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Bill Ryan and Meg MacNair Receive the 2025 Jury Verdict Reporter’s Trial Lawyer Excellence Award for Outstanding Defense Verdict in a FELA case

On October 29, 2025, Two of Marwedel, Minichello, and Reeb’s shareholders, Bill Ryan and Meg MacNair, received the 2025 Jury Verdict Reporter’s Trial Lawyer Excellence Award for Outstanding Defense Verdict in a FELA case.

Bill and Meg received their award for a case in which they obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a railroad in Will County. The Plaintiff, a hostler operator employed by a third-party contractor, was involved in a collision with another hostler operator employed by the same contractor. (A hostler is a small truck used to transport chassis and containers within an intermodal rail yard.) He brought suit under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) despite not being a direct employee of the railroad. He claimed that the railroad exercised sufficient control over his work to be considered his employer under FELA. He also brought a state law agency claim and a direct negligence claim against the railroad.

Prior to trial, Plaintiff made a settlement demand of $2,300,000. The railroad offered $150,000 before trial. Plaintiff asked the jury to award $8,500,000.

After five days of trial, the jury deliberated for two hours before returning a verdict in favor of the defense on all counts. The jury also answered special interrogatories, finding that the railroad neither controlled the Plaintiff’s work nor acted negligently.

Alongside Bill and Meg, Patrick Yingling of Reed Smith LLP also represented the railroad at trial.

The award ceremony, put on by Jury Verdict Reporter, a division of Law Bulletin Media, celebrates the cases and career achievements of Illinois lawyers and is attended by attorneys, judges, and other legal community members. Awards were presented in 15 categories and 35 attorneys, from both sides of the trial bar, were honored with recognition.