Roger Pardieck named 2011 Indiana Trial Lawyer of the Year

To receive the award, a lawyer must work to protect the rights of injured victims and consumers as well as earn the respect of his peers. In addition, the recipient must have successfully handled a case of significant public impact.

The important case that was the basis for the award and the one that will continue to affect the lives of children for years to come is Ebling v. Prestwick Square of New Albany Associates, L.P., Prestwick Square, Inc., and First Richmond Corp., Inc. Tried in New Albany in August and September of 2010, the case was a culmination of sixteen years of work that included hundreds of depositions, appeals to the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court, and finally a five week jury trial. Along the way, expert witnesses died, the original presiding judge retired, and the Ebling children, who were infants when the case began, were teenagers when it ended.      

The result was a 23.5 million dollar jury verdict awarded to the Ebling children for neurological injuries due to pesticides that were sprayed in their apartment. But more importantly, the case contributed to the removal of dangerous chemicals from the marketplace and discourages the misuse and misapplication of the pesticides that are used so frequently in our schools and homes.

Pardieck credits the firm attorneys and staff, all of whom attended the awards ceremony. “Everything we do is a team effort. This award wouldn’t have been possible without all those who worked so hard to accomplish it. I’m standing here today because of them.”

Micki B. Wilson, Executive Director of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, remarked, “John Quincy Adams said, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader’. Roger Pardieck is a leader. His work on behalf of his family, his clients, and the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association has become legendary. His inspired the trial bar in Indiana to dream more, learn more, and do more. Civil justice in Indiana is the beneficiary of his leadership.” 

Pardieck is a lifelong resident of Indiana. He received his undergraduate degree and his law degree from Indiana University and has practiced in Seymour throughout his career. He served as special prosecutor in Jackson County for two years before starting his civil practice in 1965. His stint as special prosecutor convinced him that his future was in the areas of trial law and seeking justice for those who had been injured by the actions of others.