{
  "id": 3054886,
  "name": "Michael E. Ratts, Claimant, v. The State of Illinois, Respondent",
  "name_abbreviation": "Ratts v. State",
  "decision_date": "1986-01-03",
  "docket_number": "No. 82-CC-2330",
  "first_page": "183",
  "last_page": "185",
  "citations": [
    {
      "type": "official",
      "cite": "38 Ill. Ct. Cl. 183"
    }
  ],
  "court": {
    "name_abbreviation": "Ill. Ct. Cl.",
    "id": 8793,
    "name": "Illinois Court of Claims"
  },
  "jurisdiction": {
    "id": 29,
    "name_long": "Illinois",
    "name": "Ill."
  },
  "cites_to": [
    {
      "cite": "35 Ill. Ct. Cl. 799",
      "category": "reporters:state",
      "reporter": "Ill. Ct. Cl.",
      "case_ids": [
        6057857
      ],
      "opinion_index": 0,
      "case_paths": [
        "/ill-ct-cl/35/0799-01"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "analysis": {
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    "char_count": 2310,
    "ocr_confidence": 0.895,
    "pagerank": {
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    "sha256": "374e60dce9a698761e119477dfc943bbc05b64720d62fac486b1bded74564b55",
    "simhash": "1:2a2fc3770b30303a",
    "word_count": 385
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  "last_updated": "2023-07-14T19:09:05.193768+00:00",
  "provenance": {
    "date_added": "2019-08-29",
    "source": "Harvard",
    "batch": "2018"
  },
  "casebody": {
    "judges": [],
    "parties": [
      "Michael E. Ratts, Claimant, v. The State of Illinois, Respondent."
    ],
    "opinions": [
      {
        "text": "Poch, J.\nClaimant, Michael E. Ratts, seeks recovery for an injury to his right middle finger.\nThe following salient facts herein summarized were established by Commissioner Bruno P. Bernabei and duly reported to the court.\nOn April 28,1980, Claimant, Michael E. Ratts, was employed as a service repairman by the A.B. Dick Company, and in his capacity of repairman was sent to the offices of the Department of Transportation at 2300 Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, Illinois, for the purpose of repairing a printing press belonging to the Department of Transportation.\nClaimant testified that he was working on the machine with his hands in the roller mechanism when he instructed Respondent\u2019s employee to \u201crun another master on the camera.\u201d Respondent\u2019s employee testified that the Claimant told him to \u201crun more copies\u201d and that after turning on the machine for the purpose of running more copies he heard a funny noise and that when he turned around the Claimant was holding his hand.\nThe Claimant asserts that the State is liable for the injuries sustained, because of the negligence of an employee of the State who was assisting him.\nIt is obvious that there is a factual dispute as to what the Claimant instructed Respondent\u2019s employee to do. It is clear that this claim turns on issues of fact and that the testimony of the two occurrence witnesses is in direct conflict.\nThe State is not an insurer of the safety of invitees, but must only exercise reasonable care for their safety. See Fleischer v. State (1983), 35 Ill. Ct. Cl. 799.\nThe burden is upon the Claimant to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the State breached its duty of reasonable care. This the Claimant has failed to do.\nIn view of the direct conflict of testimony which was presented before the trier of fact, the Court can only speculate as to how the injury occurred.\nWe find that the Claimant has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the Respondent was negligent and this claim is therefore denied.",
        "type": "majority",
        "author": "Poch, J."
      }
    ],
    "attorneys": [
      "Calandrino, Logan & Berg (Michael J. Logan, of counsel), for Claimant.",
      "Neil F. Hartigan, Attorney General (Susanne Schmitz and Sue Mueller, Assistant Attorneys General, of counsel), for Respondent."
    ],
    "corrections": "",
    "head_matter": "(No. 82-CC-2330\nMichael E. Ratts, Claimant, v. The State of Illinois, Respondent.\nOpinion filed January 3, 1986.\nCalandrino, Logan & Berg (Michael J. Logan, of counsel), for Claimant.\nNeil F. Hartigan, Attorney General (Susanne Schmitz and Sue Mueller, Assistant Attorneys General, of counsel), for Respondent."
  },
  "file_name": "0183-01",
  "first_page_order": 269,
  "last_page_order": 271
}