Biography | Charles J. Prochaska IV

Charles (Chuck) Prochaska focuses his practice on general liability and professional liability. Chuck has represented clients in the insurance, transportation, construction, entertainment, government and legal industries, among others. He assists clients with premises liability, wrongful death, catastrophic events, trucking and auto, construction injury, construction defect, contract dispute, fraud, product liability, civil rights, professional malpractice and subrogation matters.

Chuck’s clients value his tenacity as a trial lawyer, which he blends with his collegial and collaborative spirit to provide the highest quality attention and service to their cases. As a former prosecutor, Chuck leverages his investigative experience in both pre-suit and in-litigation claims to put his clients in the best position to shed light on the truth within a case. Chuck was an adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law for more than 10 years, teaching courses on trial advocacy, evidence and legal ethics. He routinely presents continuing education programs for claims professionals on a range of industry-specific topics.

Before joining Wilson Elser, Chuck rose to senior partner at a large Midwestern firm where he tried several cases to verdict, won dismissal of many more, never lost an arbitration, and was a cochair of the Associate Development Committee. He was the lead attorney on hundreds of cases, many involving 7-to-9-figure damages claims. Prior to that, Chuck was a prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he tried more than 50 felony cases, including 13 jury trials.

Education

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology (J.D., 2010)
- Trial Advocacy Team, 2010 National Trial Competition, semi-finalist
- Student Bar Association
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.A. in Political Science, with Distinction, 2007)

Bar Admissions

Illinois

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Professional Affiliations

Illinois Defense Counsel, Member

Charles (Chuck) Prochaska focuses his practice on general liability and professional liability. Chuck has represented clients in the insurance, transportation, construction, entertainment, government and legal industries, among others. He assists clients with premises liability, wrongful death, catastrophic events, trucking and auto, construction injury, construction defect, contract dispute, fraud, product liability, civil rights, professional malpractice and subrogation matters.

Chuck’s clients value his tenacity as a trial lawyer, which he blends with his collegial and collaborative spirit to provide the highest quality attention and service to their cases. As a former prosecutor, Chuck leverages his investigative experience in both pre-suit and in-litigation claims to put his clients in the best position to shed light on the truth within a case. Chuck was an adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law for more than 10 years, teaching courses on trial advocacy, evidence and legal ethics. He routinely presents continuing education programs for claims professionals on a range of industry-specific topics.

Before joining Wilson Elser, Chuck rose to senior partner at a large Midwestern firm where he tried several cases to verdict, won dismissal of many more, never lost an arbitration, and was a cochair of the Associate Development Committee. He was the lead attorney on hundreds of cases, many involving 7-to-9-figure damages claims. Prior to that, Chuck was a prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he tried more than 50 felony cases, including 13 jury trials.

Goldner & Prochaska Obtain “Not Guilty” Verdict on Behalf of Uninsured Landlord in Mold Personal Injury Case

Chicago partners Anthony Goldner and Charles Prochaska IV obtained a not guilty verdict following a two-week bench trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on behalf of an uninsured landlord in a mold personal injury case brought by a 47-year-old foreclosure and bankruptcy defense attorney. The complaint, originally filed in 2021 was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff prior to the original trial date, was refiled in 2025. The plaintiff alleged there had been at least six leaks lasting up to an hour each time from the ceiling vent in his bathroom, which were not promptly addressed. The plaintiff retained two air quality experts who found minimal to moderate amounts of mold in his apartment, but he complained of chronic headaches, insomnia, cognitive deficiencies, and inflammation in all areas of his body that continue to the present day with little improvement. The claims were supported by several treating physicians who testified that the exposures to mold led to the development of chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS), a permanent condition that could lead to a lower life expectancy. Plaintiff further alleged that the CIRS significantly reduced his income as a practicing attorney and his retained economist expert forecast a past and future loss of income up to $5 million. With a demand of $3.75 million to settle, talks at a mediation and before the first trial date were not successful. At trial, Anthony and Chuck mounted a full defense and lengthy cross-examination of the plaintiff that successfully challenged the plaintiff’s claims. The court distinguished the relative paucity of expertise of the plaintiff’s air quality inspectors and treating physicians with the industrial hygiene and medical experts retained by the defense. The fundamental weakness of the plaintiff’s medical causation case was fatal to his case.

Anthony M. Goldner and Charles J. Prochaska IV