Damon advises clients in a variety of areas, including: internal corporate investigations, media law, commercial litigation and class action defense. With other FVLD attorneys, he has litigated numerous securities, First Amendment, antitrust, fiduciary and land use cases, many of which resulted in published opinions, including Marks v. CDW Computer Centers, (7th Cir. 1997); Underwager v. Channel 9 Australia, (9th Cir. 1995); Seith v Neal, et al., (Ill. App. 2007); Baker v. America's Mortgage Servicing and Resolution Trust Corp., (7th Cir. 1995); Chicago Tribune Company, et al. v. City of Chicago, (N.D. Ill. 1989); Hirschauer v. The Chicago Sun-Times, (Ill. App. 1989); Ward v. Succession of Richard W. Freeman, (5th Cir. 1988). In the intellectual property field, Damon was among the first attorneys to obtain injunctive relief in a "website diversion" case and he argued the widely reported copyright preemption case, Chicago Style Productions v Chicago Sun Times (Ill. App. 2000). Labor and employment cases that Damon has argued include Hoffmann v. Primedia Special Interests Publications (7th Cir. 2000), Sheehan v. Daily Racing Form (7th Cir. 1996), and Chicago Typographical Union No. 16 v. Daily Racing Form (N.D. Ill., 1999).
Damon has successfully argued numerous groundbreaking appeals, several of which have attracted the attention of legal commentators. See: Imperial Design v, Cosmo's Designer Direct et al. (Illinois Supreme Court 2008) (Chicago Law Bulletin February 7, 2008, "Ad not tailored to Court's taste");Knafel v. Chicago Sun-Times, Inc., (7th Cir. 2005) (Chicago Law Bulletin, June 29 and August 8, 2005); Brennan v. Kadner, (Ill. App. 2004) (Chicago Law Bulletin, Aug. 11, 2004, "Writer Statement Not Verifiable Fact: Court"); Williams Electronics Games, Inc. v. Garrity, et al. (7th Cir. 2004) (Chicago Law Bulletin, June 8, 2004 "Verdict against Game Maker Reversed" and June 9, 2004 "Restitution Represents Important Alternative"); Salamone v. Hollinger, Int'l. Inc., (Ill. App. 2004) (Chicago Law Bulletin, April 22, 2004 "Newspaper finds Safe Harbor"); Intl. Financial Services Corp. v. Chromas Technologies Canada, Inc., (7th Cir. 2004) (IICLE Civil Litigation Flashpoints "Veil piercing is an equitable remedy to be decided by a court, not a jury"); Harrison v. Chicago Sun Times, Inc. (Ill. App. 2003) (Editor & Publisher and MLRC Media law Letter, August 2003 "Use of 'kidnapped' substantially true").
Damon graduated with Honors from the College of Wooster. Before entering law school, he worked in New York City as a television news assignment editor and as the Coordinator of Exhibitions for the American Institute of Graphic Arts. While there, a play he authored was produced Off-Off Broadway.
Damon relocated to Chicago and received his law degree with High Honors from IIT -- Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1981, where he was Chief Justice of the Moot Court Honor Society, an Assistant Legal Writing Instructor and admitted into the Bar and Gavel Society. Damon also was selected for Kent's National Moot Court Competition team, which wrote the best appellate brief in the nation and placed third in the National Finals, winning the New York Bar Association Evans Hughes Trophy and the American College of Trial Lawyers Medal for Excellence in Advocacy. That brief is published in 56 Chicago Kent Law Review 911 (1980).
Damon is a frequent contributing author for the Media Law Research Center and authored the Chapter on "Strikes" in The Labor Law Handbook (Ill. Inst. For CLE). He has served on panels addressing First Amendment issues for The Chicago Headline Club, Loyola University and University of Illinois. He enjoys flyfishing and riding horses with his wife and son in wilderness areas "out West."
Damon has been admitted to the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, Illinois Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Circuits. He is a member of the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. He has an "AV" peer review rating.
Illustrative reported cases:
Imperial Design v. Cosmo's Designer Direct et al. (Illinois Supreme Court 2008) (trade libel)
Seith v Neal, et al., (Ill. App. 2007) (defamation)
Flynn, Inc. v. Phillip Morris USA et al. (N.D.Ill. 2006) (antitrust)
Knafel v. Chicago Sun-Times, Inc., (7th Cir. 2005) (defamation)
Williams Electronics Games, Inc. v. Garrity, et al. (7th Cir. 2004) (commercial bribery)
Intl. Financial Services Corp. v. Chromas Technologies Canada, Inc., (7th Cir. 2004) (contact/piercing)
Brennan v. Kadner, (Ill. App. 2004) (defamation)
Salamone v. Hollinger, Int'l. Inc., (Ill. App. 2004) (defamation)
Harrison v. Chicago Sun Times, Inc. (Ill. App. 2003) (defamation)
Hoffmann v. Primedia Special Interests Publications (7th Cir. 2000) (employment discrimination)
Chicago Style Productions v Chicago Sun Times (Ill. App. 2000) (copyright)
Chicago Typographical Union No. 16 v. Daily Racing Form (N.D. Ill., 1999) (labor law)
Marks v. CDW Computer Centers, (7th Cir. 1997) (securities fraud)
Sheehan v. Daily Racing Form (7th Cir. 1996) (employment discrimination)
Baker v. America's Mortgage Servicing and Resolution Trust Corp., (7th Cir. 1995) (fraud/class action)
Underwager v. Channel 9 Australia, (9th Cir. 1995) (First Amendment)
Eskridge v. Farmers New World Life Ins. Co. (Ill App. 1993) (insurance)
Blanco Oso Inter. Trading Co. v. Southern Scrap Material Co., (N.D.Ill. 1990) (jurisdiction)
Chicago Tribune Company, et al. v. City of Chicago, (N.D. Ill. 1989) (injunction/First Amendment)
Hirschauer v. The Chicago Sun-Times, (Ill. App. 1989) (injunction/distribution contracts)
Ward v. Succession of Richard W. Freeman, (5th Cir. 1988) (securities fraud)
JD IIT -- Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1981 with High Honors
Bar and Gavel Honorary Society
Chief Justice of the Moot Court Honor Society
1980 National Moot Court Competition: New York Bar Association Evans Hughes Trophy for
best brief in nation, published 56 Chicago Kent Law Review 911 (1980).
American College of Trial Lawyers Medal for Excellence in Advocacy. National Semi-Finals.
BA College of Wooster with Honors
Chicago Law Bulletin reports: "Company Alleges That It Was Anonymously Defamed Online" 09/21/09
Chicago Reader "A reporter takes the fifth"
Chicago Headline Club panel on Reporters Privilege
Chicago Law Bulletin, Feb. 7, 2008 "Ad Not Tailored To Court's Taste"
Chicago Law Bulletin, August 8, 2005 "No Sale"
Chicago Law Bulletin, Aug. 11, 2004, “Writer Statement Not Verifiable Fact: Court”
Chicago Law Bulletin, June 8, 2004 “Verdict against Game Maker Reversed”
Chicago Law Bulletin June 9, 2004 “Restitution Represents Important Alternative”
Chicago Law Bulletin, April 22, 2004 “Newspaper finds Safe Harbor”
IICLE Litigation Flashpoints “Veil piercing is an equitable remedy to be decided by a court, not a jury”
Editor & Publisher and MLRC Media law Letter, August 2003 “Use of ‘kidnapped’ substantially true”
Peer Review "AV" rating (highest available)
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AdmissionsU.S. Supreme Court
Illinois Supreme Court
U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Circuits
Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for Northern District of Indiana
MembershipsAmerican Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Media Law Research Counsel
PublicationsChapter on "Strikes" in The Labor Law Handbook (Ill. Inst. For CLE)
Contributing author for the Media Law Research Center
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