Todd M. Saranecki

Todd Saranecki has significant experience litigating claims throughout the country in aviation, insurance, and commercial disputes, including matters involving personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, general tort, property damage, cargo losses, insurance coverage, and subrogation.

As part of his aviation practice, Todd is dedicated to representing clients in a variety of general and commercial aviation product liability and tort disputes. His practice is focused on the defense of aircraft and component parts manufacturers against product liability claims throughout the country. Todd also represents aircraft owners, pilots, fixed base operators, and maintenance facilities in lawsuits arising from general aviation accidents and domestic and foreign air carriers and product manufacturers in connection with substantial accidents.

As part of his insurance practice, Todd represents insurers in coverage matters, including actions stemming from aviation, product liability, and accidental death and disability policies, many of which involve employer-sponsored plans that implicate ERISA preemption. Todd has attained favorable resolutions for insurers in coverage actions —bad faith actions stemming from aviation, accidental death and disability, and product liability policies. Notable successes include obtaining a favorable settlement for a major domestic insurer during trial in a dispute evolving from an HMO-managed care plan and successfully defeating plaintiffs' bad faith claims via motion practice in consolidated multi-million dollar coverage disputes in New York federal court, which prompted a favorable settlement for his client on the eve of trial.

Todd prosecutes and defends business torts and sophisticated contractual disputes as part of his commercial litigation practice.

• Chicago Bar Association
  • Aviation Law Committee
    • Former Chair, 2015 – 2017
  • Insurance Law Committee
• Defense Research Institute
  • Aviation Committee
  • ERISA Committee
  • Insurance Committee

• Recognized on the Super Lawyers list by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine, 2023

Aviation Litigation

• Represented a component manufacturer for wrongful death and personal injury claims arising from a crash near Ostersund, Sweden.
• Represented pilot-owner in a personal injury action arising from a crash in Prarie Du Sac, Wisconsin.
• Represented pilot-owner against a wrongful death action arising from an in-flight breakup in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
• Successfully defeated the plaintiffs' bad faith claims in consolidated multi-million dollar coverage disputes, which prompted favorable settlement of additional insureds' claims stemming from an air carrier’s bankruptcy and alleged missing aircraft and engine parts.

Commercial Litigation

• Successfully represented an international corporation and one of its employees in a lawsuit brought by the employee's former employer alleging theft of trade secrets and breach of the employee's non-compete contract. Following a multi-day evidentiary hearing on the merits, the plaintiff's efforts to obtain an injunction against the corporation and its employee were thwarted and the previously entered temporary restraining order was dissolved.
• Represented insurance client during trial in a professional malpractice dispute arising from an HMO-managed care plan.

• "Recent Development in Illinois Law," October 2020
• Moderator, “Perspectives From General Counsel’s Office,” American Bar Association, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Washington, D.C., November 3, 2016

• Co-Author, "Punitive Damages in Aviation Litigation," Litigating the Aviation Case – 4th Ed., American Bar Association, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, January 2017

• McCormick Tribune YMCA, Logan Square, Former Member of the Board of Directors
• Trade Masters Club for Toastmasters International, Former President