Attorney Profile
Research shows the average person changes jobs eleven times over the course of a career. So far, Matt has had only one: working for Quinn Johnston.
Matt grew up in central Illinois, so coming back to Peoria in 1993 after law school was a natural fit. Before long Matt found himself drawn to the defense of medical professional liability cases, working alongside of Murv Pretorius, one of the firm’s senior partners. “For his entire career, Murv was the gold standard for medical malpractice defense lawyers in Illinois,” recalls Matt. “His preparedness, his standing in the medical community, his presence in the courtroom and reputation with the judiciary were always unsurpassed. I was given a rare opportunity to learn from him as a young lawyer.”
Currently, Matt devotes all of his professional time defending doctors and healthcare providers against medical malpractice claims. Ask him what it’s like to be “the doctor’s lawyer” throughout central Illinois, and he’ll quickly tell you, “I enjoy serving a professional client. While the courtroom may be foreign to a physician, the risk of resolving a case by trial is not ultimately that much different than facing the risk of a complicated surgery. Doctors are in a unique position to evaluate those risks.”
Matt includes among his professional accomplishments:
- A not-guilty jury verdict for a surgeon following a three-week jury trial. The patient had suffered significant complications from surgery (a bowel leak leading to a permanent colostomy, pain pump, need for central line feeds) and asked for $22.5 million from the jury. The jury deliberated only 90 minutes.
- Representing doctors covering the full spectrum of medicine: from primary care physicians to surgeons to the sub-specialties of internal medicine.
- A not-guilty verdict following a two-week jury trial for an emergency department physician accused of failing to diagnose a myocardial infarction.
- A not-guilty jury verdict for a nurse following a 2-week jury trial. The patient died of complications following an arteriogram procedure. The defendant nurse was accused of injecting an improper medication beforehand. The plaintiff asked the jury for for $4 million. The jury deliberated 27 minutes before retiring a verdict in favor of the nurse and co-defendant doctor.
- A not-guilty jury verdict for a surgeon following a three-week jury trial. The patient suffered significant nerve injuries to her digestive tract following surgery to correct GERD. She asked the jury for for $12 million. The jury deliberated 3 hours before retiring a verdict in favor of the doctor.
- A directed verdict for a hospital after 6 days of trial. The patient alleged that the hospital failed to timely communicate a radiology report to a treating gynecologist , resulting in significant permanent injuries to the patient’s urinary tract. The court directed a verdict in favor of the hospital at the conclusion of the plaintiff’s case.
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Practice Areas
Education
- J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, Champaign, Illinois, 1993
- Honors: Chicago Moot Court Team
- Law Review: University of Illinois Law Review, staff
- B.S., Architecture, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, 1990
- Honors: Dean’s List
Admissions/Associations
- Illinois
- Iowa
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Peoria County Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute
- Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
- Illinois Association of Hospital Attorneys
Ratings/Recognitions
- Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV® Preeminent
- Illinois Super Lawyers List, 2012-2022
- Illinois Leading Lawyers List, 2009-2022
Professional Publications
Defining Property in the Post Lucas World, University of Illinois Law Review 443, 1994
Community Activities
St. Jude Midwest Affiliate Board Member (2012 – present)