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John Marrese
Partner
John Marrese is a trial attorney focusing his practice on civil rights, personal injury, and business litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country.
Mr. Marrese has first-chair jury trial experience and has tried cases in both state and federal courts. He has cross-examined key witnesses at trial, arbitration, and other evidentiary hearings before judges and arbitrators. Mr. Marrese’s trial practice has traversed a variety of subject matters, including civil rights, personal injury, and products liability.
In his civil rights practice, Mr. Marrese represents persons throughout the country in cases involving excessive force and wrongful conviction. He has successfully cross-examined police officers, prosecutors, correctional officers, medical examiners, and top officials in police departments, prosecutor’s offices, and correctional agencies to achieve seven-figure and eight-figure results for clients. As a part of his civil rights practice, Mr. Marrese has also worked with and cross-examined experts in a variety of fields, including those in police practices, use of force, shooting incident reconstruction, eyewitness testimony, and forensic pathology.
In his personal injury practice, Mr. Marrese represents plaintiffs in both single-event and mass tort litigation. He has helped secure settlements for plaintiffs in a variety of contexts, including those injured due to medical negligence, vehicle accidents, and toxic exposures. In that context, he has worked with subject matter experts including physicians, nurses, engineers, and accident reconstructionists.
In business litigation, Mr. Marrese represents both individuals and businesses. He recently obtained the dismissal of a big-box retailer client in multiple federal breach of contract lawsuits relating to commercial real estate.
Mr. Marrese has also been appointed lead counsel in class action litigation. He has successfully devised and executed class action discovery and briefing in the class certification context to drive results for class of individuals wronged by businesses and governments.
Further, Mr. Marrese has extensive experience in the state and federal appellate courts. He has argued before appellate panels of judges in Illinois as well as in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Tenth Circuit, and Eleventh Circuit.
For 10 consecutive years (2016-2025), Mr. Marrese was selected annually as an Illinois SuperLawyers Rising Star, an honor awarded annually to no more than 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40 in the state. He received that award for his work in both civil rights and class action/mass torts litigation. Recently, Mr. Marrese was selected as an Illinois SuperLawyer in civil rights litigation for 2026.
Mr. Marrese obtained his law degree cum laude from The Ohio State University. He attended college at Emory University in Atlanta.
Education
- Emory University, B.A., 2007
- The Ohio State University, J.D., Cum Laude, 2011
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Illinois, 2011
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2012
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2014
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado, 2015
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2018
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2016
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2019
- U.S. Court of Appeal for the Tenth Circuit, 2023
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2024
John has also been admitted pro hac vice in courts nationwide, including in California, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Awards & Recognitions
- “Illinois Rising Star” (2016-2025)
- “Illinois Super Lawyer” (2026)
Notable Results
- Herman Williams Wrongful Conviction (Civil Rights): Represented Herman Williams, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his ex-wife in Lake County, Illinois, in case alleging police misconduct. John and his colleagues at Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge first secured a Certificate of Innocence on behalf of Mr. Williams. Then, after just over two years of litigation, Mr. Williams was able to settle his federal lawsuit for $13 million.
- Christopher Williams Wrongful Conviction (Civil Rights): Represented Christopher Williams, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering four people in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a case alleging prosecutorial misconduct. John and his colleagues at Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge secured a settlement of $3 million for Mr. Williams and his family.
- Estate of Cedric Lofton Juvenile Detention Death (Civil Rights): Representing family of deceased 17-year-old Cedric Lofton in a case alleging excessive force/wrongful death against officers in a juvenile intake facility. After defeating the officers’ summary judgment motion, John successfully briefed and argued the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit resulting in a favorable published opinion in the excessive force / prone restraint context. Teetz v. Stepien, 142 F.4th 705 (10th Cir. 2025).
- Willowbrook Ethylene Oxide Litigation (Class Action / Mass Torts): Part of a team of attorneys that represented hundreds of individuals diagnosed with cancer in cases against businesses emitting ethylene oxide from a medical device sterilization facility. After more than four years of intensive litigation, the case resolved in 2023 for more than $450 million.
- In re Potash Antitrust Litigation (Antitrust Litigation): 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.
- Brian Beals Certificate of Innocence (Civil Rights): Prevailed at evidentiary hearing where the firm’s client, Brian Beals, was awarded a Certificate of Innocence after being wrongfully incarcerated for 35 years for a crime he did not commit.
- Herman Williams Certificate of Innocence (Civil Rights): Prevailed at evidentiary hearing where the firm’s client, Herman Williams, was awarded a Certificate of Innocence after being wrongfully incarcerated for more than 28 years for a murder he did not commit.
