State Court
'A downward spiral': Biz groups, legal reformers urge IL high court to nix bid to kill anti-forum shopping rule
The filings come in response to an attempt by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association to seize on a dispute over the constitutionality of a controversial state law to win a long sought policy goal, which would funnel lawsuits into Cook, Madison and St. Clair counties, in pursuit of bigger, easier verdicts
Elections
Scandal-struck prominent Cook County judges draw negative election recommendations from legal groups
State Court
IL Supreme Court: Lawsuit damages over spouse's wrongful death must still be paid if surviving spouse remarries
Lawsuits
Northwestern, Notre Dame among top U.S. colleges hit with class action over financial aid practices
A new class action lawsuit says some of America's top colleges and universities have for nearly two decades violated U.S. antitrust law by collectively making it harder for students to obtain need-based financial aid by forcing them to include non-custodial parent income on applications
State Court
IL Supreme Court: Lawyers still can claim fees, even though incomplete agreements didn't comply with court rules
Clients fired attorneys shortly before settling dispute of multimillion-dollar estate
Illinois should follow the example set by Michigan in dealing with dysfunction in schools in Detroit and establish a new school district in Chicago to entirely replace CPS
Lawdragon names Cozen O’Connor’s Shaw among Top 500 leading U.S. bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers
CHICAGO, July 17, 2023 — Lawdragon has named Chicago attorney Brian Shaw, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring practice, to its 2023 list of the Top 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers.
Cozen O’Connor attorney Matt DiCianni honored with Rising Stars Award from the National Immigrant Justice Center
Matt DiCianni, a labor and employment associate at Cozen O’Connor, has been honored with a Rising Stars Award from the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
State Court
Plaintiff Alleges Negligence Against Property Managers Over Parking Lot Fall
A woman's appeal against property managers for injuries sustained in a parking lot fall has been denied by an Illinois appellate court. Rossmid Lopez-Arana sued Brian Properties and others for negligence after falling on ice-covered pavement but failed to prove unnatural accumulation caused her injuries according to judges' ruling.
State Court
Plaintiff alleges used car dealer Nitro Detergent Specialists of fraudulent misrepresentation
Brendan Moore's lawsuit against Nitro Detergent Specialists over alleged fraud in a used car sale has been dismissed with prejudice by an Illinois court. The case centered around claims of concealed damage history in a vehicle sold under an “as is” agreement.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges golf course management firm failed in safeguarding sensitive information
A recent class action lawsuit highlights significant concerns over data security after a cyberattack compromised personal information managed by a well-known golf course management company. Filed by William Campe on behalf of affected individuals, this case seeks accountability for alleged negligence in protecting sensitive data like social security numbers from cybercriminals.
Federal Court
Former Employee Alleges Racial Discrimination Against Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Sheila Brown has filed a lawsuit against Northwestern Memorial Hospital citing racial discrimination and harassment during her tenure as an Environmental Service Technician. Filed on September 30th in Illinois' Northern District Court, Brown seeks redress under federal civil rights laws after allegedly facing repeated discriminatory acts without any corrective measures being taken by her employer.
Federal Court
Illinois Resident Alleges Excessive Force by Riverdale Police Officers
Abraham Carmichael has filed a lawsuit against two Riverdale police officers alleging excessive force during an incident where he was not involved in any criminal activity. The complaint includes accusations of false arrest following physical assault by one officer while another failed to intervene despite having opportunities available throughout their encounter together back on February 5th earlier this year; now seeking compensatory damages alongside punitive ones too!
Federal Court
Plaintiff Alleges Skincare Company Website Violates ADA Due To Inaccessibility
Andre Battle has filed a class action lawsuit against Oars + Alps LLC alleging their website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act due to accessibility barriers for visually-impaired users. Filed in Illinois federal court on September 30th, this suit seeks injunctive relief demanding modifications ensuring full usability by blind consumers alongside compensatory damages for discrimination experienced.
State Court
Homeowner Accuses Local Government Over Building Code Violations
A homeowner is challenging local government decisions regarding alleged building code violations at his property in Lansing, Illinois. James Fisher claims procedural missteps led to fines totaling $1000 after disputes over inspection requirements were mishandled by municipal authorities.
Federal Court
Trucking Company Accused of Misclassifying Drivers Under Wage Laws
A lawsuit has been filed against Fremont Trans Inc., alleging illegal labor practices involving driver misclassification as independent contractors instead of employees. Filed by Carlo Jean on October 1st in Illinois federal court, the suit seeks damages for unpaid wages and improper deductions under state and federal laws.
Federal Court
Plaintiff Alleges Airline Violated Religious Accommodation Laws Over Vaccine Mandate
A former employee has filed a lawsuit against United Airlines alleging wrongful termination due to religious discrimination related to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The plaintiff claims violations under Title VII and Florida's Civil Rights Act after being denied a religious exemption request considered untimely by the airline without clear communication or legal basis.
Biometrics class action tags timeclock maker EPay and one of its clients over worker face scans
A class action lawsuit has accused timeclock maker EPay Systems and a facilities maintenance company, All 1 Service, which uses EPay's timeclocks, of allegedly wrongly scanning workers' faces when they punch the clock, allegedly in violation of Illinois' biometrics privacy law.
Sargent Logistics accused in class action for scanning truck drivers' faces on the job
A class action lawsuit has accused trucking company Sargent Logistics of allegedly improperly scanning the faces of workers in the company's delivery vehicles, allegedly in violation of Illinois' biometrics privacy law.
Northwestern, Notre Dame among top U.S. colleges hit with class action over financial aid practices
A new class action lawsuit says some of America's top colleges and universities have for nearly two decades violated U.S. antitrust law by collectively making it harder for students to obtain need-based financial aid by forcing them to include non-custodial parent income on applications
Class action accuses Lakeshore Recycling of wrongly scanning trash collectors' faces while in their trucks
A class action lawsuit has accused waste collection company Lakeshore Recycling of allegedly wrongly scanning its trash truck drivers' faces while they are on the job, allegedly in violation of Illinois' biometrics privacy law.
Jury orders ex-Acadia owner McCaskey to pay former server $4.5M over alleged online harassment
A Cook County jury agreed chef Ryan McCaskey, former owner of the Acadia restaurant in Chicago, allegedly used internet aliases to try to mask a campaign of online harassment against ex-Acadia server Cody Nason in retaliation for sharing embarrassing stories about McCaskey to an Instagram account
Lawsuit: CTU has wrongly refused for years to release financial audits, show how spending members' dues
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of four Chicago Teachers Union members, who say the union has violated its own rules in hiding spending reviews from its own members since 2020.
Lawsuit against Gotion not done yet, plaintiffs say, after judge calls first version 'unanswerable'
A Kankakee County judge said a group of Manteno residents trying to pull the plug on a huge lithium battery plant whose owners have ties to the Chinese Communist Party and which is backed by Gov. Pritzker have more work to do to back their claims officials rammed through an illegal project
IL Supreme Court questions if Smollett special prosecution wrongly undermined Foxx, set bad precedent
The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments concerning actor Jussie Smollett's bid to reverse his conviction for staging an infamous fake racially-motivated attack in 2019, that spurred a politically-motivated outcry of sympathy and demands for justice from Kamala Harris and other left-wing politicians and celebrities
Lawsuit: Anti-cop bias, politics at COPA producing 'tainted' investigations into Chicago police conduct
A deputy administrator at Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability says he was fired after shining light on alleged bias and political motives at the office under its current top administrator
IL Baptists plan to appeal ruling that IL abortion coverage mandate doesn't violate religious rights
A Springfield judge agreed with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul that the state's abortion health insurance coverage mandate doesn't violate religious objectors' rights because they can still buy health insurance from other states
Unions can defend vs attempts to force IL to clean up voter rolls, judge says
A federal judge in Chicago has given two powerful labor unions the right to fight in court against a lawsuit brought conservative activist groups seeking to force the state of Illinois more stringently comply with federal law requiring the state and local election authorities to purge voter rolls of dead and otherwise ineligible voters
Did IL just try again to ban E-Verify? New law could leave employers facing hard choices, big challenges
The new law could leave Illinois employers facing a choice between abiding by competing state and federal immigrant employment laws and requirements, and leave Illinois facing another day in court defending a law which could stand in defiance to federal laws governing immigrant work eligibility
Jury orders Avon to pay $24M to former janitor with mesothelioma
After a month-long trial, a Cook County jury said Avon owes $24.4 million because the man allegedly contracted mesothelioma lung cancer from being exposed to asbestos-contaminated talc products at the company's Morton Grove facility in the 1980s
'A downward spiral': Biz groups, legal reformers urge IL high court to nix bid to kill anti-forum shopping rule
The filings come in response to an attempt by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association to seize on a dispute over the constitutionality of a controversial state law to win a long sought policy goal, which would funnel lawsuits into Cook, Madison and St. Clair counties, in pursuit of bigger, easier verdicts
Plaintiff alleges used car dealer Nitro Detergent Specialists of fraudulent misrepresentation
Brendan Moore's lawsuit against Nitro Detergent Specialists over alleged fraud in a used car sale has been dismissed with prejudice by an Illinois court. The case centered around claims of concealed damage history in a vehicle sold under an “as is” agreement.
Former Employee Alleges Racial Discrimination Against Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Sheila Brown has filed a lawsuit against Northwestern Memorial Hospital citing racial discrimination and harassment during her tenure as an Environmental Service Technician. Filed on September 30th in Illinois' Northern District Court, Brown seeks redress under federal civil rights laws after allegedly facing repeated discriminatory acts without any corrective measures being taken by her employer.
Cook Courts clerk casts doubts on official numbers touting success of IL criminal justice reforms
Cook County Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez is calling for an independent analysis of court data being used to trumpet the success of Dems' criminal justice reform measures, saying an analysis by her office shows far more people are skipping court dates than are being acknowledged by official numbers
Cook County Judge Carl Boyd suspended from hearing cases after charged with domestic battery
Cook County Circuit Judge Carl Boyd was charged with domestic battery in an incident Chicago Police say left a woman with a cut on her cheek from broken glass. Boyd has served on the Cook County bench since 2012