Mannis Law

Call For A Free Case Evaluation

(312) 704-4300

Blog

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: January 23, 2021

The sirens could be heard from blocks away, and then about ten fire trucks, ambulances and a hook and ladder truck came down my street and stopped, the firemen jumping out of their trucks, grabbing tanks, hoses and axes, and headed inside to the loft building across the street. Quite a commotion, that luckily was either very minor, or a total false alarm. Ten minutes later they started re-emerging, packed up and were soon on their way. Phew! But it made me think, what if there had been some disaster, to persons or property. You need to have renter's insurance. Obviously, when you own a home or condo, insurance is required by the lender if you have a mortgage. But so many renters skip or skimp on renter's insurance. Key components are coverage for your belongings, and payment for medical bills if a guest is injured in your unit. It…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: January 22, 2021

My client called me a couple months ago with the bad news. She had been rear ended by an uninsured driver. I told her that somewhere around 20% of all drivers on the road in Illinois are driving without insurance. Shocking. So my client, after being taken by ambulance to the ER, xrayed and examined there, including an CT Scan because she had hit her head, then treatment and physical therapy by her doctor including an MRI because her shoulder pain wasn't responding to treatment, called this morning, asking how the claim was coming along. I'm glad that the injuries weren't actually worse, it was a bad crash, but the bad news from the standpoint of her claim is that she has coverage for Uninsured Motorist accidents, but the limit is capped at $50,000. That's less than her medical bills alone! Her case is easily "worth" over $100,000, but $50,000…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: January 3, 2021

In Illinois, when YOU have insurance, you are protecting yourself against the possibility that you'll be hit and hurt by someone without insurance. That part of YOUR policy is called the Uninsured Motorist (or Family Protection) Coverage and it allows you to collect compensation from your own insurance company, for the injuries and damages caused by the person without insurance. After your company, like State Farm, Allstate, Geico, Progressive or others make their payment to you, they have the right to go after the uninsured driver and try to get their money back. The important thing is that YOU don't have to try to squeeze water (money) from a rock (uninsured driver.) State law in Illinois says that you MUST have $25,000 per person coverage, that's the minimum, and that just isn't enough. You need at least $100,000 per person. So many clients of mine, unfortunately in a crash, get…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: January 2, 2021

If you are hurt in a crash, it is crucial that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. First of all, assessing your injuries and condition and getting the treatment you need is what's best for you. This is obvious. Don't make the mistake of "giving yourself some time" to heal if you've been hurt. And second, if you have a legal claim to make for your injuries, the longer you wait, the more doubt the insurance company will push your way on whether you were hurt as badly as you claim, if you were hurt at all, and if you're somehow not being honest about what happened to you as a result of the crash. How many times have I heard from an insurance claims adjuster, or even an insurance company lawyer at trial, long after a crash, "People who are hurt see their doctors; why didn't Mr.…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: January 2, 2021

No Changes in Illinois minimum coverage for 2021! That's the headline and the bad news. Auto insurance is required for every vehicle in Illinois, and the state requires minimum coverage of $25000 per person/ $50,000 per vehicle for any injury crash. It isn't enough! So what can you do about that, comply with Illinois State law and protect yourself and your family. The answer is to make sure YOU have enough in insurance coverage to provide for most injury accidents you may unfortunately be involved in. My recommendation is that you MUST have at least 100/300 coverage, meaning that if you're hurt in a crash, you have up to $100,000 of coverage for medical bills, lost wages, pain, loss of your normal life and other damages. I have handled numerous cases where there just want even close to enough insurance coverage to fully compensate my client. And I'm seeing more…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: December 22, 2020

The Covid Pandemic has ravaged society, with effects on every level of everyday life. And it has also affected court cases and uninsured motorist cases, though in different ways. For the most part, courts are shut down for in person hearings, and jury trials have ground to a halt. None. And who knows when it will be safe to resume in person jury trials But the surprising good news is that uninsured and underinsured motorist cases are actually moving faster, in most cases. Cases are proceeding by zoom or telephone process and the meetings are easy to schedule, with the typically busy-in-court lawyers now working remotely or at least with freed up schedules due to no court appearances I have handled both hearings for clients on UM and UIM claims on Zoom, and have served as claimant's arbitrator on Zoom dozens of times in the past year. The UM and…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: December 21, 2020

The quick answer is sure you can. Your insurance policy has provisions that deal with the possibility that you or a family member driving your car will be hit by a driver with no insurance, or not enough insurance. Your insurance company, complying with Illinois state law covers you, as if you are making a claim against the other driver. It is then the right of your insurance company to try to get whatever money they pay to you in compensation back to them from the uninsured driver. Good luck to them. And that's exactly why the State has made UM overage mandatory. It's very hard and very frustrating trying to collect money personally from an uninsured driver! Now, I said earlier that you CAN try to handle a claim yourself, but there are many complications, twists and turns that may make it much more advantageous for you have to…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: December 18, 2020

Medical insurance isn't so streamlined in America. The latest statistics reveal that, even after the creation of the Affordable Care Act, there are millions and millions of people without health insurance. So what will you do for medical care if you've been in a car crash or otherwise hurt where it's someone else's fault? If you're hurt, regardless of having health insurance or not, you'll be taken by ambulance to the ER. And get the treatment and testing that you need. Thankfully, most ERs treat you first, and worry about insurance later. Now, if you have health coverage, give them that information. If you do not have medical insurance, the hospital, upon learning that you have a claim to make, will file a "lien" with the other driver's insurance company. A filed lien means that they'll be contacted at the time of proposed settlement and receive payment, though not always…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: December 17, 2020

How much insurance do you really need? Well, the short answer is "the more the better" but it gets expensive, right? That said, my strong advice is that you need AT LEAST coverage of 100/300 to be "minimally adequately insured." So what does 100/300 mean? It means that maximum payment to you or anyone in your car injured in a car crash is capped at $100,000. And if someone is badly hurt, getting to $100,000 in damages doesn't take very long. The reason you need this much coverage is that you're buying both liability coverage, protection for yourself in case you hurt someone, PLUS, you are buying coverage for YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR PASSENGERS in case you're hit and injured by someone without enough insurance. A typical ambulance transport costs over $2000 these days, and I see ER bills over $10,000 just about every day. Then add in doctor…Read More

  • By: Michael Mannis, Esq.
  • Published: January 22, 2018

It is MOST important that you have enough coverage for your UM and UIM part of your auto policy. You are protecting yourself, your family and your passengers against the low limits (or no insurance) that far too many people in Illinois drive with. Call your agent, make sure your limits are 100/300, at least. and rest easier should the unexpected happen.Read More

Page 1 of 2:12»
Accessibility Accessibility
Ă— Accessibility Menu CTRL+U