8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Registration & Continental Breakfast

9:00 - 9:10 a.m.

Welcome & Introductions

• R. Mark Cosimini, Rusin Law, 2025-2026 IDC President

9:10 - 10:10 a.m.

Charming the Reptile: Advanced Strategies for Preparing Corporate Representatives and Witnesses for Reptile-Style Litigation

• Presented by: Laura Beasley, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC and Whitney Burkett, Segal McCambridge

Though no longer referred to as “Reptile Theory” due to a contentious break-up between its creators, the tactics now called “The Edge” are ones we all know and lament. Defending against these tactics begins the day the lawsuit comes across your desk, and the bulk of that work lives with training witnesses before their depositions. This panel will be a discussion of the effect of these tactics on witnesses, how to combat that effect through informed and thorough witness training, and what to do when witnesses get caught up in these tactics. Laura K. Beasley, former President of Illinois Defense Counsel, of Baker Sterci and Whitney L. Burkett of Segal McCambridge will discuss how to handle serpents through the right preparation and education of witnesses as well as what to do if you have been bit.

10:10 - 11:00 a.m.

Defining, Diminishing, and Defending Damages

• Presented by: Bryan Curry, Maron Marvel, Dr. Scott Gilbert, Gilbert Economics, and Kevin Young, Cassiday Schade LLP

Defining, Diminishing, and Defending Damages is a practical, defense-focused program designed to sharpen your strategy from the first demand through verdict. We will start with a clear framework for available damages in Illinois, including traditional economic, non-economic, and survival claims, before digging into the increasingly aggressive push for hedonic damages in personal injury and wrongful death cases. The session will unpack the economist’s playbook, including step-by-step hedonic damage calculations, the Value of a Statistical Life theory, and the weaknesses in applying VSL to courtroom damage models. Most importantly, you will walk away with concrete approaches for challenging and rebutting speculative expert opinions.

From there, we shift to the real work of diminishing and defending damages. The panel will address legal defenses such as comparative fault and assumption of risk, medically related defenses like degeneration and pre-existing conditions, and family law considerations, including the impact of divorce or remarriage under Illinois law. We will also tackle future damages head-on, covering life care plans, present cash value analyses, discount rates, and the economic assumptions that can make or break a claim.

11:00 - 11:10

Break

11:10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Assessing Traumatic Brain Injury Claims from a Biomechanical Perspective

• Presented by: Stephanie Pasquesi, Explico

With increased media coverage of athletes who have been exposed to repeated head impacts, blast-type injuries documented in the military, documentaries, and dramatizations, long-term sequelae of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), especially concussion (or mild traumatic brain injury), are subject to growing societal awareness and concern. Diagnoses of concussion are often made absent any objective medical or radiological findings, instead relying upon patient history and provider judgment.

Substantial biomechanical research that may be used to assess TBI has examined head accelerations and motions representative of both injurious and generally non-injurious activities using field accidents, human volunteers, anthropomorphic test devices (i.e. “crash test dummies”), and biomechanical models. Additional biomechanical research efforts have yielded relationships between the risk of concussion and more severe TBIs (subdural hematoma, diffuse axonal injury, etc.) and acceleration-based head injury metrics. These relationships can be used to quantify the likelihood of TBI in a variety of incident types. If testing or simulation specific to an incident needs to be performed, there are reliable, repeatable methods, instrumentation, and software available for collecting the relevant data. While some questions remain, and litigating concussion and other TBI claims can be a challenge, these injuries have been studied extensively by the biomechanics community, providing objective scientific evidence surrounding their etiology.

This presentation will include an overview of different types of brain injuries, discussion of brain injury risk in various activities and scenarios, and case studies involving a motor vehicle accident, a helmet assessment, and a falling object to highlight the analyses shown. Blast-related traumatic brain injury will also be discussed. Attendees will gain familiarity with principles used and nuances present when examining claims of TBI, including concussion, as well as an understanding of how expert biomechanical analyses may assist in answering questions pertaining to claimed TBI.

12:00 - 1:15 p.m.

Luncheon

1:15 - 2:05 p.m.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Traumatic Brian Injuries

• Presented by: Henry Goldman, McCoy Leavitt Laskey LLC and Elizabeth Peralta, M.Ed., LRC, CRC, CLCP, Stokes & Associates

This presentation provides a practical and litigation-focused overview of vocational rehabilitation in personal injury matters, with particular attention to cases involving traumatic brain injuries (TBI). It will address evaluation of earning capacity, challenges to employability, and speculative wage loss exposure.

2:05 - 2:55 p.m.

An Exploration of the Use of Diffuse Tensor Imaging in Traumatic Brain Injury Cases

Presented by: Dr. Jason Michael Johnson, Yale School of Medicine, and A. Mark O'Danovich, Freeman, Mathis & Gary LLP

Diffuse Tensor Imaging (DTI) in radiology is an advanced MRI technique that medical providers argue maps the brain’s white matter by measuring the direction and rate of water molecule diffusion along neural tracts. However, DTI is prone to pitfalls, primarily arising from its inability to accurately model white matter fibers.

Although often admitted, defendants frequently challenge DTI under Daubert or Frye standards, arguing that it does not meet generally accepted scientific principles, shows abnormalities that are unrelated to the incident, leads to inconsistent interpretations, lacks widespread validation for diagnosing specific traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and is highly experimental. Defense counsel must be prepared to argue that DTI does not have standard protocols, relies upon group norms and is unreliable to diagnose an individual plaintiff’s brain injury.

2:55 - 3:10 p.m.

Break

3:10 - 4:00 p.m.

Current Attitudes Toward Corporations and Damages: Risks & Realities

• Presented by: Dr. Nick Polavin, Jury Connect

Defining, Diminishing, and Defending Damages is a practical, defense-focused program designed to sharpen your strategy from the first demand through verdict. We will start with a clear framework for available damages in Illinois, including traditional economic, non-economic, and survival claims, before digging into the increasingly aggressive push for hedonic damages in personal injury and wrongful death cases. The session will unpack the economist’s playbook, including step-by-step hedonic damage calculations, the Value of a Statistical Life theory, and the weaknesses in applying VSL to courtroom damage models. Most importantly, you will walk away with concrete approaches for challenging and rebutting speculative expert opinions.

From there, we shift to the real work of diminishing and defending damages. The panel will address legal defenses such as comparative fault and assumption of risk, medically related defenses like degeneration and pre-existing conditions, and family law considerations, including the impact of divorce or remarriage under Illinois law. We will also tackle future damages head-on, covering life care plans, present cash value analyses, discount rates, and the economic assumptions that can make or break a claim.

4:10 - 5:00 p.m.

Judicial Perspective on Damages

• Presented by: Hon. Scott McKenna, Circuit Judge, Law Division, Circuit Court of Cook County

Judicial Perspectives on Handling Damages offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the bench on how damages issues are viewed before, during, and after trial. From jury selection strategy and uncovering bias to the pros and cons of stipulating to medical bills, this session will walk through the pre-trial decisions that can quietly shape your damages exposure. The discussion will also address the strategic use of grief experts, whether and when to call your own economist or life care planner, and how judges evaluate the presentation of loss of consortium, loss of material services, and increased risk claims. You will gain candid insight into what works, what falls flat, and how to make expert testimony more effective and credible in the courtroom.

At trial and beyond, the program will tackle practical evidentiary challenges, including questioning family members in wrongful death cases and the ever-present debate over anchoring the jury on damages. The judge will also break down key post-trial considerations, including the impact of Ready v. United/Goedeke Services, the role of sole proximate cause in light of Johnson v. Advocate, and how courts analyze inconsistent verdicts. The session concludes with an update on recent Illinois damages case law, giving defense counsel a current, courtroom-tested perspective on how to position, preserve, and protect the record when damages are on the line.

Laura K. Beasley is a member of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC in Belleville. Ms. Beasley focuses her practice in the areas of manufacturing, insurance, transportation, pharmaceuticals, and medical device. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geography in 1996 from Austin Peay University and her law degree from Southern Illinois University School in 2001. She is a member of several bar associations and is a past president of IDC. She is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Missouri state and federal courts.

Whitney Burkett concentrates her practice on defending complex personal injury and catastrophic loss cases. As a seasoned litigator, she regularly manages litigation from inception through trial, including discovery, motion practice and trial preparation. Her background includes defending medical and dental negligence, construction, transportation, premises liability and products liability claims, as well as counseling clients on risk management and litigation strategy. In the development of overall case strategies, she has prepared and defended expert witnesses, directed trial teams and supervised associates in multi-jurisdictional matters. Whitney has defended clients in state and federal courts across multiple jurisdictions and has taken or defended more than 100 depositions of fact, medical and expert witnesses. Whitney earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, where she participated in the “Law in London” study abroad program through the University of Syracuse School of Law. She holds a B.S. in psychology with minors in business and history from Tulane University.

Bryan Curry is a partner in Maron Marvel’s Chicago office. His practice focuses on the defense of individual clients and both large and small businesses in complex matters, including commercial disputes, employment litigation, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death claims. He has successfully represented clients on appeal in Illinois state courts and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Bryan has litigated insurance coverage and intellectual property disputes at both the trial and appellate levels.

Dr. Scott Gilbert is an expert witness on economic damages and provides litigation support services in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, wrongful termination, lost profits, business interruption, competition, antitrust, contract disputes and divorce cases.

Dr. Gilbert is currently the Interim Associate Dean of the College of Business and Analytics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and teaches courses in economic and business statistics, econometrics, macroeconomics, microeconomics, financial economics, and monetary economics. He is a research economist and statistician whose research has been published in excellent academic journals, including the Journal of the American Statistical Association, the Journal of Multivariate Analysis, the Journal of Futures Markets, and Economics Letters. He has authored two books: Business Liability and Economic Damages, and Multi-Market Antitrust Economics.

Dr. Gilbert received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California San Diego, and his Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California Berkeley.

Henry W. Goldman is a Partner at McCoy Leavitt Laskey, a nationwide firm specializing in defense of fire and explosion cases, as well as liability and coverage counsel for personal injury and subrogation matters.

Dr. Jason Michael Johnson, MD, MBA, DABR is Associate Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and Section Chief of Neuroradiology at Yale School of Medicine, where he also serves as Medical Director of the Yale Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC). A board-certified neuroradiologist with specialized expertise in advanced neuroimaging, Dr. Johnson's clinical practice focuses on MR acquisition and interpretation for disorders of the nervous system, spine, and head and neck, with particular emphasis on brain tumors, neurodegenerative conditions, and complex neurologic imaging.

Dr. Johnson's research program centers on developing and implementing advanced MRI techniques for brain tumor assessment and treatment planning. His work integrating machine learning into neuroimaging workflows has resulted in significant contributions to automated tumor detection and segmentation, with publications achieving an h-index of 32. He has served as principal investigator on multiple funded research projects and has collaborated with leading institutions including Massachusetts General Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he previously served as Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Advanced Neurologic Imaging Program.

After a 22-year career handling mostly personal injury cases for both plaintiffs and defendants, Judge Scott McKenna was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County in November, 2018. His first assignments were in the Traffic Division, where he heard misdemeanor criminal charges, and then the Evictions Division. From Nov 2019-Feb 2023, Judge McKenna presided over a jury trial courtroom in Municipal Division. From Feb 2023-May 2024, Judge McKenna presided in the Motions Department of the Law Division, which included all aspects of pre-trial motion practice and case management for mostly Wrongful Death and catastrophic injury cases. During this time, and while still handling his Motion Calendar duties, Judge McKenna also tried three Law Division cases to jury verdict. Since May, 2024, Judge McKenna has been presiding over jury trials in Law Division. 

A. Mark O’Danovich is a partner at Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Chicago office. His primary practice is defending product liability, construction, transportation liability, premises liability and motor vehicle cases in Illinois and Indiana. He has successfully tried, mediated and arbitrated high-exposure cases on behalf of individuals and corporations in state and federal courts in Illinois and Indiana. Mr. O’Danovich has litigated multiple cases on behalf of commercial transportation companies and construction companies, both large and small, involving catastrophic injuries. In the product liability area, he has litigated cases on behalf of domestic and foreign companies involving batteries, mastic removers, various acids, fireworks, industrial baghouse dust collectors at steel mills, refractory, carrying strap assemblies, thermostats for grain bins, and other manufacturing equipment. He also defends design professionals, owners and contractors in design and construction defect claims, as well as injury claims arising from construction site accidents. Mr. O’Danovich has tried numerous cases to verdict in Illinois and Indiana. In 2013, he was selected by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the “40 Illinois Lawyers Under 40 to Watch”. In 2019 – 2026, he was selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers.

Dr. Stephanie Pasquesi has a large breadth of experience in translational biomechanics research, applying laboratory studies to clinical observations and applications. She has a background in both bioengineering and mechanical engineering, with expertise in human injury biomechanics and kinematics. Dr. Pasquesi specializes in assessment of traumatic brain injury, including concussion. At Explico, Dr. Pasquesi evaluates injury mechanisms and injury potential in consumer products-related incidents, recreational and motor vehicle accidents, and a variety of other injury scenarios. Dr. Pasquesi additionally evaluates injuries in the context of the design and performance of various products including protective equipment such as helmets and motor vehicle restraints. Dr. Pasquesi holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Peralta, M.Ed., LRC, CRC, CLCP of Stokes & Associates earned both her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University, initially planning a career in mental health counseling before discovering her passion for rehabilitation counseling. She joined Stokes & Associates in 2012 as a research associate and has steadily advanced within the firm, serving as case manager, supervisor, and Director of Case Management, and now practices as a testifying expert in life care planning and vocational rehabilitation. A Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and Certified Life Care Planner, she brings practical, real-world expertise to complex cases involving future care and earning capacity. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Counselor Education and Training at the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans.

Dr. Nick Polavin is a Co-Founder and Senior Jury Consultant at JuryConnect, where he partners with trial teams nationwide to provide strategic support throughout the litigation process. His work includes focus group and mock trial facilitation, developing themes and strategies for trial, witness preparation, community attitude surveys, statistical analysis for juror profiling, daily trial monitoring, and conducting shadow juries. Dr. Polavin also regularly assists attorneys in court with jury selection and voir dire strategies and has worked on over 100 in his career. In fact, Dr. Polavin has selected juries in five cases that have been rated in Courtroom View Networks’ Top 10 Most Impressive Defense Verdicts of the year. Nick is based in Charlotte, NC but works across the country on a variety of matters including mass torts, product liability, medical malpractice, premises liability, intellectual property, breach of contract, insurance coverage, and criminal cases.

Kevin H. Young is a Partner in Cassiday Schade's Chicago office and is a seasoned civil defense attorney whose practice focuses on representing individuals, businesses, and insurers in complex litigation matters. With a particular concentration on general liability, transportation, and construction claims.