Hoagland, Fitzgerald, Smith & Pranaitis

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ALPHONSE J. PRANAITIS, born July 27, 1948, Granite City, Illinois

Partner

 

Phone:    (618) 465-7745

Email:     alpran@il-mo-lawfirm.com

 

 

 

 

 

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Education and Employment Background:

Al grew up in Granite City, Illinois. Except for his undergraduate years at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and time spent working as a Law Clerk in the Illinois Appellate Court, Al has lived his entire life in Madison County.

He graduated with honors from the University of Illinois in 1970 with a B.S. degree in Liberal Arts. Upon graduation, he worked for the next four years as a social worker for the State of Illinois and spent the bulk of this time working in East St. Louis. While working full-time, he attended night school at St. Louis University Law School and received his J.D. degree in 1975. Upon graduation from law school, he worked as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Charles E. Jones, Illinois Appellate Court (Fifth District) from May 1975 to November 1976. In November 1976, he joined the firm (known then as Hoagland, Maucker, Bernard & Almeter) and has been here ever since. He has an "AV" peer review rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.

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PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIETIES:

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; Selected as an Illinois "Super Lawyer" by the publishers of Chicago magazine for the years 2005 through the present; Member, Leading Lawyers Network; Member: Alton-Wood River (Vice President 2000; President 2002), Madison County (Treasurer 1979-80; Secretary 1984-85), Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC); (IDC Quarterly Editor in Chief, 2008-2009; Editor, 2005-2008; Member Medical Malpractice Committee); Defense Research Institute (DRI); Bar Association for the Central and Southern Federal Districts (BACS).

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Areas of Specialization:

Extensive civil jury trial practice with numerous verdicts in state and federal courts in areas of product liability, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, civil rights, construction accidents, truck and other over-the-road motor vehicle accidents, farm equipment accidents, premises liability, and transactional matters.

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Admitted to Practice in the Following Courts:

State Courts of Illinois and Missouri; United States Supreme Court; United States Courts of Appeal, Seventh and Eighth Circuits; United States District Courts, Southern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois and Eastern District of Missouri.

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Published Articles and presentations:

"Voir Dire in Civil Jury Trials in Illinois," The IDC Monograph, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. M-1 to M-12; "Collaring the Collateral Source Rule," Feature Article, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 51 to 54; "Removal of Illinois Cases to Federal District Court, Confronting the 'Amount in Controversy' Conundrum and Other Concerns," Feature Article, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 6 to 15; "Recent Opinion Regarding Voluntary Dismissal Orders Opens the Door for Potential Abuse," Feature Article, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 58-63; "Beating Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Against Lawyers at the Pleading Stage," Feature Article, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 34 to 39; "Use of Income Tax Returns, or Failure to File Them, to Diminish Damages for Lost Income or to Attack Plaintiff's Credibility," accepted for publication as Feature Article in IDC Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 4. 

Featured speaker at seminars sponsored by Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, corporations and insurance companies.

 

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REPORTED DECISIONS:

 

State Courts:

 

Kreider Truck Service, Inc. v. Augustine, 76 Ill. 2d 535, 394 N.E.2d 1179 (1979); Eastern v. Canty, 75 Ill. 2d 566, 389 N.E.2d 1160 (1979); Kronemeyer v. U.S. Bank N.A., 368 Ill. App. 3d 224, 857 N.E.2d 656 (5th Dist. 2006); Profitt v. OneBeacon, 346 Ill. App. 3d 959, 845 N.E.2d 715 (5th Dist. 2006); Alton Packaging Corp. v. Pollution Control Board, 162 Ill. App. 3d 731, 516 N.E.2d 275 (5th Dist. 1987); Malawy v Richards Mfg. Co., 150 Ill. App. 3d 549, 501 N.E.2d 376 (5th Dist. 1986); Gibbons v. Stillwell, 149 Ill. App. 3d 411, 500 N.E.2d 965 (5th Dist. 1986); Cahoon v. Alton Packaging Corp., 148 Ill. App. 3d 480, 499 N.E.2d 522 (5th Dist. 1986); app. den., 113 Ill.2d 572; app. dism., 482 U.S. 922 (1987); Alton Packaging Corp. v. Pollution Control Board, 146 Ill. App. 3d 1090, 497 N.E.2d 864 686 (5th Dist. 1986); Winklmeier v. Board of Review of Dept. of Labor, 115 Ill. App. 3d 154, 450 N.E.2d 353 (5th Dist. 1983); Mueller v. Hellrung Const. Co., 107 Ill. App. 3d 337, 437 N.E.2d 789 (5th Dist. 1982); Beane v. Millers Mut. Ins. Ass'n.  of Alton, 90 Ill. App. 3d 258, 412 N.E.2d 1124 (5th Dist. 1980); Smith v. County Board of Madison County, 86 Ill. App. 3d 708, 408 N.E.2d 452 (5th Dist. 1980); Kreider Truck Service, Inc. v. Augustine, 64 Ill. App. 3d 576, 381 N.E.2d 791 (5th Dist. 1978); rev., 76 Ill. 2d 535 (1979); Henkhaus v. Barton, 56 Ill. App. 3d 767, 371 N.E.2d 1166 (5th Dist. 1977); R & R Const. Co. v. Junior College Dist. No. 529, Olney, 55 Ill. App. 3d 115, 370 N.E.2d 599 (5th Dist. 1977); Hook v. Heim, 54 Ill. App.3d 368, 369 N.E.2d 563 (5th Dist. 1977); McAdams v. Scullin, 53 Ill. App. 3d 374, 368 N.E.2d 1036 (5th Dist. 1977); People v. Krouse, 30 Ill. App. 3d 446, 333 N.E.2d 17 (5th Dist. 1975); Millers Mut. Ins. Ass'n. of Illinois v. State, 32 Ill. Ct. Cl. 722, 1978 WL 50619 (1978); Wiley v. Shank & Flattery, Inc., 848 S.W. 2d 2 (Mo. App., W.D. 1992).

 

Federal Courts:

 

Betts v. Container Corporation of America, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 3229 (7th Cir. 1999); and 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 10648 (7th Cir. 1997); Hurst-Rosche Engineers, Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 51 F.3d 1336 (7th Cir. 1995); Garrison v. Gould, Inc., 36 F.3d 588 (7th Cir. 1994); Concast, Inc. v. AMCA Systems, Inc., 959 F.2d 631 (7th Cir. 1992); Smith v. Widman Trucking & Excavating, Inc., 627 F.2d 792 (7th Cir. 1980); Ronat v. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91814 (S.D. Ill. 2008); Minn. Lawyers Mut. Ins. Co. v. Larson, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67009 (S.D. Ill. 2007); Stock v. Integrated Health Plan, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65105 (S.D. Ill. 2007); Alsup v 3-Day Blinds, Inc., 435 F. Supp. 2d 838 (S.D. Ill. 2007); Komeshak v Concentra, Inc., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23231 (S.D. Ill. 2006); Goines v. Fed. Express Corp., 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5070 (S.D. Ill. 2002);  Hulme v. Madison County, 188 F. Supp. 2d 1041 (S.D. Ill. 2001); Henry v. AMCA Systems, Inc., 1990 WL 360764 (S.D. Ill. 1990); E.E.O.C. v. Jefferson Smurfit Corp., 724 F. Supp. 881 (M.D. Fla. 1989); Goldwater v. Alston & Bird, 673 F. Supp. 930 (S.D. Ill. 1987); Goldwater v. Alston & Bird, 116 F.R.D. 342 (S.D. Ill., 1987); Goldwater v. Alston & Bird, 664 F. Supp. 403 (S.D. Ill. 1986); Hobby v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 573 F. Supp 53 (S.D. Ill. 1983); Nutty v. Universal Engineering Corp., 564 F. Supp. 1459  (S.D. Ill. 1983); Allen v. Godar, 476 F. Supp. 172 (S.D. Ill. 1979).

 

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Charitable and Community Activities:

Consultant for the Roxana High School Mock Trial Team, Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Competition; Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois; annual participant in the Pride, Inc. "Bucket Brigade", a beautification project in the Alton area.

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