John Tyler Robinson

Office Managing Partner & Shareholder
Springfield, IL

Joined Firm in 2012

Tyler’s unwavering commitment and creative efforts have saved his clients millions of dollars in nationwide lawsuits.

Leader in the Healthcare Industry
Medical Malpractice Defense Group Chair
Qui Tam (Whistleblower) Practice Group Chair

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John Tyler Robinson

Attorney in Springfield, IL

Tyler is a leader in the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group where he advises and represents hospitals, physician groups, and physicians throughout Illinois, focusing his practice on the legal, operational, and regulatory challenges unique to modern healthcare delivery. As outside general counsel to healthcare organizations, Tyler provides practical, business-minded guidance on day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives, including governance, regulatory compliance (such as HIPAA, Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback Statute matters), risk management, and healthcare transactions.

As Chair of the firm’s Qui Tam Practice Group, Tyler regularly assists clients with healthcare fraud and abuse issues, False Claims Act exposure, internal investigations, government inquiries, and related litigation—helping providers navigate complex regulatory frameworks while maintaining a focus on high‑quality patient care. Tyler has worked extensively with federal and state agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of Inspector General. His work defending and preventing qui tam actions under the Illinois and Federal False Claims Acts is nationally recognized.

As Chair of the firm’s Medical Malpractice Defense Practice, Tyler is an accomplished trial attorney with broad experience defending complex healthcare liability matters. He is particularly known for his innovative approach to defense of damages claims and his ability to manage catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases across Illinois and nationwide. Tyler frequently counsels healthcare clients and fellow attorneys on challenging life care plans, evaluating long‑term medical needs, and reducing economic exposure in high‑stakes cases.

Through his healthcare‑focused advocacy and counsel, Tyler has earned the respect of peers and clients alike. He has been recognized on the Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars and Emerging Lawyers lists and regularly presents and publishes nationally on medical malpractice defense, healthcare regulatory compliance, and litigation issues impacting healthcare providers.

Springfield, IL

jrobinson@heylroyster.com

Practices

Credentials

Education

J.D., Southern Illinois University School of Law

B.S., Southern Illinois University, Political Science

Licensure(s) and Admission(s)

State Courts of Illinois

United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois

United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association

American Health Lawyers Association

Fraud and Abuse Practice Group

Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

Management & Professional Liability Community Member

Medical & Healthcare (Medical Malpractice) Committee

Defense Research Institute

Health Care Compliance Association

Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys

Symposium Committee Member

Illinois Defense Counsel

Illinois State Bar Association

Community Involvement

Youth Sports Coach, Baseball & Soccer

Results

Won a motion to allow ex parte communications with non-defendant employees from his multispecialty medical group client. Tyler convinced the court that Petrillo protects a patient’s reasonable, but not unlimited, expectation of privacy. The trial court found that a medical group is not a third party with respect to its own medical information compiled by its employees. This finding is significant because Petrillo only prohibited unauthorized disclosures of medical information to third parties, which the Illinois Supreme Court has interpreted to mean “parties who otherwise would not possess the information absent the disclosure.” Because the medical group already possessed information gathered by its employees, the court found there was no unauthorized disclosure to third parties.
Secured a defense verdict on behalf of a hospitalist in a case involving an alleged failure to diagnose H1N1 and provide antiviral medication to the plaintiff’s decedent.
Secured a defense verdict on behalf of an obstetrician in a case involving an alleged brachial plexus injury from a shoulder dystocia encountered during delivery.
Secured a defense verdict on behalf of a gynecologist in a case involving alleged injuries and death following a laparoscopy with bipolar cauterization of fallopian tubes.
Secured a defense verdict on behalf of an internal medicine physician and a multi-specialty physician’s group in a case involving an alleged failure to timely diagnose a pulmonary embolism.

Presentations/Publications

Presentations

“Taking Back Control of Healthcare Litigation: Overcoming Sticker Prices and The Lost Chance Doctrine,” ISHRM 37th Annual Meeting (2025)

“The Who, What, When, and Why of Mental Health and Medical Records,” Madison County Bar Association (2020)

“Overcoming Sticker Prices: The Emergence of the Reasonable Value Approach,” IADC Professional Liability Roundtable, Medical Liability Track (2019)

“Overcoming Sticker Prices: The Emergence of the Reasonable Value Approach,” Claims and Litigation Management Alliance’s Annual Conference (2019)

“From Laptops to iPads: Why and How to Use Technology at Trial,” IICLE’s Ethics Institute: Legal Tech Seminar (2018)

“Overcoming the Sticker Price: The Reasonable Value Damage Rebuttal Theory,” Heyl Royster's 33rd Annual Claims Handling Seminar (2018)

“A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words: The Use of Technology at Trial,” Heyl Royster's 33rd Annual Claims Handling Seminar (2018)

“Get on Board! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!,” Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), Annual Conference (2017)

“Physician Lease Arrangements: New Rules,” Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), Annual Conference (2016)

“Legal Options for Specialty Physician Contracting,” Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) Webinar (2016)

“I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me: An Eye on the Inside of Nursing Homes,” Heyl Royster's 31st Annual Claims Handling Seminar (2016)

Publications

"Expert Discovery," chapter in Medical Malpractice, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (2026)

"Nursing Home Litigation," chapter in Medical Malpractice, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (2018, 2026)

“How to Self-Disclose and Re-Tool Compliance at the Same Time,” Compliance Today, a publication of the Health Care Compliance Association (2017)

"Timeshare Arrangements Exception to Stark Law Offers Opportunities in Rural/Underserved Communities," American Bar Association, Health Law Litigation (2016)

"What is a Qui Tam (Whistleblower) Lawsuit?" Health Law Now (2015)

"Beware the Whistleblower: Whether Congress' Omission of the Term 'Employer' from Section 3730(h) of the False Claims Act Was Intended to Extend Liability to a Whistleblower's Individual Supervisors," Illinois Defense Counsel Quarterly (2014)

"The Rise of the 'Reverse' False Claim and Proposed Rules from CMS on Reporting and Returning Overpayments," Illinois Defense Counsel Quarterly (2013)