Faegre Drinker Trial Team Secures Jury Trial Win for Metra in Dispute Against Union Pacific Railroad

A Faegre Drinker trial team led by Chicago partners Joel Hammerman, Colby Kingsbury, and Ali Olszeski secured a significant jury verdict for Metra, the commuter rail system serving the Chicago metropolitan area.

In October and November 2025, the Faegre Drinker team tried the contractual dispute that Metra filed against Union Pacific in October 2020. The case centered on Union Pacific’s breach of an agreement to operate commuter rail services for Metra during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a two-and-a-half-week jury trial in Chicago, the jury returned a unanimous verdict on November 12, awarding Metra nearly all the damages it sought.

Metra’s Faegre Drinker team also included associates Andrew McCarty, Maria Downham, Kamara Nwosu, and Anthony Jankoski, and paralegals Shaun Lemmon and Emilija Andrulyte.