JAMES J. PARR

Admissions (State and Federal)

I am an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois since November 6, 2014.  I have been continuously licensed in Illinois since November 6, 2014.  I am admitted to practice in all state courts in Illinois.  My Illinois Bar Number is 6317921.

I am also admitted to practice in the following United States District Courts:

Experience

• I have been an associate attorney at Mike Agruss Law since 2016 and a partner since 2021.  Mike Agruss Law, handles consumer rights and personal injury cases.
• I have devoted my practice to consumer litigation and personal injury litigation.  Regarding my consumer litigation practice, I primarily help people with debt collection harassment, robocalls, and credit report problems.
• Throughout my career, I have settled over 1000 consumer rights’ cases.  
• Since 2014, I have tried two jury trials to verdict and have successfully arbitrated, mediated, and pre-tried dozens of cases.
• Before becoming an attorney, I worked for approximately 7 years as a paralegal focusing nearly exclusively in consumer law areas.
• I was awarded $368.00 per hour in Underhill v. Local Data Recovery, LLC, et al., case no. 4:21-cv-227-MW-MAF (N.D. Fla. Jan. 20, 2022).
• I was awarded $362.00 per hour in the following cases:
  • Flowers v. Keystone Wealth Management Group, LLC, et al. case no. 1:20-cv-05990 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 11, 2020).
  • Flowers v. Go To DRA, LLC, et al. case no. 1:21-cv-00322 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 13, 2021).
  • Acosta v. Go To DRA, LLC, et al. case no. 1:22-cv-537 (N.D. Ill. June 21, 2022).
• I was awarded $355.50 per hour in Manna v. Green Square Company LLC, et al., case no. 4:21-cv-03450 (S.D. Tex. April 29, 2022).
• I was awarded $344.50 per hour in Neuman v. Swiftfunds Financial Services, LLC, case no. 2:20-cv-00931-RSM (W.D. Wash. Nov. 30, 2020).
• I was awarded $329.00 per hour in Shibata v. Accredited Management Solutions, LLC, case no. 20-cv-01156-PAB-KLM (D. Col. Sept. 21, 2021).
• I was awarded $325.00 per hour in Foley v. International Recovery Partners & Associates, LLC, case no. 4:20-cv-00049-BP (W.D. Mo. May 27, 2020).
• I was awarded $317.00 per hour in Jarvis v. Hawkins Tucker & Boazman Mediations Firm LLC, et al., case no. 4:21-cv-01440-RLW (E.D. Mo. May 3, 2022).
• I was awarded $311.00 per hour in Luzadder v. Accelerated Servicing Group, LLC, case no. 4:19-cv-00268-RP-HCA (S.D. Iowa Sept. 15, 2020).
• I was awarded $297.00 per hour in Berry v. United Merchant Asset Recovery of WNY, LLC, case no. 1:22-cv-00859-LJV (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 23, 2023).
• I was awarded $294.00 per hour in Becvar v. DCN Holdings, Inc., case no. 3:21-cv-00260-MOC-DSC (N.D.N.C. Jan. 24, 2022).
• I was awarded $275.00 per hour in the following cases:
  • Hinyub v. AA Recovery Solutions, Inc., case no. 1:20-cv-00089-MR-WCM (W.D.N.C. Oct. 3, 2020).
  • Greene v. Accredited Management Solutions, LLC, et al., case no. 1:21-cv-00185-MR-WCM (W.D.N.C. Aug. 2, 2022).
• I was awarded $250.00 per hour in Smith v. Nations Recovery Center, Inc., case no. 1:19-cv-01229-MAD-DJS (N.D.N.Y. Apr. 6, 2021).
• I was awarded $261.00 per hour in Ward v. Green Square Company, LLC, et al.., case no. 2:21-cv-00613-TS (D. Utah June 29, 2022).
• I was awarded $225.00 per hour in Ross v. Green Square Company, LLC, case no. 1:20-cv-00527-DCN (D. Idaho Aug. 4, 2021).

Trial Experience

Jean Maxwell v. Stephanie White and Helen Williams

Practice Area: Personal Injury/Premises Liability

Date: February 7, 2018

Outcome: After a four-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Plaintiff for $12,150 after 50% off $24,300 ($22,000 past medical expenses; $2,300 lost income; $0 pain & suffering; $0 loss of normal life).

Special Interrogatories: On March 28, 2015, was the plaintiff Jean Maxwell contributorily negligent? “Yes.” On March 28, 2015, was the plaintiff Jean Maxwell’s contributory negligence a proximate cause of her injuries? “Yes.” On March 28, 2015, was the plaintiff Jean Maxwell’s contributory negligence greater than 50% of the cause of her injuries? ‘”No.”

Description: James J. Parr and Taylor L. Kosla of Mike Agruss Law represented Plaintiff.  On March 28, 2015, Plaintiff went to visit a childhood friend, Defendant, White, who lived in a second-floor apartment.  The three-flat building was owned by White’s mother, Defendant, Williams.  Plaintiff decided she wanted to visit White’s sister, who resided in the basement apartment.  White told Plaintiff not to use the interior back stairs because the lights were not working and it was dark in the enclosed stairwell. Plaintiff contended Defendant, White simply told her not to use the back-stairs and never warned her about the lack of lighting. Plaintiff testified she would have had to go outdoors if she used the front stairs so she chose to use the rear stairway because it was the warmer and shorter route. While walking down the stairs, she either slipped or misstepped on a stair in the darkness, causing her to fall. Plaintiff sustained a closed displaced oblique fracture of the left tibia with nonunion, plus a closed displaced Maisonneuve fracture (spiral fibula fracture); she underwent surgery to reduce the tibia fracture with placement of an intramedullary nail, and has made a full recovery ($43,404 medical expenses, $4,646 LT three months as home health care worker).  Plaintiff contended Defendants were negligent in the care and management of the property, failing to maintain adequate lighting, and failing to warn her that the back stairs were unlit. The defense denied negligence and asserted Plaintiff was contributorily negligent in the manner in which she traversed the unlit staircase. The defense sought a directed verdict after Plaintiff admitted that she was in an area of the premises where she did not have permission and went into that area anyway knowing she lacked permission, so therefore Defendants owed no duty to the Plaintiff. Instead, Judge Van Tine issued jury instructions regarding a trespasser and the duty towards the trespasser. Williams reportedly admitted that the lights in the back stairwell had been inoperable since 2013. Case was resolved after post-trial motions.

Dulmaa Dagvadorj v Edwin Zabaleta 

Practice Area: Personal Injury/Automobile v. Pedestrian

Date: September 16, 2019

Outcome: After a two-day trial, the jury returned a defense verdict after determining: Plaintiff’s contributory negligence was more than 50% of the cause of her injuries.

Description: James J. Parr and Taylor L. Kosla represented the Plaintiff who exited a westbound CTA bus at Foster Ave. and Avers Ave. in Chicago around 9:00 pm on July 21, 2016. She then attempted to head southbound across Foster in front of the bus, but was hit by Defendant’s westbound car as it passed the stopped bus. Vehicles traveling on Foster have no traffic controls at this T intersection. The impact caused Plaintiff to bounce off the vehicle into the air and land across the street. Plaintiff sustained numerous bruises, abrasions, and road rash all over her body, as well as soft tissue lumbar pain. She was transported from the scene by ambulance, remained bedridden for several weeks, received chiropractic and acupuncture treatment, and claims ongoing pain and limited mobility ($32,069 medical expenses). Plaintiff maintained she was walking in the crosswalk, looked both ways for traffic, and saw none before stepping out from in front of the bus. Plaintiff’s counsel argued Defendant failed to keep a proper lookout, drove too fast for conditions during a heavy downpour of rain, failed to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, was going 30 mph, and his job as a CTA bus driver should have made him expect that a pedestrian would cross the street in front of the bus. Defendant contended he was going 20 mph. The defense argued Plaintiff was two feet outside the crosswalk while the bus was partially stopped in the crosswalk, she darted out in front of deft when he was only five feet away, she was running because of the rain, her failure to see the car before impact proved she did not look before running into Defendant’s lane, and her dart-out negated any liability protection under the crosswalk statute. Plaintiff lives in Mongolia and she traveled 8,000 miles to attend the trial. 

Settlements

Practice Area: Nursing Home Abuse

• Confidential settlement in the amount of $650,000 with nursing home for suicide of client’s brother.
• Confidential settlement in the amount of $150,000 with nursing home for choking/aspiration death of client’s brother.  Result of mediation.
• Settlement in the amount $325,000 with a business that assisted seniors and their family in their homes for the client’s mother’s broken hip after negligent transfer from wheelchair to bed.

Practice Area: Personal Injury

• Confidential settlement in the amount of $250,000 for high-speed automobile collision on highway.