Stuart Harris Galesburg

A relative referred me to Mr. Galesburg after he represented her in a worker's comp case against a Fortune 500 company and a separate Social Security Disability case--both of which were decided in her favor. She cautioned me that he was "gruff." After speaking to him three times by phone, I assume b...y gruff she must have meant "sarcastic" and "belligerent." I asked Mr. Galesburg to represent me in a Social Security Disability appeal for a condition I was hospitalized for nine times in eight years. I had an attorney, but he seemed to be overloaded with cases, returned my calls a week late, and (according to a Social Security administrator) failed to submit a required form naming himself as my legal representative. I explained this to Mr. Galesburg. Mr. Galesburg explained what burden of proof might influence the Appeals Board. He suggested I contact my last physician, who treated me for four years—dispensing medications which failed to keep me cycling in and out of inpatient hospital care five times during those four years (including three times in one year). The medications caused many seemingly disconnected side effects (uncontrolled weight gain, early onset menopause symptoms, etc.) that were inconsistent with my prior health history. I attributed these as drug side effects that my doctor failed to predict or explain to me. Despite my abundance of hospital records, Mr. Galesburg felt I needed a current letter from my physician stating my disability was permanent to win my appeal. He advised me to call my physician (whom I had stopped seeing, due to the side effects and failure to improve the underlying condition) to request the letter. Mr. Galesburg also suggested I that apply for food stamps and a "medical green card" (never heard of it) while waiting for my Disability appeal to go to a hearing. He directed me to call him again after accomplishing these two tasks. I left the voicemail for my doctor, who screens his incoming calls through his voicemail. I applied for welfare assistance at Mr. Galesburg's suggestion and was told I might not qualify unless the Social Security administrators decided I was disabled. Twenty-four hours passed…during which time, while conducting Internet research on disability law, I discovered that another of my doctor's patients had filed a recent lawsuit against him alleging that he gave the wrong diagnosis and drugs, leading to permanent injuries. When I called Mr. Galesburg again, I told him I that I thought this new information meant that support from my former doctor for my Disability appeal was highly unlikely. Mr. Galesburg began screaming at me for not informing him that my doctor was (quote) "a bad doctor." I told him I had only just learned about the other patient's lawsuit. Mr. Galesburg then began berating me for failing to find "unskilled work," implying that I wanted the Disability income only because I was *shirking* work. (It is hard to hold any job--skilled or unskilled--when you go in and out of the hospital five times in four years, and three times in one year. In fact, I did hold temporary, short-term skilled jobs during that time. I recently signed up for volunteer work because I can’t find paid work. That does not mean my disability is not permanent and recurring.) Mr. Galesburg then demanded to know why the appeals board should care about my case when "they are getting thousands of disability cases like never before!" The credibility of other Disability petitioners doesn't affect my credibility. Avoid Stuart Galesburg like the Ebola virus. He’s a belligerent old man who screams at his clients. Can't imagine how badly he comes off in court. No doubt he’ll be looking for someone at another Fortune 500 company with some mysterious, ill-defined back injury real soon. It’s a bigger and easier payday.