2025 JVR SETTLEMENTS REPORT
Cook County settlements continue to surge, nearly reaching the record highs of 2024
73 % COOK COUNTY
ALL SETTLEMENTS
39% $957M
461 TOTAL REPORTED SETTLE MENTS
REPORTED SETTLEMENTS WERE MED-MAL
$ 3.6M AVERAGE SETTLEMENT $ 1.3M MEDIAN $ 1.7B TO TAL
TOTAL
NUMBER OF MED-MAL CASES
78 %
COOK COUNTY
22 %
NON-COOK COUNTY
SETTLEMENT AMOUNT
85 %
COOK COUNTY
NON-COOK COUNTY
15 %
NON-COOK COUNTY
27 % ALL SETTLE MENTS
171
$ 2.1M
TOTAL REPORTED SETTLE MENTS
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT
Source: Jury Verdict Reporter
$ 900K
$ 363M
MEDIAN
TOTAL
Of the 632 Illinois non-business settle- ments considered for the 2025 Jury Verdict Reporter Settlements Report — including those below the $500,000 threshold for in- clusion in the rankings of top firms — 73% came from Cook County. The 461 Cook County settlements that were reported to the Jury Verdict Reporter were in line with the five-year average, de - spite a 37% decline from 2024. The 2024 re- port included a record number of cases due to hundreds of Sterigenics settlements. The 171 settlements from the rest of Illinois were the lowest in five years. Cook County accounted for 73% of the total amount settled with $1.7 billion, while non-Cook settlements totaled $363 million. The average settlement amount increased in Cook County, while the median amount in-
creased throughout the state. The average Cook County settlement increased 43% to $3.6 million compared to the 2024 average of $2.7 million. Non-Cook County settlements averaged $2.1 million, which represented a 7% decline from the $2.3 million average in 2024. The median settlement amount in Cook County increased 43% to $1.25 mil- lion and 20% in non-Cook County cases to $900,000. In the 2025 report, medical malpractice cases decreased from the 10-year high in 2024 for the number of cases and total settlements amount. Medical malpractice settlements this year made up 39% of the reported settlements and totaled $957 mil- lion, which ranked second to last year’s re- cord total for medical malpractice cases of $967 million.
Breaking down medical malpractice set- tlements further, the ratio of Cook versus non-Cook cases was consistent with the overall JVR Settlements Report breakdown with 78% of cases in Cook County. The to- tal settlement amount in Cook County was even more dramatic with 85% of the total medical malpractice settlements amount coming from Cook County cases. In addition, the average Cook County medical malpractice settlement saw a 7% in- crease to $4.1 million whereas the non-Cook County average settlement fell 12% to $2.9 million. Settling a medical malpractice case in Cook County on average would be $1.7 million higher than other Illinois jurisdictions.
juryverdictreporter@lawbulletinmedia.com
JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2025 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 71
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