Bernard T. Puglisi

Associate
Office: Chicago
bpuglisi@kdlegal.com
p: 312-654-2423
f: 312-651-2499

Bernard Puglisi is an Associate in the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. He focuses his practice on a broad range of commercial litigation issues, including employment and partnership disputes, condominium association matters, breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, fraud and consumer fraud, estates and trusts litigation, and commercial evictions. He brings experience from both the plaintiff and defense sides in areas such as premises liability, product liability, auto negligence, and cases under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA) and Jones Act.

Bernard has experience as an appellate litigation attorney in Detroit, where he specialized in critical motions and complex appellate analysis. During and immediately after law school, Bernard trained under the mentorship of a former Seventh Circuit judicial law clerk, focusing on research and drafting briefs for civil and criminal appeals before the Illinois Appellate Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Experience

Representative Experience

Successfully upheld a $500,000 no-fault benefits award to a decedent’s estate in Michigan’s 1st District Court of Appeals, overcoming an appeal by an AM Best A-rated insurer.
Secured a ruling in the Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, vacating the sentence of a defendant charged with firearm offenses, which included the UUWF and armed habitual criminal counts.
Persuaded the Illinois Appellate Court, 4th District, to reverse an award of sanctions in a farmland adverse possession case due to non-compliance with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137.
Achieved reversal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, reinstating a case against a Will County village where due process rights of the police chief were violated.
Convinced Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, to vacate a $3 million award against a trucking company, overturning trial court findings of discovery misconduct and favoring the company’s insurer.
Restored an Illinois medical doctor’s license by invoking Fourth Amendment due process rights after an abrupt suspension by the State of Illinois.

Professional Associations

Member, Illinois Bar Association
Member, Chicago Bar Association
Member, Appellate Lawyers Association

Credentials

Education

J.D., DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, 2019
B.A. in Political Science and Government, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, 2013

Bar & Court Admissions

Illinois, 2020
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2020

Foreign Languages

Spanish

Practices & Industries

Practices

Industries

Beyond the Office

Hiking

Yoga/Meditation

Hockey

Insights

Construction

Steven M. Sherman Joins Krieg DeVault’s Real Estate and Environmental Practice; will Focus in the Areas of Energy and Public Utilities

November 30, 2023

Secured Lender

Owners / GCs / Subs / Suppliers / Lessors – Check Your Contracts. Court of Appeals Decision Highlights Challenges when Dispute Resolution Process Varies

August 25, 2022

Firm News and Events

13 Krieg DeVault Attorneys Recognized by 2023 Best Lawyers®; 7 Named to the 2023 Best Lawyers in America® Listing; 1 Receives “Lawyer of the Year” Designation; 6 Receive “Ones to Watch” Designation

August 18, 2022

Firm News and Events

Krieg DeVault Partners John B. Baxter and Robert A. Greising Named to Chambers USA 2022 List; Firm Named to Chambers USA 2022 List for Real Estate

June 22, 2022

Litigation

Are We in a Banking Crisis? What the Silicon Valley and Signature Banks’ Failure Tell Us About the Future of Financial Institutions (Podcast)

April 13, 2023

Litigation

Supreme Court Confirms that to Violate the TCPA your Automatic Telephone System Must Use a Random or Sequential Generator

April 7, 2021

Secured Lender

President Signs COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act of 2021

March 31, 2021

Litigation

Indiana Financial Institutions Continue to be Targeted in Class Action Overdraft and NSF Lawsuits

February 3, 2021

Firm News and Events

Krieg DeVault's Kay Dee Baird Elected Chair of the Indianapolis Bar Association's Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section for 2021

January 1, 2021

Secured Lender

CFPB Issues Finalized Changes To Regulation F To Implement The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

December 16, 2020

Secured Lender

The Importance of Paying Attention to Notices Received in Bankruptcy Cases: Creditor Misses Proof of Claim Bar Date and Loses Claim for $2 Million

November 13, 2020

Secured Lender

Indiana Moratorium on Residential Property Evictions and Mortgage Foreclosures Will Continue Through the End of July 2020

July 5, 2020

Financial Services

CFPB Provides Flexibility to Financial Institutions When Dealing with Billing Errors, Payment Rules and Deposit Accounts Terms Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 17, 2020

Secured Lender

A Message from Krieg DeVault LLP's Creditors' Rights and Bankruptcy Practice Group on Our Response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic

March 23, 2020

Financial Services

Financial Services Regulators Respond to COVID-19

March 22, 2020

Secured Lender

Indiana Court of Appeals Expands De Facto Merger Exception to the General Rule Regarding Corporate Liability for Debts

March 8, 2020

Secured Lender

Seventh Circuit Confirms that the Bankruptcy Code Expressly Subordinates a Seller's Reclamation Claim to the Prior Rights of a Secured Creditor

February 19, 2020

Secured Lender

Indiana Supreme Court Rejects Imposition of “Rule of Reasonableness” on the Statutes of Limitations Applicable to a Lender's Pursuit of a Defaulted Mortgage Installment Promissory Note

February 19, 2020

Financial Services

Indiana DFI Enforcement Action Against Auto Dealer Underscores the Importance of Ensuring Indirect Lending Partners Understand Consumer Credit Laws

May 8, 2018

Thought Leadership

The Department of Defense Issues an "Interpretative Rule" to the Military Lending Act - Auto and Personal Property Lenders Faced With Regulatory Uncertainty

January 9, 2018

Thought Leadership

Hold Your Filings: Preliminary Injunction Placed on Government Enforcement of CTA and Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirements

December 4, 2024

Business

Partner and Firm Executive Committee Member Brian M. Heaton Elected to Serve as President of the Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth Indiana

May 23, 2024

Firm News and Events

Known By the Successful Company We Keep® - Krieg DeVault Issues Annual Ad Showcasing Transactions from Many of Our Valued and Successful Clients

January 30, 2023

Firm News and Events

U.S. House of Representatives Reintroduces the MORE Act: Will 2021 be the Year Federal Cannabis Prohibition Finally Ends?

June 14, 2021

Secured Lender

Indiana Supreme Court Curtails Attempted Expansion of Exceptions to General Rule Regarding Successor Liability in Corporate Transactions

May 7, 2021

Business

Governor Holcomb Signs Legislation Modifying Indiana’s Zero Tolerance Per Se Driving Law for Marijuana or Marijuana Metabolite

April 20, 2021

Business

Indiana House Votes to Reverse Indiana’s Ban on Smokable Hemp

February 24, 2021

Litigation

Indiana Supreme Court Affirms Freedom of Contract Principles in Closely Held Company Valuation Case: Choose Your Words Carefully

February 2, 2021

Business

Businesses That File Indiana Sales and Withholding Taxes Must Transition Accounts to New Indiana Department of Revenue System Starting September 8, 2020

September 8, 2020

Labor and Employment

Tax-Exempt Organizations Should be Prepared to File and Pay the Section 4960 Excise Tax on Executive Compensation by July 15, 2020

June 29, 2020

Business

IRS Releases FAQs on Tax Treatment of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and Emergency Financial Aid Grants under CARES Act

May 10, 2020

Thought Leadership

UPDATED - Paycheck Protection Program: Confirm the Necessity or Return the Funds

May 5, 2020

Thought Leadership

Further Relief for Indiana Businesses During the Time of COVID-19: Remote Meetings and Suspending Five-Year Limit on Reinstatements

May 4, 2020

Thought Leadership

SBA Issues Additional Interim Guidance on Paycheck Protection Program Clarifying Treatment of Self-Employment and Partner Income

April 15, 2020

Thought Leadership

Insurance Coverage for COVID-19: Six Steps to Help Your Business Maximize Insurance Coverage That May Be Available to Offset COVID-19 Losses and Claims

March 29, 2020

Thought Leadership

Corben A. Lee Joins Krieg DeVault's Business, Acquisitions, and Securities and Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Groups

January 27, 2019

Firm News and Events

Daniel Tychonievich Joins Krieg DeVault's Business, Acquisitions, and Securities Practice Group; will focus on Intellectual Property and Technology Matters

January 27, 2019

Firm News and Events

Representative Experience

Successfully upheld a $500,000 no-fault benefits award to a decedent’s estate in Michigan’s 1st District Court of Appeals, overcoming an appeal by an AM Best A-rated insurer.
Secured a ruling in the Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, vacating the sentence of a defendant charged with firearm offenses, which included the UUWF and armed habitual criminal counts.
Persuaded the Illinois Appellate Court, 4th District, to reverse an award of sanctions in a farmland adverse possession case due to non-compliance with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137.
Achieved reversal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, reinstating a case against a Will County village where due process rights of the police chief were violated.
Convinced Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, to vacate a $3 million award against a trucking company, overturning trial court findings of discovery misconduct and favoring the company’s insurer.
Restored an Illinois medical doctor’s license by invoking Fourth Amendment due process rights after an abrupt suspension by the State of Illinois.