Our Team

Matthew Saltzman is the senior trial attorney at Sherwood Law Group

Matthew focuses his practice in all aspects of personal injury and commercial/business litigation. He has successfully represented countless clients in all types of injury cases, including: motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian cases, taxi, bus, and train accidents, slip and fall injuries, premises liability cases, animal bites, construction negligence, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, wrongful death, trucking injuries, workplace injuries, catastrophic injuries, and workers�™ compensation matters.

Matthew also currently represents a number of businesses including construction companies, med-spas, and businesses/contractors that do work with professional sporting teams. Matthew strives to provide knowledgeable and aggressive representation in order to obtain the best possible outcome for his clients. As an experienced jury trial attorney, Matthew has litigated thousands of personal injury matters resulting in successful jury trial verdicts, mediations, and settlements on behalf of Plaintiffs in Northern and Central Illinois. Matthew is licensed to practice in Illinois State Court, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and has practiced in the Appellate Court of Illinois for the First Judicial District.

Recent Achievements:

• After two (2) years of appellate litigation, Matthew was successful in overturning well-established landlord-tenant law relating to similarly situated entities and knowledge of defective conditions, preserving his client(s) third-party work-related claim(s) in the Circuit Court by successfully winning in the Appellate Court of Illinois First District on the matter of Flores v. Westmont Engineering Co., et al., 2021 IL App (1st) 190379, No. 1-19-0379. Matthew successfully litigated, briefed, and argued that the long-standing law shielding a commercial landlord from liability should not apply to his catastrophically injured client, and the Appellate Court concurred and reversed and remanded the matter back to the State Court. The published appellate decision can be found here.
• On November 6, 2011, a thirteen (13) year-old Plaintiff became seriously injured when she was burned by an uncontained flame from an inconspicuously placed broken candle in her bedroom. The Circuit Court of Illinois granted Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment and dismissed the case based upon long-standing open and obvious law, noting that “Fire, water, and falling from heights are dangerous conditions which can be understood by ‘any child of an age allowed to be at large’.” Matthew Saltzman of Sherwood Law Group argued before The Appellate Court of Illinois First District that the lit candle under these circumstances was not an open and obvious danger, and that the Defendant owed Plaintiff a duty of care, despite the case law. On September 26, 2022, the Appellate Court agreed and overturned the Trial Court’s decision. Justice Hyman delivered the opinion of the Court and held that the hidden nature of the damaged candle constituted a dangerous condition and the placement of the candle among the personal items was not ‘open and obvious’ as a matter of law. The original claim was denied by the insurance company and the defense.
• Matthew Saltzman of Sherwood Law Group triumphs over Airbnb Inc. in landmark Arbitration Case setting crucial precedent for Illinois and the rest of the country in the enforcement of and privity of contract for guests injured at Airbnb Inc. properties. For more information and a detailed account of the case, read about it on our blog.

Recent Verdicts/Settlements:

• $5,400,000.00 judgment for a Plaintiff who suffered severe injuries with multiple surgeries as a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle. Plaintiff’s injuries included open left tibia/fibula fracture, C-3-C4 fractures, hemorrhage of pelvic artery, epicondyle fracture, rib fracture and multiple lacerations.
• $2,500,000.00 third party recovery for a sixty (60) year old forklift operator who was injured at work when a negligently maintained storage rack and inventory fell upon her and she suffered multiple fractures to her hip, knee, ankle, orbital socket and a collapsed lung. Liability heavily disputed under exclusive remedies by the Defendant(s) landlord and property owner which were similarly situated entities to the employer.
• $1,750,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff involved in an automobile accident on the highway.
• $1,200,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who suffered severe injuries to his hand in a trucking incident.
• $1,005,000.00 judgment for a pedestrian hit by a motorcycle.
• $1,000,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who suffered severe injuries to her shoulder and back when she tripped and fell down the stairs in her apartment complex.
• $900,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff injured in a slip and fall on ice.
• $800,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who slipped and fell in a shopping mall as a result of an uncleaned spill and suffered a T12 compression fracture. Liability, causation, nature and extent of the injury were disputed by the Defendant(s).
• $740,000.00 verdict for a Plaintiff who sustained back injuries in a rear-end accident.
• $720.000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who slipped and fell in a factory.
• $622,500.00 settlement for wrongful death of a Plaintiff involved in a highway accident with a tow truck in a construction zone.
• $617,000.00 judgment for a pedestrian injured in a bicycle accident.
• $500,000.00 settlement for an eighty-three (83) year old Plaintiff that tripped, slipped, and fell down the staircase of his apartment building because of lack of stable railings and level steps wherein he suffered bilateral subdural hematomas and soft tissue injuries to his shoulder. Both liability and causative damages based upon a fall history were disputed by the defense.
• $450,000.00 settlement for a minor injured at a high school after he fell eight (8) feet through the railings of a stairwell and suffered skull fracture, temporal bone fracture, orbital fracture and a concussion. Plaintiff made a full recovery and counsel overcame statute of repose and other arguments including negligent supervision by the parents to effectuate settlement.
• $425,000.00 settlement for a fifty-two (52) year old Plaintiff who slipped and fell in a hotel lobby as a result of negligent mopping and warning(s) pertaining to work done in the area. As a result of the fall the Plaintiff suffered injuries to his knee requiring injections and rotator cuff repair surgery. Liability and causation of injury were disputed by the Defendants.
• $425,000.00 settlement for a thirty-five (35) year old Plaintiff with no prior injuries who slipped and fell at a commercial property and suffered a hip fracture, requiring surgical repair. Both liability and permanency of the injury were disputed by the owner, property manager, and all other custodial contractors/vendors.
• $400,000.00 settlement for the Wrongful Death of a Plaintiff that slipped, tripped, and fell in a parking lot of an apartment complex as a result of snow and ice accumulation and negligent snow and ice removal.
• $400,000.00 settlement for a fifty-six (56) year-old Plaintiff with preexisting knee injuries who slipped and fell and suffered a medial meniscus tear and post-traumatic osteoarthritis requiring surgical repair. Both liability and causation of the injury were disputed by the Defendants.
• $450,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who was hit by a luggage truck at an airport.
• $300,000.00 recovery for a sixty-two (62) year-old Plaintiff that was exiting a residential home via the backyard screen door when he tripped and fell due to the lack of proper step(s) and railings being installed to the doorway/exit. Plaintiff suffered injuries to his shoulder including dislocation and rotator cuff tear which required arthroplasty and injection(s). The Defendants disputed both liability and mechanism of injury and tendered the policy limits after liability and medical depositions.
• $275,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff with pre-existing knee, elbow and spine injuries in a side swipe trucking accident. Liability, causation of damages, and lack of property damage were all part of the dispute and challenges by the Defense.
• $250,000.00 recovery for a forty-three (43) year old Plaintiff that was a passenger in a motor vehicle when it was rear-ended by a Defendant operating a semi-truck on the Interstate. Plaintiff suffered neck and back soft tissue injuries including disc herniations at C3-4 to C6-7. Mechanism and causation of injury were disputed by the Defendant.
• $250,000.00 policy limit settlement for a sixty-eight (68) year-old Plaintiff involved in a motor vehicle collision who suffered an aggravation of pre-existing knee condition(s) (hematoma and tear), soft tissue injury to the shoulder, concussion, low back pain and disc bulges. Future medical care and damages were disputed by the Defense.    
• $215,000.00 settlement for a minor injured in a sporting event.
• $200,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff involved in a rear-end motor vehicle accident where she aggravated pre-existing injuries, requiring a laminectomy.
• $185,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who suffered displaced bimalleolar fracture requiring surgical repair to his ankle from a slip, trip, and fall related to snow, ice, and negligent construction/maintenance of the asphalt parking lot of a Restaurant.
• $175,500.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who was a passenger involved in a rear-end motor vehicle accident where she suffered spinal compression fracture injuries to her spine and multiple rib fractures.
• $175,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff who slipped and fell at a grocery store.
• $175,000.00 settlement for a Plaintiff involved in a rear-end automobile collision where Plaintiff suffered knee medical and lateral meniscal tears as well as right elbow injury requiring an injection for lateral epicondylitis. Plaintiff recovered from both the third-party and underinsured motorist policies.
• $150,000.00 settlement for a fifty-seven (57) year old Plaintiff who was injured in a motor-vehicle accident where the Defendant failed to yield and took an illegal left-hand turn in an intersection, striking the Plaintiff's vehicle. Plaintiff suffered a left-hand laceration and soft-tissue injuries to his neck and back, which included injections and physical therapy as part of his treatment. Both liability and damages were disputed.
• $150,000.00 settlement for a forty-four (44) year old Plaintiff who was struck by a tree branch after it fell in a courtyard during her lunch break. Plaintiff argued negligent maintenance, inspection, and preservation of the tree against the landowner, tenant, and property manager(s). Plaintiff suffered injuries to her leg and ankle which included surgery. Both liability and nature of the action were disputed in both the third party and compensation action.
• $120,000.00 settlement for an injured Plaintiff that had knee surgery as a result of being injured at work during a painting job where he tripped, slipped, and fell as a result of a loose mechanic lift plate. 

Education

J.D., Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 2010
B.A., Eastern Illinois University, 2006

Bar Admissions

Illinois, 2010
Federal Court Northern District of Illinois, 2011
Federal Court Central District of Illinois, 2024

Professional Associations and Memberships

Chicago Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
10 Best Attorneys in Client Satisfaction, American Institute of Personal Injury Lawyers, 2018
Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers, 2019
Board of Trustees of the Facial Pain Research Foundation, 2023

To contact Matthew Saltzman for a free consultation or to discuss representation, please email him at mas@sherwoodlawgroup.com or call 312-627-1650.