Aviation Law Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Thomas A. Demetrio
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 1987 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Thomas A. Demetrio is a trial lawyer with an emphasis on medical negligence, product liability, airplane crash and commercial litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. He is Past President of the Chicago Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
He is a fellow of:
The American College of Trial Lawyers
The International Academy of Trial Lawyers
The Inner Circle of Advocates
Tom has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since its inception in 1987 and was named by Best Lawyers as the Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year for 2011. The National Law Journal has named him as one of the Nation's Top Ten Trial Lawyers and subsequently listed him as one of the top ten trial lawyers in Illinois. In 2022, Tom was ranked first by Illinois Super Lawyers out of attorneys in every practice area for the sixth consecutive year, after attaining the designation in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Lawdragon has named Tom one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America since its inaugural publication, describing him as the "powerhouse" of aviation and medical negligence law. Lawdragon has said of Tom, "In the windy city, he's the name for everything from medical malpractice claims to aviation disasters. When tragedy strikes, the families of plane crash victims have no greater ally. Tom is Chicago's top trial lawyer and stands alone atop the Chicago trial bar." In 2021, Tom was inducted into Lawdragon's Hall of Fame, an elite honor given to only 37 attorneys nationwide.
He has done extensive teaching and lecturing worldwide in the field of trial techniques and has authored numerous continuing legal education articles in the field of civil litigation.
In 2010, Tom was presented with two awards from the Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter / Law Bulletin Publishing Company for Trial Lawyer Excellence: one for the largest wrongful death settlement ever in Illinois ($25.25 million) and one for acquiring five or more verdicts in excess of $5 million since 1990.
Tom has negotiated over $1 billion in settlements and has acquired over $130 million in jury verdicts which includes the largest personal injury verdict ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court. He has never lost an appeal.
Overview
- University of Notre Dame, B.A., graduated 1969
- Chicago-Kent College of Law at IIT, J.D., graduated 1973
- Illinois, United States
- Florida, United States
- Chicago Bar Association - Past President (1992)
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association - Past President (1988)
- Inner Circle of Advocates - Fellow
- Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth - Founder
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals
- United States District Court
- Illinois, United States
- Florida, United States
- Chicago Bar Association - Past President (1992)
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association - Past President (1988)
- Inner Circle of Advocates - Fellow
- Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth - Founder
- University of Notre Dame, B.A., graduated 1969
- Chicago-Kent College of Law at IIT, J.D., graduated 1973
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals
- United States District Court
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Medical Malpractice Law, Chicago (2011)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Aviation Law
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Additional Areas of Practice:
- Medical Malpractice Law
- Personal Injury Litigation
Special Focus:
- Aviation Litigation
- COVID-19
- Medical Malpractice
Awards:
- Best Lawyers in America, 1987-present
- Inducted nto Lawdragon Hall of Fame, 2021
- Justice John Paul Stevens Award, Chicago Bar Association, 2016
- Leonard M. Ring Lifetime Achievement Award, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2016
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Hellenic Bar Association, 2015
- Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2011
News & Media
Insights
Case History
Cases
- Thomas Demetrio Obtains Confidential Settlement for United Airlines Passenger Dr. David Dao
Thomas Demetrio represented United Airlines passenger Dr. David Dao, obtaining a confidential settlement in just 18 days after the incident. Tom’s news conference with the Dao family was broadcast and streamed live globally and was covered by every major news outlet, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS Channel, and the New York Times.
- Thomas Demetrio Obtains Record $16.5 Million Verdict in Birth Negligence Case
Thomas Demetrio obtained a record jury verdict of $16.5 million on behalf of a 7-year-old Geneva girl who suffered brain damage after her mother's uterus ruptured at the time of the girl's birth. The award set a record in Cook County for a verdict in an obstetric medical negligence case. The girl’s mother had a medical condition that placed her at high risk of a uterine rupture and although she complained of abdominal pain, a physician did not examine her. The mother's uterus ruptured and an emergency C-section was performed. The fetus was found under the mother's rib cage covered in blood. The placenta, which supplies oxygen to the baby, had pulled free from the uterine wall. Following her birth, the girl required incubation and also suffered seizures. She has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and walks with canes and wears braces on her legs. Her speech is very poor and she has fine-motor control problems.
- Single Settlement Record of $25.2 Million Reached in US Airways Crash
Thomas Demetrio, lead plaintiffs’ counsel, negotiated a $25.2 million settlement on behalf of the estate of a Pittsburgh businessman who died in the crash of U.S. Air Flight #427, which was the highest ever negotiated settlement in a wrongful death case involving commercial aviation. The former record was a $25 million settlement, negotiated by the late Philip H. Corboy, who was Corboy & Demetrio’s Co-founder, on behalf of the family of a victim in the crash of United Airline Flight #232 in Sioux City, Iowa in 1989.
- $22.3 Million Verdict Affirmed by IL Supreme Court in Record Breaking Case
Keva Richardson was rendered a partial quadriplegic when her car was hit from behind by a semi-trailer truck at the intersection of Clavey Road and Interstate 94. Corboy & Demetrio partners Thomas Demetrio and Michael Demetrio represented Keva at trial, which resulted in a jury verdict of $22.3 million. The Demetrio brothers also represented Kiva on appeal, and after numerous defense challenges that the verdict was excessive, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the jury verdict. It remains the largest compensatory verdict for an individual ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court.
- $75 Million Global Settlement in John Hancock Scaffolding Collapse
Thomas Demetrio, Co-founder of Corboy & Demetrio, was one of the lead attorneys in the lawsuit stemming from the collapse and fall of scaffolding from the John Hancock building in Chicago and helped negotiate a $75 million global settlement for the victims’ personal injury and wrongful death claims on the eve of trial. Mr. Demetrio represented seven victims including the families of the two young women who were killed in the front seat of their car as their mothers witnessed their deaths in the back seat, and five others who were seriously injured.
- Thomas Demetrio Obtains $29.6 Million Verdict on behalf of Metra Train Crash Survivor
The $29.6 million awarded to a seriously injured Chicago Metra train derailment passenger, represented by Thomas Demetrio, is the largest verdict in Illinois for an individual injured in a mass transit crash. The passenger, a 25 year-old woman and graduate of Lewis University, was 13 weeks pregnant at the time. As a result of the derailment and crash, she suffered traumatic brain injury. The verdict meant that she would receive the care she needs for the rest of her life.
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