A Frontline Exposure
The client worked at a hospital in the Chicago, Illinois area. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he was exposed to the virus while doing his job — in close contact with patients and coworkers.
He contracted COVID-19. But his was not a mild case that passed in a few days. It was a serious lung injury.
When the Illness Doesn’t Go Away
COVID-19 damaged his lungs in a serious way. He required ongoing care — pulmonary monitoring, cardiology, medication, and management of the lasting effects the illness left behind. Recovery did not mean returning to who he was before.
That is where the fight began. In Illinois, an illness contracted because of your job — like COVID-19 in an essential healthcare worker — can be a compensable claim. But insurers contest these hard: how do you prove the exposure happened at the hospital and not somewhere else? That doubt is their weapon.
This case did not resolve easily. To keep the client from being left waiting indefinitely, we filed Section 19(b) petitions for an immediate hearing before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission — repeatedly. It was a legal battle that spanned years.
Turning Strategy Into Justice
When the client came to our office, our legal team immediately took control of the case.
We filed his claim and pressed for immediate hearings so no time was lost. We assembled the full medical record — the pulmonary reports, the follow-up visits, the cardiology care — and connected the damage to his work as an essential hospital employee at the moment he was infected.
Jack Epstein, with 30 years of experience in the Illinois legal market, oversaw the strategy. We refused to let permanent lung damage be minimized. Throughout, the client paid nothing until we won the case.
The Result
The client secured a $290,000 settlement.
After years of fighting and pushing for immediate hearings, the system acknowledged what the client lived: serious, permanent lung damage born from his work on the front line of the pandemic. Every doubt the insurer raised, we answered with evidence.
Why This Case Matters
Occupational illness is real, and COVID-19 contracted by an essential worker can be compensable — even when the insurer leans on the difficulty of proving where the exposure happened. Serious, lasting harm from a workplace illness deserves to be fought for, all the way to an immediate hearing.
If a serious illness from your job has left you with lasting damage, our Illinois legal team can help you recover what you rightfully deserve.
