A very nice California woman called me and was hoping to hire my office for an Illinois workers’ compensation claim. She was very clearly hurt at work and her injury is very serious. She was also nice and honest and would make a great client. But I had to turn her down.
Unfortunately she was hurt in CA for a CA company and was hired there too. In other words, her case has no connection to Illinois other than that she will be soon living here and seeking medical treatment here.
I get this type of situation about once a month. The issue is that the work comp laws in every state are different. You can’t just move to a state and get a lawyer there or the benefit of the laws there. She’s stuck in California.
This would have been different if she had been hurt in Illinois while traveling for work, even if it was a layover at O’Hare or Midway. It also would have been different if she was physically in IL when hired.
Otherwise, unless your union agreement gives you the right to file here (e.g. United Airlines flight attendants and pilots) you can’t bring the case here.
We of course want to represent everyone that we can, but we always tell the truth too. If you want to see if you can bring your case in Illinois or just have questions, fill out our contact form or call us at (312) 346-5578 for a free consultation. All calls are free and confidential and we cover all of Illinois.
