Brian Eldridge Founding Partner

• University of Kansas, B.A. (Psychology), 1997
• University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 2002

• California, 2002
• Illinois, 2003
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2009
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2004 (Trial Bar)
• U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois, 2004
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2014
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2007
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2018

Honors

• Named by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin to the “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” list.
• Selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer for the last three years, 2017 to 2019. No more than 5% of lawyers in the State of Illinois are selected for this honor.
• Selected as Emerging Lawyer in 2015 and 2016, which is reserved for the top 2% of Illinois lawyers who are 40 years old or younger and have been identified by their peers as proving themselves to be professional, ethical, and experienced.
• Selected as an Illinois Rising Star for eight straight years, from 2008 to 2015. No more than 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40 in the State of Illinois are selected for this honor.

Practice Highlights

• In re Potash Antitrust Litigation (II), MDL No. 1996  (N.D. Ill.): Represented direct purchaser plaintiffs in this multidistrict class action litigation arising from the price-fixing of potash sold in the United States. After five years of tumultuous litigation, HME attorneys helped obtain a $90 million class settlement on behalf of direct purchaser plaintiffs.
  
• Blumberg-Kason v. Kamenev, 2019 L 29 (Cir. Ct. DuPage Cty): Record-setting confidential settlement on behalf of plaintiff within five months of filing the complaint.

• Kamuda v. Sterigenics U.S., LLC, 2018 L 010475 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty): Counsel in consolidated cases involving Sterigenics’ emission of ethylene oxide in community of Willowbrook, Illinois.

• Lieberman v. Portage County, et al., 18-cv-450 (W.D. Wi): Appointed class counsel in certified class action in case involving jailhouse recordings of telephone calls between inmates and attorneys.

• Sartin v. Chula Vista Inc., et al., 18-cv-1890 (E.D. Wis): Currently representing plaintiff condominium owners in pending conversion class action against Chula Vista Resort.

• Estate of Katz v. City of Chicago, et al, 2017 L 11524 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty): Confidential settlement on behalf of plaintiff for full policy limits and umbrella coverage after nearly three years of hotly contested litigation.

• In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, 16-cv-08637 (N.D. Ill): Currently representing plaintiffs in pending anti-trust class action case involving price fixing by broiler producers.

• Osterholt, et al. v. CorePowerYoga, LLC, 15-cv-05089 (N.D. Ill): Class counsel in class and collective action case brought under both Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 and the Fair Labor Standards Act, the settlement of which was approved by the district court judge.

• Reit Management & Research v. ThyssenKrupp, 2014 L 8541 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty): Prevailed on all counts at trial on behalf of national developer and property manager in breach of contract case against elevator contract.

• Greenhill v. Reit Management & Research, et al., 2014 L 8541 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty): Prevailed on summary judgment on behalf of national real estate developer and property manager in tort case involving catastrophic injuries to the plaintiff.

• Joseph, et al. v. Oldcastle Lawn & Garden Inc. et al., 14-cv-3866 (N.D. Ill): Served as lead defense counsel for Oldcastle Lawn & Garden in case involving nationwide class action allegations concerning the packing of mulch products. During the pendency of class certification briefing, the case was settled on an individual basis.

• Mitchell v. Wiese, 13 L 102 (Cir. Ct. Will Cty): Prevailed on summary judgment on behalf of defendant contractor in case against high-prolife attorney whose client was claiming catastrophic injuries.

• Bowman v. LHO Indianapolis One Lessee d/b/a Marriott Indianapolis, 49D02-1310-CT-039975 (Marion Cty. Sup. Ct.): Served as lead defense counsel under pro hac vice admission for Marriott Indianapolis in a class action involving allegations of widespread foodborne illness. After the trial court erroneously certified the plaintiff class, the decision was successfully appealed and reversed.

• Merix Pharmaceuticl Corporation v. Clinical Supplies Management, Inc., 2011-cv-3318 (N.D. Ill): Prevailed in a “bet-the-company” two-week jury trial on behalf of a client sued for breach of contract and fraud in a case involving a clinical trial for an over-the-counter drug product.

• Ahmed v. McDonald’s Corporation, et al, 11-014559-CZ (Cir. Ct., Wayne Cty, MI): Served as lead defense counsel on behalf of a McDonald’s franchise in class action alleging misrepresentation and contamination of Halal products.

• Gondra v. DHL Corp., 2006 M1 013249 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, Ill): Prevailed in a one-week jury trial on behalf of an international cargo carrier sued for breach of a commercial contract. Jury returned verdict after less than 10 minutes of deliberations. Affirmed on appeal.

• Estate of Hirsch v. City of Chicago, 2006 L 8760 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, Ill.): Secured $3.25 million settlement against the City of Chicago in a case where a 4-year-old was killed in Lincoln Park in a hit-and-run.

• McCoy v. Burger King, Case No. 2006-CH-005972 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, Ill.): Served as lead defense counsel on behalf of Burger King in a class action alleging consumer fraud in connection with chicken products.

• Employers Insurance Co. of Wasaus v. Medline Industries, 06-cv-00611 (W.D. Tenn): Prevailed at summary judgment in $6 million product liability subrogation claim brought against medical supply manufacturer whose product was alleged to have cause a fire that resulted in numerous deaths and destroyed a nursing home in Tennessee.

• Frizell v. Danzas Corporation, 2005 L 14161 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, Ill.): Prevailed at summary judgment in case involving serious personal injury on behalf of international intermodal carrier alleged to have improperly loaded container.

• Perez v. PACCAR Inc., 2005 L 008044 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, Ill.): Obtained dismissal with prejudice of product liability suit against heavy truck manufacturer for injury resulting in amputated leg.

• Reed v. Medline Industries, 01-cv-7685 (N.D. Ill): Prevailed at summary judgment on behalf of manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies in wrongful death case involving an inmate who allegedly hung himself with the client’s product.

Speaker

• Perrin Class Action Conference, Statutory Causes of Action, Chicago, IL 2015
• Perrin Class Action Conference, Battleground Discovery, Chicago, IL 2017
• Pincus Federal Court Boot Camp, Motions for Summary Judgment, Chicago, IL 2018
• Pincus Federal Court Jury Selection Seminar, Ethics and Strategies of Jury Selection, Chicago, IL 2019
• Pincus Federal Court Boot Camp, Motions for Summary Judgment and Post-Trial Motions, Chicago, IL 2019
• Chicago Bar Association, Sterigenics and Ethylene Oxide Exposure, Chicago, IL 2018
• Chicago Bar Association, Class Actions, Chicago, IL 2019