| LeFevre, Zeman, Oldfield & Schwarm Law Group, Ltd. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., No. 5-97-0877 5th Dist. 2/4/99 |
February 4, 1999
NO. 5-97-0877
IN THE
APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS
FIFTH DISTRICT
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| LeFEVRE, ZEMAN, OLDFIELD & SCHWARM LAW GROUP, LTD., n/k/a LeFEVRE & OLDFIELD LAW GROUP, LTD., Plaintiff-Appellant and Cross-Appellee, v. WAL-MART STORES, INC., d/b/a WAL-MART GROUP HEALTH, Defendant-Appellee and Cross-Appelant. | Appeal from the Circuit Court of Fayette County. No. 96-LM-50 Honorable Michael R. Weber, Judge, presiding. |
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JUSTICE MAAG delivered the opinion of the court:
This action was brought by the plaintiff/cross-appellee, LeFevre, Zeman, Oldfield & Schwarm Law Group, Ltd., now known as LeFevre & Oldfield Law Group, Ltd. (Law Group), to adjudicate and enforce an attorney's lien on health care benefits after defendant/cross-appellant, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., doing business as Wal-Mart Group Health (Wal-Mart), paid benefits directly to health care providers without honoring the attorney's lien. Wal-Mart petitioned for removal to federal court, but the federal court remanded the case. Wal-Mart then filed a motion to dismiss, claiming that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (29 U.S.C.