Elections
Controversial Cook County judge loses retention bid, unofficial vote totals show
According to unofficial vote totals, Cook County Judge Shannon O'Malley - formerly known as Phillip Spiwak - appears to have fallen short of retaining his seat on the county court. O'Malley famously changed his name to sound Irish in an apparent bid to win election, and has been accused of living outside the county
Hot Topics
Judges: Reforms to limit harm from IL biometrics law should apply to pending lawsuits, too
Hot Topics
Glock: IL law underpinning Chicago's gun violence lawsuit violates Second Amendment, is unconstitutional
Hot Topics
Constitution doesn't block Indiana's ban on gender transition procedures for kids: Appeals court
A divided federal appeals panel said the Indiana ban on surgeries, puberty blockers and other care do not violate parent's rights to direct their children's medical care nor the speech rights of doctors, dissolving a lower court's injunction blocking enforcement of the law
Lawsuits
Judge: Arbitration clause can potentially end strippers' class action vs club
Lawsuit filed against Scores Chicago Gentleman's Club before Gender Violence Act applied to corporate entities
Illinoisans should watch out for the next try at a progressive income tax on the November ballot in the name of property tax relief, says reform advocacy group Wirepoints
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).
Lawsuits
Foxx files suit to get Viverette removed from office in Ford Heights over past criminal convictions
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Ford Heights Village Trustee Jimmy Viverette from office due to his past criminal convictions.
Lawsuits
Society Insurance says shouldn't be obligated to cover Cermak Produce vs employees' biometrics class action
Society Insurance has filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court seeking a declaratory judgment that it is not obligated to provide insurance coverage to Cermak Produce, a Chicago-area supermarket chain, in connection with a class action lawsuit.
Federal Court
Plaintiff Alleges Data Breach at Chicago-Based University Compromised Personal Information
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Saint Xavier University alleging negligence in safeguarding personal data following a significant data breach.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges former employer Crosstown Real Estate of age discrimination
Cheryl Hanna has taken legal action against Crosstown Real Estate for alleged age discrimination during her tenure as a real estate agent.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges negligence against retail giant following slip-and-fall incident
A slip-and-fall accident at a Bartlett-based store has led Robert Merheb to file a lawsuit against The Home Depot USA and The Home Depot Inc., citing negligence as the cause of his injuries.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges tech company violated labor laws
Tiffany Khoshaba has filed a lawsuit against Barking Labs Corp., known as Fi, alleging labor law violations including unpaid overtime and discrimination due to disability.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges Skyline Business Solutions violated ADA and Title VII
A former employee has filed a lawsuit against Skyline Business Solutions alleging disability discrimination and sexual harassment under ADA and Title VII laws.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges former employer One Rail Group violated wage laws
David Fuller has launched a class action lawsuit against his former employer One Rail Group for alleged violations of federal and state wage laws regarding unpaid overtime and unauthorized deductions from employee paychecks.
Federal Court
Plaintiff alleges Village discriminated based on age and gender
Michelle Geier has filed a lawsuit against the Village of Bolingbrook and its Police Chief Michael Rompa in federal court alleging age and gender discrimination along with retaliation following an injury sustained on duty as a police officer.
Foxx files suit to get Viverette removed from office in Ford Heights over past criminal convictions
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Ford Heights Village Trustee Jimmy Viverette from office due to his past criminal convictions.
Society Insurance says shouldn't be obligated to cover Cermak Produce vs employees' biometrics class action
Society Insurance has filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court seeking a declaratory judgment that it is not obligated to provide insurance coverage to Cermak Produce, a Chicago-area supermarket chain, in connection with a class action lawsuit.
Judge: Arbitration clause can potentially end strippers' class action vs club
Lawsuit filed against Scores Chicago Gentleman's Club before Gender Violence Act applied to corporate entities
'Palpable injustice:' Appeals panel says Cook Co. judge wrongly allowed 'one-sided' trial vs restaurant owner
An IL state appeals panel says Cook County Judge Robert Harris wrongly moved ahead with a "one-sided" trial in which a Rogers Park restaurant owner was ordered to pay $500K to Loyola University amid a court fight over Loyola's alleged refusal to let him reopen a fine dining restaurant in 2021
Judge peels off class action vs Kroger over effectiveness of lidocaine pain patches
A federal judge faulted prolific labeling fraud lawsuit filer attorney Spencer Sheehan for attempting to proceed with the class action by swapping out claims and plaintiffs, after the first claim didn't entirely pan out in court
Judges: Reforms to limit harm from IL biometrics law should apply to pending lawsuits, too
Recent rulings from a Chicago federal judge and a Cook County judge are seen as key wins for Illinois businesses, as they begin the work of answering a key question that could decide the fates of potentially hundreds of lawsuits with many millions of dollars at stake
Glock: IL law underpinning Chicago's gun violence lawsuit violates Second Amendment, is unconstitutional
Firearms maker Glock says Chicago and Illinois are attempting to use a lawsuit under an allegedly unconstitutional Illinois consumer fraud law to win a court order all but banning the sale of Glock handguns, which Glock said violates the Second Amendment and the Commerce Clause
Constitution doesn't block Indiana's ban on gender transition procedures for kids: Appeals court
A divided federal appeals panel said the Indiana ban on surgeries, puberty blockers and other care do not violate parent's rights to direct their children's medical care nor the speech rights of doctors, dissolving a lower court's injunction blocking enforcement of the law
'Unconstitutional affront:' Federal judge strikes down Illinois 'assault weapons' ban
Saying the law falls far short under the Constitution, U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn entered an injunction which would block the state from enforcing Gov. Pritzker's ban on so-called 'assault weapons.' The ruling is stayed for 30 days, pending an expected appeal from the state
Judge mostly tosses effort to force IL elections authorities to make voter rolls more accurate
A Chicago federal judge said conservative groups don't have standing to sue Illinois state and county election officials for allegedly failing to live up to their obligations under federal election law to remove people who aren't eligible to vote from Illinois voter rolls
Cook County Dems cruise in five contested races for circuit court judge seats
While votes continue to be counted, Democratic candidates for judge in Cook County scored easy wins over Republican challengers in the handful of contested judicial races presented to voters this fall, including in the first contested general election race for countywide judge in 14 years
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
SAFE-T Act pretrial jailing appeals drop 88% after court rule changes; 'Found a sweet spot,' says task force chair
The number of appeals filed by criminal defendants seeking release from jail while they await trial dropped from 1,041 in January to mid-April to 154 in the three months following rule changes to ease the burden. The appeals numbers are still up significantly compared to years preceding Illinois' criminal justice system reforms
Patron Sues Chicago Bar Over Alleged Assault Outside Venue
Shaconta Fox has appealed a court decision granting summary judgment to a Chicago bar following an alleged assault outside its premises involving another patron known as Ademuyiwa “Michael” Ogundeyi. The case raises questions about whether bars have a duty to protect patrons from foreseeable harm caused by third parties near their property lines.
Plaintiff alleges former employer Crosstown Real Estate of age discrimination
Cheryl Hanna has taken legal action against Crosstown Real Estate for alleged age discrimination during her tenure as a real estate agent.
Lawsuit accuses Cook divorce judge of unconstitutionally blocking adult son from family's online court hearing
The adult son of a River Forest real estate developer is suing Cook County Judge Abbey Romanek for allegedly violating his rights by refusing to allow him to observe online divorce court hearing involving his parents. The proceedings have resulted in his father being ordered to jail three times in eight years over money disputes
Ethics complaint filed vs Pritzker over unconstitutional 'election interference' 'anti-slating' law
An Arlington Heights lawyer, who is running as a Republican for the state House, has filed an ethics complaint against Gov. JB Pritzker, accusing him of violating his professional responsibilities as a lawyer holding public office by supporting a state law Democrats sought to use to block challengers to their candidates