Michael A. Kosner

Founding Partner, Gallagher & Kosner Law, LLC

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Michael A. Kosner is a highly accomplished trial attorney whose practice focuses on representing individuals and families in complex medical malpractice, sexual abuse, and catastrophic injury cases. With more than 25 years of experience, he has recovered over $500 million in settlements and verdicts, establishing himself as one of the most effective advocates for victims of medical negligence and institutional abuse.

Michael’s record of success reflects both the scale of his results and his ability to resolve high-stakes cases efficiently. At just 35 years old, he secured one of the largest stillbirth settlements in Illinois history in fewer than 90 days from the time he was retained. He also obtained a $9.8 million settlement in a wrongful death medical malpractice case against Cook County Hospital—one of the largest of its kind—achieved in just over two years, significantly faster than the typical timeline for complex malpractice litigation in Cook County.

In 2025 Michael obtained a verdict of $43,300,000.00 against a physician who mistakenly caused brain damage to a woman in the ER. The offer prior to trial was $200,000.00. Later that year, Michael along with his partner, Michael Gallagher, obtained a verdict of $31,500,000.00 on behalf of the widow of a firefighter. This verdict shattered the previous record for wrongful death in Whiteside County, Illinois, by over $25,000,000.00. The offer prior to trial was $750,000.00.

Michael’s philosophy is simple, he prepares for war and hopes for peace. If a defendant doesn’t want to pay the full value of the case, he will make them pay at trial. Years of success at trial has given him the courage of his convictions.

In addition to his medical malpractice work, Michael has extensive experience representing victims of sexual abuse, child abuse, and neglect within the foster care system, including claims involving the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and its private contractors. His work in this area reflects a deep commitment to holding institutions accountable and securing justice for vulnerable individuals and their families in some of the most sensitive and complex cases. In 2020, Michael helped secure the largest settlement ever in the State of California ($33,000,000.00) against the Department of Children & Family Services in Los Angeles.

Michael’s practice also includes catastrophic personal injury matters involving products liability and trucking negligence. Over the course of his career, he has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements, including $75 million in verdicts over 4 trials in 2025 alone.

Known for his ability to quickly assess complex cases, develop strategic litigation plans, and drive matters toward resolution, Michael brings a disciplined, results-oriented approach to every case he handles. His experience across medical, institutional, and catastrophic injury litigation allows him to navigate highly technical issues while maintaining a clear focus on achieving meaningful outcomes for his clients.

Michael graduated from the University of Miami School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas.

Results:

• Verdict: $45,000,000.00: Hudson v. LSSI: Wrongful death social services negligence. A two-year-old was the victim of abuse and neglect which went undetected by the social services agency that was supervising the child's social services care. Eventually the two year old was beaten to death by his mother. This case was tried to a $45,000,000.00 verdict in Cook County in 2018.
• Verdict: $43,000,000.00: Anna Wyrwal v. Eric Toone, MD. Anna Wyrwal, 32 years old, suffered irreversible brain damage after a botched intubation and cricothyrotomy at Community First Medical Center on May 16, 2020. The defense claimed the defendant acted within the standard of care and offered only $200,000.00 prior to trial. This verdict was one of the highest medical malpractice verdicts in Cook County in 2025.
• Verdict: $31,500,000.00: The Estate of Garret Ramos v. The City of Rock Falls. 38 year old firefighter Garret Ramos died while on duty fighting a fire in the City of Rock falls, Illinois. Garret plummeted into the basement of the house after the floor collapsed. Plaintiff sued the city of Rock Falls for willful and wanton misconduct alleging that the Incident Commander failed to follow established safety protocols regarding tactics and strategy and failed to appropriately run the "Personal Accountability Report" in order to locate the missing firefighter. The defense offered $750,000.000 prior to trial. Plaintiff rejected $10,000,000.00 after closing arguments. This verdict is the largest ever verdict in Whiteside County Illinois and represents the largest wrongful death verdict ever obtained on behalf of a firefighter in Illinois history.
• Verdict: $8,000,000.00: The Estate of Joya Pipkin v. Mt. Sinai Hospital. Joya Pipkin died at 41 years old at Mt. Sinai Hospital during an upper endoscopy. Ms. Pipkin stopped breathing during the procedure after she was administered fentanyl and versed for sedation. Plaintiff demonstrated that Ms. Pipkin had a respiratory infection which predisposed her to respiratory decline and therefore sedation and the upper endoscopy should not have been done. The defendant offered $750,000.00 prior to trial which the plaintiff rejected.
• Verdict: $6,000,000.00: Dawn Angel Ricks v. Advocate South Suburban Hospital. Plaintiff, male, 37 years old went to the emergency room with the worst headache of his life. The ER physician ordered a CT scan of the brain which was negative. Plaintiff was discharged home. He died later that night after an aneurysm in his brain ruptured. Plaintiff demonstrated at trial that the ER doctor should have ordered a lumbar puncture in order to rule out an aneurysm. The defense did not make a settlement offer prior to trial.
• Settlement: $35,000,000.00: Avalos v. LA-DCFS: Wrongful Death. Largest ever social services negligence case in the history of California. A 9 year old was beaten to death by his step father following a 4 year history of reported abuse to the LADCFS. The settlement was a landmark in the field of social services malpractice in the state of California shattering the record for the highest settlement of its kind in California.
• Settlement: $9,900,000.00: Dickerson v. CCH. Farah Dickerson died after hemorrhaging prior to giving birth to her daughter. Plaintiff alleged that the defendant, physician missed the diagnosis of a placental abruption and failed to timely take action to stop the bleeding. At the time of this settlement it was one of the largest medical malpractice wrongful death settlements ever effectuated against Cook County Hospital.
• Settlement: $5,000,000.00: Norris v. Confidential Grocery Delivery Service. Plaintiff, male, age 28 was driving his motorcycle to work when a delivery driver made a left hand turn in front of plaintiff's motorcycle. Plaintiff suffered a closed head injury with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Plaintiff suffered residual headaches and neurological deficits.
• Settlement: $4,000,000.00: Drew v. LCFS. A foster child drowned in a pool on the property of a foster home. The pool was non-compliant with safety standards required by DCFS. The $4,000,000.00 settlement represented the full extent of available coverage under the insurance policy applicable to the claim.
• Settlement: $2,950,000.00: Boldt v. Local Area Hospital. Plaintiff, M-60 years old developed a severe diabetic infection on the heel of his foot. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment. The infectious disease team failed to drain an abscess that had formed and the infection spread. The plaintiff lost the leg below the knee.
• Settlement: $4,750,000.00: John Doe v. Confidential Trucking Co. Trucking accident in northern Indiana. Plaintiff suffered severe orthopedic injuries resulting in numerous surgeries to repair his hip and leg. The case was settled within 12 months of the accident.
• Settlement: $5,900,000.00: Plaintiff, Male-40 years old was in the hospital for a headache. He was prescribed a blood thinner in order to prevent the chances of a stroke. The hospital staff missed one of plaintiff's doses and he suffered a life altering stroke.
• Settlement: $3,850,000.00: Plaintiff suffered from a herniated disc at L5-S1. He began experiencing saddle anesthesia which is numbness of the anal and groin region. This is a sign of something called cauda equina syndrome. Plaintiff was provided with emergency surgical intervention in the form of spinal decompression. Plaintiff alleged that the surgery was done incorrectly and therefore the plaintiff was deprived of the optimal chance to emerge from the surgery without neurological deficits. This case settled after three days of trial.
• Settlement: $2,850,000.00: Whaley v. Delaware Hospital. Plaintiff died during the performance of a c-section. Plaintiff argued that the anesthesiologist that placed the endotracheal tube mistakenly effectuated an esophageal intubation resulting in the plaintiff dying of asphyxiation. The defense argued that the intubation was done correctly and that the plaintiff died as a result of an amniotic fluid embolism.
• Settlement: $2,145,000.00: Brewer v. Confidential Trucking Co. Plaintiff, 27 year old female, was injured in a large pile up of cars during a blizzard on I80 in Indiana. Plaintiff developed severe frostbite on her hands while waiting for help to arrive.
• Settlement: $1,900,000.00: Plaintiff slipped and fell in the hospital and developed complex regional pain syndrome.
• Settlement: $1,500,000.00: Plaintiff died at the hospital as a result of being over-sedated while he was suffering from acute pancreatitis.

Practice Areas:

• Personal Injury
• Medical Malpractice

Education:

• University of Miami - J.D. (1997)
• University of Kansas - B.S. (1994)

Admissions:

• Illinois (2000)
• Florida (1997)

Memberships:

• Illinois Bar Association (2000 - Present)