Expert Testimony That a Knee Injury Is Permanent - Example Case

In Courtney v. Allied Filter Engineering, Inc., 181 Ill. App. 3d 222, 129 Ill. Dec. 902, 536 N.E.2d 952 (1989), the plaintiff's orthopedic surgeon, who had last performed an examination "over four years ago," testified that an injury to the plaintiff's knee was permanent. Courtney, 181 Ill. App. 3d at 231. The surgeon had performed arthroscopic surgery on the plaintiff and later removed his kneecap. The court noted that the surgeon had treated the plaintiff for two years and had concluded, upon releasing the plaintiff after three surgeries and extensive rehabilitation, that the injury was permanent. The court also noted that the surgeon had reviewed the findings of another doctor, who had examined the plaintiff three years later, and found that the plaintiff's condition had not materially changed. Courtney, 181 Ill. App. 3d at 231.