In 2010, a Chuhak & Tecson team of litigators tried a unique situation in an Illinois federal court. The case in question involved claims by the Chuhak client and counterclaims in areas of copyright, fraud, trademark infringement, damages and injunctive relief. All of these claims arose out of a contract between a manufacturer and a sales organization. The case proceeded on behalf of this long-term Chuhak client for five years of litigation in a number of federal courts throughout the country.

Rather than trying all of the issues together in a long and expensive trial, an agreement was reached with the involvement of the federal district judge to proceed to initial trial only on claims of the Chuhak client for breach of contract. The one count for breach of contract proceeded to trial over a period of less than one week, during which both sides provided witnesses, exhibits and argument as to those claims. At the end of the week, the jury was asked to make determinations as to breach of contract, and the jury returned a verdict that was a major victory for the Chuhak client, determining that breaches of contract had occurred in multiple areas of the contract litigation. Having resolved one issue, this allowed the parties to then negotiate for resolution of the entire litigation in this multimillion dollar dispute.

The litigation was tried under progressive procedures that included the attorneys being able to summarize witness testimony as the trial progressed rather than waiting for closing argument; state-of-the-art demonstrative exhibits; handing the preliminary jury instructions at the beginning of the trial; and allowing the jury to ask questions of the attorneys.

The goal of the Court was in keeping with new studies that find the jury should be provided with more information as the case proceeds, rather than having to wait until the end of the trial to sort out of the maze of exhibits and testimony.