Jonathan Bilyk News
Judge denies TRO sought by GOP candidates to block law that changed election rules to keep GOPers off ballot
The lawsuit, filed by four prospective Republican state House and Senate candidates, say Illinois Democrats violated the right to vote by rushing through a new state elections law that rewrites the candidate selection process in the middle of the 2024 election cycle to protect their incumbents from possible challengers
Foxx to curtail prosecutions vs offenders caught in certain car searches; Fioretti pledges to reverse on 'Day One'
Cook County State's Attorney candidate Robert Fioretti called Kim Foxx's new policy unconstitutional and a 'dereliction of duty' which would make unsafe neighborhoods worse. His opponent in the race to replace Foxx, former judge Eileen O'Neill Burke has not weighed in on the policy critics say will further bind police vs violent crime
IL lawmakers OK bill to limit risk of financial ruin for businesses targeted by biometrics class actions
The Illinois House has passed legislation to reform the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. The legislation would specify that the law's costly damages demands should be applied per person, not per fingerprint or other biometric scan. Biz groups say the reforms are welcome, but more are needed
Judge says psychiatrists must end class action over Board certification maintenance programs
A federal judge has a class action brought by a group of psychiatrists vs American Board of Psychology and Neurology, in which ABPN was accused of unfairly using monopoly power over certifications to force participation in certification maintenance programs, allegedly encroaching on continuing ed market
Dolton cop says Henyard, police commanders violated law by promoting unqualified officers to sergeant
A Dolton Police officer has filed suit against the village and controversy-plagued Mayor Tiffany Henyard, accusing the village of illegally passing him over for promotion to sergeant and then illegally suspending him without pay for filing a report with a state police oversight board to report a fellow officer who was writing bogus parking tickets
Chicago jury orders downstate hospital system, dialysis clinic to pay $41M to lawyer who suffered stroke, paralysis
The verdict vs OSF Healthcare and Fresenius Medical Care, among other downstate medical providers, was the largest ever awarded in Illinois for medical malpractice for a victim over the age of 70. Judges refused to send the case to central Illinois, where the injuries occurred and the stroke victim lived and received medical care.
Judge curbs VW lawsuit challenging state law boosting manufacturers' warranty repair costs 50%
A federal judge said Volkswagen failed to show how an Illinois law requiring car makers to pay dealerships 50% more for warranty repair work violates the company's constitutional rights. The judge said VW is free to raise prices to make up the difference
Parents' rights referendum won't go to voters, but Coalition says Dems' ballot-blocking power play shows 'momentum'
Parents Matter Coalition said they collected 102,000 voter signatures, well short of threshold needed to place their advisory referendum on the ballot. But they say an 'anti-democratic' law rushed through by IL Democrats shows the lengths progressives will go to keep Illinoisans from voting on the question
U-Haul targeted by biometrics class action over customer face scans
Truck and trailer equipment rental company U-Haul has been accused of improperly requiring customers to submit to ID verification face scans under Illinois' stringent biometrics privacy law
Ex-CPS students cleared for class action vs CPS over 'Quiet Time' Hindu meditation program
A Chicago federal judge says as many as 3,000 students may be in line for payment from CPS for allegedly all but coercing them into participating in a Hindu transcendental meditation program run by the David Lynch Foundation, allegedly in violation of their religious freedom rights
Biometrics class action lawsuit tossed vs crypto wallet app operator Zengo
The lawsuit was one of a growing number filed against app operators, accusing them of improperly scanning users' faces to verify their identity at registration or when signing in to use the app
SCOTUS to decide soon whether to review IL 'assault weapons' ban
Allowing the 'absurd' legal reasoning to stand that was used by lower courts to uphold Illinois' law would undermine SCOTUS decisions and essentially empower states to ban all manner of guns, challengers said, urging the high court to take their appeals
Judge rejects workers' class action vs Advocate over medical history questions
The class action lawsuit is one of dozens of similar actions accusing employers of violating Illinois' genetic privacy law by asking workers about their and their families' medical histories. The judge said he did not believe the questions, asked during a physical exam, amounted to a violation of the law
Lawyers seek $95M fees for settlements with 10 elite U.S. schools over alleged fin aid collusion
The lawsuit accuses 17 top U.S. colleges and universities, locally including Notre Dame, University of Chicago and Northwestern, of allegedly violating federal antitrust law by limiting financial aid and boosting the cost to attend their schools. Ten schools have settled thus far, collectively paying $285M
Lawsuit says Northwestern failed Jewish students by 'coddling' pro-Hamas, 'terror-supporting' encampment
A class action lawsuit accuses Northwestern University of a breach of contract with its Jewish students by allowing a pro-Hamas rife with antisemitic bigotry to continue on the campus' central lawn, allegedly in violation of university policies
Judge: IL Sup Ct decision can shield health care vendors from huge biometrics class actions
A federal judge has tossed a class action under Illinois' biometrics privacy law vs health care tech vendor Becton Dickinson, saying attempts by plaintiffs' lawyers to argue an Illinois Supreme Court decision shields only hospitals and clinical providers "borders on frivolous"
Homeservices of America to pay $250M to settle real estate commission antitrust lawsuits
Attorneys could stand to rake in more than $80 million in fees from the new deal, meaning plaintiffs' lawyers could be in line for more than $300 million in fees from multiple settlements worth more than $940 million so far, with potentially more on the way.
Chicago parking meters owners say City Hall owes millions for not properly enforcing parking rules
Arbitrators ruled the city should pay $2M+ for not enforcing parking rules in neighborhoods in 2020, and the city could owe millions more for strategic maneuvers to bank $10M+ in 2021-2022. Chicago Parking Meters say it's also owed $36M more, as well, for other alleged lax enforcement
White Castle to pay $9.5M to settle contentious worker fingerprint scans case
A long court fight over the case had resulted in a landmark Illinois Supreme Court decision, which placed Illinois businesses at risk of "annihilative" payouts, leading lawmakers to at last move to reform the law to potentially avert further economic harm.
Appeals panel again finds safety net hospitals can sue IL over speed, amounts of Medicaid claims pay
Saying it recognized the huge implications of their decision, a split panel of judges at the Seventh Circuit again ruled Saint Anthony Hospital, considered a 'safety net' hospital, can sue the state to demand it improve the way the state's insurers pay Medicaid claims. A dissenting judge said it was overreach