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Direct Dial: 312-596-4916
Erica N. Rogina
Associate
Areas of Practice
Summary
Erica is a member of the Workers’ Compensation Defense Practice at Wiedner & McAuliffe’s Chicago office. Her workers’ compensation defense practice involves representing insurers, self-insured entities, and third-party administrators in all phases of workers’ compensation, from negotiation and mediation to litigation, including arbitration, contested administrative hearings, and the appellate process. Through her practice, Erica has established precedent and clarified Illinois workers’ compensation law in ways that assist employers and risk management professionals in their cost containment efforts to assess and limit workers’ compensation exposure. Erica is currently advocating limiting the duration of a wage loss award to work-life expectancy in a landmark case that will impact all Illinois employers.
Erica graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago Law School in 1998.
Notable Cases
- Dominick’s Finer Foods v. Michael G. Stell and the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Circuit Court of Cook County, the Honorable Sanjay Tailor, 08 L 50792: In this statutory interpretation case before the Circuit Court of Cook County, Erica successfully argued that an employee’s overtime must be both mandatory and regular to be considered in the calculation of workers’ compensation benefits. This case clarified previously inconsistent interpretations of the law that resulted from the landmark Airborne Express decision. Risk management professionals are now better positioned to contain workers’ compensation costs and more accurately assess exposure.
- United Airlines v. Mary Ritter and Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, 382 Ill. App. 3d 437, 887 N.E.2d 888 (1st Dist. 2008): In a seminal Appellate Court decision, Erica secured a reversal of an Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission decision, thereby limiting the inclusion of per diem payments in the calculation of the average weekly wage, the cornerstone of workers’ compensation benefits. This decision now helps risk management executives in the sales, trucking, airline, and a myriad of other businesses and professions effectively budget for and contain workers’ compensation costs.
- Rozalia Handzel v. Kane-Miller Corp., d/b/a American Meat Packing Co. et al., 244 Ill. App. 3d 244, 614 N.E.2d 206 (1st Dist 1993): Erica successfully secured a dismissal before the Appellate Court of Illinois, thereby eliminating exposure for her client when an employee brought a civil lawsuit for damages after sustaining a fatal heart attack.
Professional Affiliations
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
- Defense Research Institute
- Appellate Lawyers Association
Bar and Court Admissions
IllinoisUnited States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Education
J.D., Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, 1988B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1980
| Attorneys | Erica N. Rogina
