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Levre, Zeman, Oldfield & Schwarm Law Group, Ltd. v. Wal-Mart Stores

Case Date: 02/04/1999
Court: 5th District Appellate
Docket No: 5-97-0877

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

______________________________________________________________________

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.

________________________________________________________________

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.