American Home Assurance Co. v. Golomb

On December 16, 1991, the circuit court of Sangamon County dismissed defendant and third-party plaintiff Wayne R. Golomb’s complaint seeking attorney fees, holding that Illinois law prohibits an attorney from recovering fees under a theory of quantum meruit where the parties’ original contingent-fee agreement was an illegal contract and against public policy. Golomb appeals, contending (1) a discharged attorney is entitled to recover the reasonable value of his services performed prior to his discharge, and (2) the trial court erred in holding the contingent-fee agreements barred his quantum…