2:00 p.m. 

Registration

2:30 p.m.

Welcome & Introductions

2:40 - 3:40 p.m.

Johnson v. Advocate, the Amendment to the IPIs, the Holding of the Case, How Lawyers Should be Handling the Sole Proximate Cause Issue in the Wake of Johnson, and the Use of Special Interrogatories
Presented by: Robert Elworth and William Greubel, III, Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP

Mr. Elworth will discuss the history of the sole proximate cause instructions, IPI 12.04 and 12.05, and the recent rejection of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Jury Instructions in Civil Cases’s decision to “withdraw” those instructions in favor of a revised IPI 15.01 in Johnson v. Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation, 2025 IL App (1st) 230087.

3:40 - 4:40 p.m.

Meherg v. Rush University Medical Center, 2025 IL App (1st) 231102-U and the Current State of Discovery Regarding Audit Trails
Presented by: Shahzad Ahmad, Quandary Peak Research

Mr. Ahmad will discuss the challenges and pitfalls of producing medical records from Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, including the handling of associated audit data and responses to inspection requests. He will also outline key regulations that govern EHR audit data and highlight recent high-profile cases that illustrate how such data can influence the outcome of medical malpractice litigation.

Shahzad Ahmad is a Principal Biomedical & Health IT Consultant at Quandary Peak Research with deep expertise in Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, medical device software, and healthcare regulatory compliance. He has led complex EHR implementations at major U.S. hospitals in roles such as Technical Project Manager at Epic Systems, overseeing projects in outpatient care, telehealth, population health, and patient portals. Shahzad’s background also includes managing the full software development lifecycle for FDA-regulated medical devices, ensuring adherence to ISO 13485, ISO 14971, ISO 62304, and GDPR standards.

In his consulting work, Shahzad advises health IT vendors, hospitals, and government agencies on software quality, usability, patient safety, and compliance—issues often central to medical malpractice litigation. His experience includes assessing EHR functionality and workflows, identifying documentation and safety risks, and providing expert analysis on whether systems met industry and regulatory standards. Skilled at translating complex technical findings into clear, defensible opinions, Shahzad offers valuable insight for defense teams navigating technology-heavy medical malpractice cases.

Robert Elworth is a partner with Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, specializing in appellate and critical motion practices. He has briefed over 60 matters on appeal and authored nine amicus briefs for the IDC. He is a 1992 graduate of the Creighton University School of Law, and is licensed in Illinois, California, and Nebraska.

William P. Greubal of Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP in Chicago is a trial lawyer who has taken more than 50 cases to verdict before juries in Cook, Will, DuPage and McHenry Counties. William focuses on the defense of professional negligence claims; representing physicians, medical groups, hospitals and other allied healthcare providers in a wide range of complex personal injury and wrongful death matters.