Michael Bedesky

Practice Groups:

Appellate Advocacy

Casualty/Tort Litigation

Class Actions/Mass Tort

Insurance Services

Product Liability

Trucking

Office Locations:

Edwardsville, IL

Phone: 618.656.4646

Email Me

Education

  • Juris Doctor – University of Illinois (1991)
  • Bachelor of Arts – English (Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society) Loyola University, Chicago (1988)

Year Joined Firm

2019

 

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Heyl Royster

  

Attorneys

Michael Bedesky (Of Counsel)

 PRINT

An experienced trial and insurance coverage attorney, Mike has tried 36 cases to jury verdict. Mike has also handled numerous appeals to the Fifth and Fourth District Appellate Courts. Over the span of a 28-year trial practice career, Mike has defended a wide variety of cases including motorsports liability, products liability, construction negligence, defamation, as well as first and third party insurance bad faith cases.

Mike has tried to verdict Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, Class Action, and Wrongful Death Cases.

Significant Cases

  • Carson v. Madison County Fair Association Madison County No. 04 L 1001 - Defense verdict in case with a brain injured plaintiff with over $300,000 in medical bills. A front wheel dislodged from a race car and traveled over a protective fence, striking plaintiff outside of the racetrack. 
  • Shelter Gen. Ins. Co. v. Zurich Direct 07-cv-507-DRH - Auto dealership employee was involved in a motor vehicle accident while driving a customer’s Shelter insured vehicle. The district court ruled in favor of Shelter, finding that the dealership’s attempt to use the “targeted tender” rule violated Illinois public policy. The district court found that the auto dealership’s garage liability policy and the Shelter policy were “co-primary” to provide liability coverage to the driver. 
  • Ford v. Grizzle Madison County No. 04 L 329 - Defense verdict in rear-end automobile accident with admitted liability. Plaintiff underwent chiropractic care, injections, and ultimately cervical fusion surgery. At issue was admissibility of prior motor vehicle accidents and photographs of the vehicles. The verdict was upheld in a subsequent opinion with the Fifth District Appellate Court, 398 Ill. App. 3d 639.
  • Platt v. Gateway Int’l Motorsports Corp. 351 Ill. App. 3d 326 (5th Dist. 2004) - Appellate court affirmed summary judgment in favor of defendant racetrack based on a release plaintiff executed. The appellate court found that the release applied to bar plaintiff’s negligence claim, even though the accident occurred before any race event took place.
  • Hanson v. Lumley Trucking, LLC 403 Ill. App. 3d 445 (5th Dist. 2010) - Appellate court affirmed summary judgment in favor of commercial motor vehicle carrier and denied UIM coverage after a driver’s death in a trucking accident. The appellate court found that the commercial policy prevented “stacking” of under-insured coverage.

Professional Recognition

  • Selected as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois. Only five percent of lawyers in the state are named as Leading Lawyers (2015-2019).

Professional Associations

  • Illinois State Bar Association (Insurance Law Section Member)
  • Federal Bar Association (Southern District of Illinois Chapter, Legal Education Committee Appointee, Central District of Illinois Chapter, Legal Education Committee Appointee)

Court Admissions

  • State Courts of Illinois
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • United States District Court, Central District of Illinois
  • United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

Community Involvement

  • United Congregations of Metro East – Executive Board Member and Past President