Mr. Appel was recently admitted as an expert witness in the legal malpractice case of Brannon et. al v. Seifert et. al, 10 L 9276, where Mr. Appel’s testimony concerning installment contracts was specifically cited by the Appellate Court in upholding the trial court’s award for the plaintiff.

After losing at trial, the defendant appealed, claiming Mr. Appel’s testimony incorrectly explained the law on the remedy of forfeiture.  The Appellate Court wrote, “Defendants contend that Appel’s interpretation of the applicable law in this case was faulty [on the issue of forfeiture, but] [a] plain reading of the Act shows the defendants’ contention is incorrect.”

The Court went on to hold, “We therefore see no reason why plaintiffs could not have recovered both the arrearage and possession of the property, either in separate, concurrent or consecutive actions, and we find no bar to the approach suggested by Appel.”  Brannen v. Seifert, 2013 IL App (1st) 122067, 1 N.E.3d 1096 (Ill. App. Ct. 1st Dist. 2013)(leave to appeal to the Supreme Court denied, 2014 Ill. LEXIS 426).

Mr. Appel is available as an expert witness in the area of residential real estate transactions and litigation involving real estate.

You can link to the decision in the case name with this URL:http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/opinions/AppellateCourt/2013/1stDistrict/1122067.pdf