Claire L. Lunardini - Partner

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Biography

Claire L. Lunardini is a partner of Williams Montgomery & John Ltd. and a member of the firm's product liability, aviation, commercial litigation and toxic torts practice groups. She focuses her practice on defending product liability, employment, toxic tort and commercial claims in state and federal courts in Illinois and throughout the United States.

Ms. Lunardini has been selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers as a 2012 Rising Star in the area of products liability defense.  The honor is based on peer recognition and professional achievement and is reserved for the top 2.5 percent of young lawyers in Illinois.

Ms. Lunardini has successfully tried, arbitrated and mediated cases for major corporate clients.

In the product liability area, Ms. Lunardini has represented Ford Motor Company in dozens of Ford Explorer cases involving tread separations of Firestone tires, represented Bausch & Lomb, Inc. and Walgreen Co. in dozens of lawsuits involving Bausch & Lomb Renu with Moistureloc contact lens solution, and represented Sharp Electronics in two product liability lawsuits arising from fires allegedly started by a Sharp television and a Sharp copying machine. She also has represented clients such as Lycoming Engines, Avco Corporation, Textron Inc., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Dunlop Tires, Interco Tire Corp., Denman Tire Corp. and Kubota Tractor Corp. in product liability matters involving personal injury and wrongful death claims.

Ms. Lunardini has extensive experience with breach of contract, insurance coverage, negligent representation and other complex commercial litigation representing clients such as IBM, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Genentech, Inc., Whirlpool Corporation, The Terminix International Co. and Johns Manville International, Inc. In addition, she represents clients in employment contract and wrongful termination disputes.

Education/Bar Admissions

Ms. Lunardini received a B.A. in English and political science, With Highest Honor, in 1997 from DePaul University. She was a recipient of the Dean's Award for Scholastic Excellence (four years), and became a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Sigma Tau Delta international English honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha national political science honor society, Golden Key national honor society and Alpha Lamda Delta honor society.

She received her J.D. in 2000 from DePaul University College of Law, where she was an article and note editor and a writing staff member for the DePaul Law Review, a member of the Dean's List, and was the recipient of the CALI Achievement Award for Legal Writing II and CALI Achievement Award for When Justice Fails.

Ms. Lunardini was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2000 and also has been admitted to the following federal trial courts:

  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana

In addition, Ms. Lunardini has been admitted pro hac vice in several state and federal courts throughout the country.

Professional Activities

Ms. Lunardini is active in various professional organizations, including:

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
  • Defense Research Institute

Ms. Lunardini also is the Chair of the Membership Committee of the Young Lawyers Section of Primerus, a consortium of small- to medium-sized firms located throughout the world.

           

Past Speaking Engagements

Representative Matters

  • American States Insurance Co. v. Monticello Insurance Co.

    Circuit Court of DuPage County, Ill.
    Represented Monticello Insurance Co. in insurance coverage matter. Case settled.

  • Bausch & Lomb, Inc./Renu with Moistureloc Product Liability Litigation

    Various state and federal courts in Illinois
    Represented Bausch & Lomb, Inc. and Walgreen Co. in dozens of product liability lawsuits involving Bausch & Lomb Renu with Moistureloc contact lens solution. Cases settled.

  • Bedolla v. RES Environmental

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Defended spray insulator company against third-party breach of contract claim brought by general contractor. Plaintiff alleged failure to provide insurance coverage, with an underlying claim concerning personal injuries sustained in a one-story fall through a hole at a building construction site. Case settled.

  • Bryant v. Terminix International

    Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tenn.
    Represented Terminix International in a toxic tort lawsuit in which plaintiff alleged to have sustained neurological damage and other permanent injuries as a result of exposure to a pesticide. Case settled.

  • Crystal Towers v. Johns Manville International, Inc.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained dismissal without settlement on behalf of defendant Johns Manville in a negligent misrepresentation and breach of warranty lawsuit. Case arose out of allegations concerning a Johns Manville roofing product.

  • Ford Explorer/Firestone Tire Tread Separation Litigation

    Various courts in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida
    Obtained favorable settlements for client Ford Motor Company in dozens of Ford Explorer cases involving tread separations of Firestone tires.

  • Forsythe v. Wayne Snyder et al.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., Chancery Division
    Represented Forsythe in a trade secrets violation and employment contract breach against former employees. In a Rule 23 non-published order, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of Forsythe. In its ruling, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the trial court erred in finding unenforceable the forum-selection clause in Forsythe's employee confidentiality and non-compete agreements and erred in dismissing the case against the former employees based upon lack of personal jurisdiction. The Illinois Appellate Court reversed the circuit court's judgment dismissing Forsythe's claims against its former employees and remanded for further proceedings. The case settled for a confidential amount.

  • Gaskin v. Sharp Electronics Corp.

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
    Favorably resolved product liability and wrongful death lawsuit against client Sharp Electronics. Case arose from a fire inside a home allegedly started by a Sharp television. Case settled following order barring plaintiff's expert pursuant to Daubert.

  • Glenbrook v. Goodyear

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of Goodyear in a breach of contract claim involving payment of real estate taxes.

  • Goodyear v. Lucas

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained judgment for client Goodyear entered against two corporations and an individual in a lawsuit involving a breach of contract claim and a claim under the Illinois Uniform Fraudulent Transfer of Assets statute.

  • Green v. CMS

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Represented individual in lawsuit concerning employment disputes and compensation owed following termination.

  • Green v. Kubota Tractor Corporation

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Currently defending distributor of riding lawn tractor and mower in action involving partial amputation of a four-year-old child's foot.

  • Hector v. Denman Tire Corp.

    Circuit Court of Dane County, Wis.
    Represented Denman Tire in a product liability and wrongful death lawsuit arising from a catastrophic automobile accident involving an allegedly defective tire. Case settled.

  • Hector v. Interco Tire Corp.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Represented Interco Tire in a product liability and wrongful death lawsuit arising from a catastrophic automobile accident. Case settled.

  • Helgesen v. Jewel Food Stores, Inc.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained decision of "not guilty" in a non-binding arbitration representing defendant Jewel Food Stores in a premises liability lawsuit. Plaintiff alleged personal injury as a result of a slip and fall inside a Jewel store. Case settled for nuisance value following arbitration decision.

  • Jelic v. Goodyear

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained dismissal, with prejudice, on behalf of defendant Goodyear in a personal injury lawsuit arising from a motor vehicle accident.

  • Johnson v. Avco/Textron/Lycoming et al.

    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
    On behalf of defendants Avco, Textron and Lycoming, successfully removed case to federal court despite existence of resident defendant that had not yet been served with summons. Case involved general aviation catastrophic crash that resulted in five deaths. Settled for confidential amount after motion to remand was denied.

  • Krueger v. President Builders, Inc.

    Cook County, Ill.
    Represented general contractor President Builders in lawsuit arising from an accident that occurred on residential construction site where an individual fell through a hole. Case settled during trial.

  • Leynaud v. IBM

    Circuit Court of LaSalle County, Ill.
    Represented IBM and IBM employee in an action concerning motor vehicle accident. Case settled.

  • McCloud v. Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America, et al.

    U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
    Defended Goodyear Dunlop Tires in product liability action arising from allegedly defective motorcycle tire and involving brain damage and quadriplegia. Case settled after verdict.

  • Onyango v. Goodyear

    Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Ill.
    Achieved bench trial decision in favor of defendant Goodyear and one of its employees in a property damage lawsuit. Judge found in favor of defendants on all issues.

  • Phoenyx One, Inc. v. Terminix International, Inc.

    Circuit Court of Will County, Ill.
    Represented Terminix International in a breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation action arising from property termite inspections. Case settled.

  • Schnaar v. Genentech, Inc.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Represented drug manufacturer Genentech, Inc. in a lawsuit arising out of an FDA drug study for the psoriasis drug Raptiva. Case settled.

  • Trapper Enterprises v. Goodyear

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained arbitration decision of "not guilty" for defendant Goodyear in a breach of contract action. Case dismissed following arbitration decision.

  • Willow Creek v. Sharp Electronics Corp.

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of Sharp Electronics in product liability lawsuit involving a fire allegedly started by a copying machine manufactured by Sharp.