With a dedicated commitment spanning over 25 years, Matthew J. Herman has been unwavering in his service to the Fox Valley area and victims nationwide. Throughout his career as a Chicago personal injury lawyer, he has demonstrated proficiency in handling an array of class action cases, including antitrust issues, business disputes, and finance matters, as well as general civil litigation and appeals. His impressive track record speaks volumes about his expertise and effectiveness in the courtroom.
Fueled by his competitive spirit and passion for the legal field, Matt pursued his law degree at Chicago’s John Marshall Law School, now University of Illinois Chicago, where he graduated cum laude and was a Staff Editor on Law Review. Matt spent the early part of his career working on a diverse range of civil cases, handling personal injury matters to commercial law disputes. As his career advanced, he discovered a distinct passion for the intricacies of large-scale class action claims.
Since then, Matt has successfully resolved numerous complex class action cases, leading to multi-billion-dollar recoveries for the affected parties. Additionally, he has achieved a number of verdicts of several million dollars in business disputes. One such dispute culminated in a weeklong jury trial in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois. Matt represented a golf course owner in a breach of contract case against the lessee with respect to the condition of course and facilities when the property was returned to the owner at the end of the lease term. After the 7-day trial, the jury deliberated for approximately 4 hours and returned a verdict in favor of the golf course owner for just under $3,5 million dollars. The contract also had a prevailing party attorney fee provision. As a result of this provision and prejudgment interest, the defendant paid just under $5 million dollars shortly after the trial without a post-trial motion or appeal.
Another notable achievement was his $2.6 million judgment on behalf of a prominent developer. In 2014, the Mill Creek Water Reclamation District (MCWRD) filed a lawsuit against the developer, Shodeen, of the Mill Creek subdivision in Geneva, IL. In its 10-plus-count complaint, the MCWRD maintained that various agreements between the parties were void and the developer owed the district several million dollars. Matt defended the suit and filed a counterclaim asserting the agreements were valid and it was the district that actually owed Shodeen money.
After 5 years of hard-fought litigation, Herman spearheaded a weeklong trial followed by an appeal to the Second District Court. In the end, the district received nothing, and Shodeen’s judgment for $2.6 million was affirmed.
Matt is licensed to practice in the State of Illinois as well as the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Illinois State Bar Association, and Kane County Bar Association.
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