John Shonkwiler

BIOGRAPHY

John F. Shonkwiler concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation matters, principally those involving contract actions, business torts, partnership disputes and intellectual property issues.

John has represented leaders in the real estate development business, including the Trump Organization and Toll Brothers, in various lawsuits concerning large residential developments.  John also has represented clients in the entertainment business.  He recently prosecuted high-stakes lawsuits for an international music distributor and a group of local restaurateurs.  John and fellow partner Steve Novack obtained a significant victory for Chicago's Millenium Park Grill, persuading the Cook County Circuit Court to strike down a property tax levied by the Cook County Assessor on the grounds that the County had exceeded its taxing authority.

The Law Bulletin Publishing Company recently identified John as one of the "40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch."  John was recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics in 2010, and as a "Rising Star" in 2008 and 2009.

John was second chair attorney for a trial in the Northern District of Illinois in which the firm obtained a $70 million judgment for Pentech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. against Par Pharmaceutical, Inc.  The dispute concerned how a contract between Pentech and Par applied to Par's revenues from sales of a generic alternative to the blockbuster antidepressant drug "Paxil." 

John also recently helped obtain an $18 million settlement, reached during arbitration, of a liquidated damages claim in favor of a coal purchaser against a large coal producer for the producer's failure to deliver low-priced coal as market prices rose.

John was a member of the team that successfully represented Night Vision Corporation (“NVC”), inventors of a “Panoramic Night Vision Goggle” that the U. S. Air Force hailed as a revolutionary piece of military equipment.   According to NVC's suit, the Air Force was on the verge of awarding NVC a contract to produce thousands of goggles when NVC’s chief subcontractor misappropriated the technology and took the contract away from NVC.  John prepared a partial summary judgment motion on a key issue in the case that was successful and helped lead to a settlement the night before the jury trial was to begin in federal court in Virginia.

John also defended a world-renowned NASCAR racing team against a lawsuit in federal court claiming misuse and conversion of racing equipment, and got the case dismissed on the pleadings for lack of personal jurisdiction.

In a case in the Northern District of Illinois involving patent and trademark infringement claims, John litigated the trademark side of the dispute and, together with patent co-counsel, defeated all claims brought against the firm's client PFE International ("PFE").   Immediately following Plaintiffs’ case-in-chief, PFE moved for judgment on all counts. The court granted the motion and found that Plaintiffs had failed to prove any act of infringement by PFE.

John is Novack and Macey's Hiring Partner, and a member of the firm's Marketing Committee.  John is a member of the American and Chicago Bar Associations, and is active in the CBA Commercial Litigation and Judicial Evaluation Committees.

John was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1970, and now lives with his wife and their two children in Flossmoor, Illinois.

EDUCATION

• University of Michigan (B.A. 1992)
• University of Illinois College of Law (J.D. 1998) Magna Cum Laude; topics editor for the University of Illinois Law Review

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Illinois
• United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois

SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS

• “Trademark Infringement/Dilution,” Illinois Causes of Action—Elements, Forms & Winning Tips, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2008 
• Recent Decisions Commentary, Illinois Bar Journal (June 1998), 86 Ill.B.J. 345  

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

• Burke v. 401 N. Wabash Venture, LLC, No. 08-5330, 2009 WL 2252194 (N.D. Ill. July 28, 2009)
• Millennium Park Joint Venture, LLC v. Houlihan, No. 07-3141, 2009 WL 1886549 (Ill. App. 1st Dist. June 29, 2009)
• Pentech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Par Pharmaceutical, Inc., 597 F. Supp. 2d 758 (N.D. Ill 2009)
• C/F Intern., Inc. v. Payne, No. 06 C 1329, 2006 WL 2290992 (N.D. Ill. Aug 3, 2006)
• Neopost Industrie B.V. v. PFE Intern., Inc, 403 F.Supp. 2d 669 (N.D. Ill. 2005)
• Griffith v. Wood Bros., No. 04 C 3118, 2004 WL 2418296 (N.D. Ill. Oct 27, 2004)
• Pentech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Par Pharmaceutical, Inc., No. 04 C 3149, 2004 WL 2390088 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 21, 2004)
• Night Vision Corporation v. Insight Technology, Inc., Case No. 02-691
• Lefkovitz v. Wagner, 291 F. Supp 2d 764 (N.D. Ill 2003)

MEDIA COVERAGE

• Novack and Macey Attorneys Again Selected as Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
• Novack and Macey Partner John Shonkwiler is One of the Top 40 Under 40 in Illinois
• David Beats Goliath...Again
• Novack and Macey Attorneys Are Super Lawyers and Rising Stars!
• Novack and Macey Attorneys are Rising Stars
• Appellate Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Declaratory Judgment Action
• Complete Victory for Defendants in Patent and Trademark Infringement Trial
• Lawsuit Against Roush Racing Dismissed