Gannon v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railway Co.

The circuit court of Cook County entered judgment on a jury verdict awarding plaintiff, John Gannon, $45,000 under the civil liability provisions of the Illinois Structural Work Act, for personal injuries he sustained while engaged in construction work on the premises of defendant, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway Co. The Appellate Court reversed that judgment, (25 Ill. App. 2d 272,) and we have allowed plaintiff’s petition for leave to appeal.

The essential issue is the nature of the owner’s liability under the Structural Work Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1953, chap. 48, pars. 60 to…