pro hac vice admissions in multiple states throughout the United States

Memberships

• Defense Research Institute
• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
• Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel

Honors

• AV® Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Illinois Super Lawyer, civil litigation defense

Reported Cases

• Estate of Jose Francisco Vasquez-Ortiz v. Zurich Compania De Seguros, S.A. 2013 WL 105005 (S.D. Tex., January 8, 2013) (dismissal of Mexican insurance company due to plaintiff’s lack of standing to bring claim to collect on insurance policy after aircraft crash)
• Schaefer v. Texor Petroleum Co., 404 Ill.App.3d 1184, 996 N.E.2d 779 (3^rd Dist. 2010) (Appellate court affirming trial court’s order dismissing negligence and strict liability counts against distributors of gasoline)
• Allen-Sleeper v. Federal Express Corp., 2010 WL 3323660 (D. Vermont, April 14, 2010) (dismissal of multi-national courier corporation based on lack of personal jurisdiction in catastrophic personal injury case brought by Vermont citizen)
• Bullard Abrasives v. Taiwan Resibon, 2009 WL 1659304 (M.D. Fla., June 15, 2009) (dismissal of Taiwanese product manufacturer based on lack of personal jurisdiction in personal injury case brought by Florida citizen)
• Callista v. Inversora Internacional Hotelera, 2009 WL 137332 (D. N.J., Jan. 20, 2009) (dismissal of Dominican Republic hotel owner based on lack of personal jurisdiction in personal injury case brought by New Jersey citizen)
• Pillsbury Co., Inc. v Wells Dairy, Inc., 752 N.W.2d 430 (Iowa 2008) (reversal of summary judgment in favor of international food manufacturer in multi-million dollar business interruption case)
• Mitchell v. Greenlee Textron, et al., 225 S.W.3d 812 (2007) (dismissal of Taiwanese product manufacturer based on lack of personal jurisdiction in catastrophic personal injury case)
• Mastondrea v. Occidental Hoteles, et al., 391 N.J. Super. 261, 918 A.2d 27 (App. Div. 2007) (Appellate court finding that the law of Quintana Roo, Mexico applied to personal injury case brought by New Jersey citizen against Mexican hotel)
• Bailey v. Edward Hines Lumber Co., 308 Ill. App. 3d 58, 719 N.E.2d 178 (1999) (dismissal of lumber trade association based on the fact that it did not owe a duty to carpenters)
• Spinozzi v ITT Sheraton Corporation, 174 F.3d 842 (7^th Cir. 1999) (summary judgment in favor of international hotel chain based on the application of Mexican law on contributory negligence)
• Wolfe v Stork RMS Protecon, Inc., 683 N.E.2d 264 (Ind. App. 1997) (dismissal of international food processing machine supplier based on lack of proximate cause in personal injury case)
• Jones v Coleman Co., Inc., 39 F.3d 749 (7^th Cir. 1994) (dismissal of home builders based on the fact that the home builders did not have a duty to warn of possible dangers and did not have control of subject construction site)
• Illinois Masonic Medical Center v A C & S, 266 Ill.App.3d 631, 640 N.E.2d 31 (1^st Dist. 1994) (appellate court held that manufacturer of building materials was allowed to retroactively apply the construction statute of repose)
• Bear v Power Air, 230 Ill.App.3d 403, 595 N.E.2d 77 (1^st Dist. 1992) (dismissal of property owner based on the fact that it owed no duty of care to Plaintiff regarding the actions of an independent contractor)
• Crider v Crider, 225 Ill.App3d 954, 588 N.E.2d 439 (3^rd Dist. 1992) (dismissal of property owner based on the fact that he had no duty to warn or instruct Plaintiff regarding proper method of trimming a tree)

Unreported Decisions

• Diskin v. Ajax Tocco Magathermic, et al., (North Hampton County, PA, Oct. 10, 2013) (dismissal of Swiss product manufacturer based on lack of personal jurisdiction in multi-plaintiff catastrophic personal injury case)
• Read v. Moe, et al., (U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, March 18, 2013) (dismissal of Norwegian commercial fishing equipment manufacturer based on lack of personal jurisdiction in catastrophic personal injury case)
• Ollimac Dairy, Inc. v. DEC International, et al., (Stanislaus County, California, February 8, 2007) (dismissal of Dutch product manufacturer based on lack of personal jurisdiction in commercial product liability case)