John T. Schriver practices in the areas of general corporate litigation, securities transactions, distributorship problems, professional liability, trade secrets litigation, employment and labor claims, disputes under the Uniform Commercial Code and construction litigation.
Mr. Schriver has significant experience in chancery court matters, particularly injunctive actions. He has also successfully argued cases involving such issues as breach of contract, estoppel and consumer fraud. Admitted to practice in Illinois and Florida, Mr. Schriver is a member of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association, the Florida and Illinois State bar associations.
He is a 1971 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross.
Representative Matters
· Obtained an injunction on behalf of Travelport, LP precluding American Airlines from terminating its contracts with Orbitz.com and reinstating Orbitz's ability to display and ticket American Airlines flights. Decision affirmed on appeal.
· Represented CEO accused of taking trade secrets to start a competing business. Successfully defeated TRO petition and motion for preliminary injunction, resulting in favorable settlement for client. ValuePart v. ITR
· Represented executive/manager against claims for violation of the Illinois Wage Payment Act. At the conclusion of the trial, won two of three motions for directed findings, and settled favorably thereafter. Moore v. Suburban Financial Management Corp.
· Represented plaintiffs suing trustee of their grandfather's trust for mismanagement of trust assets and an accounting. Won order for accounting and summary judgment that surcharged the trustee for full amount of the trust corpus plus interest. Stearns v. Cutler
· Handled defense of case involving breach of contract allegations made against major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs in relation to certain autograph and card show. After trial, obtained finding that client had lived up to all obligations under the contract. Based on other issues, the court entered a judgment for the plaintiff that was less than the defendants' settlement offer. Just Ducky v. Prior and Upper Class Collectibles
· Handled numerous cases for professional engineers and contractors relating to construction matters and mechanics liens, bodily injuries, wrongful death, alleged violations of the Illinois Scaffolding Act and various OSHA-related issues.
· Successfully represented homeowners group in suit against developer for shoddy construction and damages resulting from hurricane.
· Represented various parties in employment-related disputes over executive compensation, stock rights, severance payments, covenants not to compete, and alleged theft of trade secrets.
· Obtained largest plaintiff's award in the history of Kenosha County, Wisconsin (as of that time) for a CEO client who was deprived of his phantom stock rights under a benefit plan. Bench trial resulted in award of $4.5 million.
· Represented largest bar code manufacturer in the U.S. in patent infringement case. Won summary judgment against allegations that a staple gun for affixing bar codes to lumber was developed through "infringement by the equivalents."
· Represented holder of lottery ticket in action against the Illinois Lottery Board and store where the ticket was purchased. Obtained jury verdict for $13 million in damages.
· Successfully represented majority shareholders in dispute over obligations of majority shareholders of closely held company under Illinois Oppression Statute. Jahn v. Kinderman
· Represented freight forwarding company in dispute with disloyal executive over compensation claims. Obtained a judgment, affirmed by the Illinois appellate court, that the executive forfeited all claims to compensation during the period of his proven disloyalty. ABC Transport v. Aeronomics
· Represented owner/operator of the barge that allegedly caused "The Great Chicago Flood." After numerous hearing and an appeal decided by the U.S. Superior Court in favor of the owner/operator that maritime law applied to the huge damage claims, the disputes were resolved for far less then the insurance coverage.
Professional Activities
· American Bar Association
- Section of Litigation
· Illinois State Bar Association
· The Florida Bar
Experience
· Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2001-present
· McDermott, Will & Emery, Chicago, Illinois
- Partner, 1970-2001
· United States Air Force Reserve
- Sergeant, Honorable Discharge, 1975
Honors and Awards
· Listed in Illinois Super Lawyers, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
· Listed in Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition, 2010
· AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Selected Publications
· Co-author, "Fair Value Determinations Under Section 12.56 of the Illinois Business Corporation Act," Illinois Bar Journal, April 2003
Selected Speaking Engagements
· Panelist, "Compensation Based on Criteria Other Than the Billable Hour-Is It Feasible?" Ark Group Conference: Alternative Fee Arrangements - Where Do We Stand Today? Chicago, Illinois, June 15, 2010
· Frequent lecturer in the area of civil litigation