Eric D. Stubenvoll

Overview

Eric Stubenvoll represents architects, engineers, and other design professionals in professional negligence and malpractice litigation. He defends against claims alleging design errors, breach of contract, personal injury, breach of warranty, and statutory violations relating to issues such as structural failures, HVAC system problems, bridge and highway design, high-rise building construction, power plant design, pipeline construction, and healthcare facility projects. Eric has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict and handles matters across the country, drawing on experience with nearly every type of claim design professionals encounter. As trial counsel, Eric brings extensive and effective courtroom experience to bench trials, jury trials, appeals, and arbitrations.

Of note in that regard, Eric served as principal trial counsel in Citgo Petroleum Corporation, et al. v. The Babcock & Wilcox Company, obtaining a jury verdict of $387.4M—the highest verdict ever in Cook County, Illinois. His recent successes include defense verdicts in AAA arbitrations for design professionals, including one matter where he successfully defended against claims that defective construction required millions of dollars in repairs. He also advises design professionals on contract preparation and risk management to mitigate litigation exposure from the onset of business relationships.

Eric also defends manufacturers in product liability litigation involving allegations of design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn, serving as national counsel for several companies. His product liability work includes representing clients in complex, multi-party disputes and coordinating defense strategies across jurisdictions.

Experience

• Served as one of the principal trial attorneys for several plaintiff insurance companies in the case of Citgo Petroleum Corporation, et al. v. The Babcock & Wilcox Company. Where a jury awarded the plaintiffs $387.4M in that product liability matter, the highest jury verdict ever in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
• Summary judgment (affirmed on appeal) in the case of Packer v. McDonough Associates, Inc., Case No. 02-0818, in the Illinois Court of Appeals for the First District
• Summary judgment on behalf of Camburas & Theodore, Inc., in a lawsuit alleging that design errors made the premises dangerous (Julie Brown v. RDK Ventures, LLC, et al) before the Circuit Court of Will County, Illinois, Case No. 2015 L 000081
• Successful representation of an engineering firm with respect to a train derailment that allegedly was caused by pipeline construction
• Defense verdict for a design-build firm in a breach of contract case before the AAA, where the plaintiffs alleged that the company improperly increased the cost of the parties’ contract after the architect discovered structural issues and the arbitrator decided in favor of the design-build company, determining that the plaintiffs improperly terminated the contract by stopping work on the project
• Representation of an engineering firm with respect to a class action lawsuit alleging a cancer cluster was caused by a defective HVAC design at the Amoco Research Facility in Naperville, Illinois; the case was resolved on favorable terms
• Representation of an architect in a lawsuit alleging that failure to support the adjacent property during construction caused damage to a historical building; the case was settled on favorable terms
• Representation of design professionals in numerous multi-million-dollar cases involving subsidence/collapse
• Representation of civil engineering firms in multiple wrongful death/ injury cases, including road construction
• Representation of design firms with respect to HVAC designs, water infiltration issues, and other alleged defects in commercial buildings
• Representation of multiple firms with respect to transportation infrastructure errors and omissions allegedly totaling millions of dollars
• Representation of design firms with respect to ADA compliance issues
• Contract review
• Summary judgment on behalf of insurance broker (affirmed on appeal) in a lawsuit alleging over $16M in damages as a result of failure to procure proper insurance coverage (Local 705 v. Five Star Mangers, LLC, Case No. 1-99-3394 (Illinois Court of Appeals for the First District)

Honors, Publications, & Speeches

Honors

• Trial Lawyer Excellence, Jury Verdict Reporter, 2010

Publications

• Author, “Contracts as a Risk Management Tool,” Navigators Blueprint, June 2018

Speeches

• Speaker, “Product Liability Defense: A Consistent, Team-Oriented Approach,” CLM Midwest Conference, June 21, 2019
• Speaker, “Design Team Communication & Coordination: Spanning Three Core Issues of Design Phase, Construction Phase, and Additional Services or Changes,” AE ProNet Conference
• Panelist, “Current and Evolving Codes and Regulations and the Professional Standard of Care,” AE ProNet Conference
• Panelist, “Evolutionary Changes Firms Face with Technological Advancements, AI/Software Programs, and the Blind Reliance on Technology Can Be An Issue,” AE ProNet Conference, April 9, 2025
• Panelist, “The Owner’s Rep Role on a Project – Pitfalls & Issues,” AE ProNet Conference, September 25, 2025
• Panelist, “The Crystal Ball: What is Happening Now that Could/Will Change Everything and What is Next?” AE ProNet Conference, April 16, 2026

Professional

• Member, AE ProNet
• Member, CLM