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COOK COUNTY RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Reform

Judges challenge IL Tier 2 pension reforms, say law was approved and applied unconstitutionally

By Jonathan Bilyk |
If successful, the lawsuit could undo a key pension reform law, which many have credited with helping the state better balance its financially troubled pension systems. It also joins a growing list of challenges claiming lawmakers routinely approve controversial laws unconstitutionally
Federal Court

Federal judge slams door, for now, on class action vs GEICO over pandemic insurance prices

By Scott Holland |
Ruling holds plaintiffs lack a valid model to calculate damages
Federal Court

Appeals panel: Differences over role of women in church won't stop ex-instructor from suing Moody, for now

By Scott Holland |
Federal Court

S. IL federal judges rescind policies critics said discriminated vs white male lawyers

By Jonathan Bilyk |
In letters to their chief judge, the federal judges acknowledged the policies, which encouraged law firms to allow young lawyers, who are female or non-white, to argue cases at least created a perception of discrimination 
Reform

'De facto invisible': High costs, court rules, lack of online access can block public from monitoring 'public' court proceedings

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A settlement has resolved a class action vs federal courts over fees charged to access online court documents. But high costs for certain records and varying court rules about public access to court records in Illinois and elsewhere create a legal patchwork that mostly limits public view into the courts
While the bill likely will go nowhere, it’s unfathomable that it could even be proposed: In the relevant part, a bill now pending in the Illinois legislature would criminalize, as “parental bullying,” any parent who knowingly, with intent to discipline or alter the behavior of a child, says or messages anything that would coerce the child.
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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).
Latest News
Lawsuits

Class action accuses Real Estate One of allegedly improperly boosting agents' commissions

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit is similar to others filed against the National Association of Realtors and other brokerages, accusing them of using anticompetitive practices to boost realtor commissions at the expense of home sellers.
Lawsuits

Lake County family sues Gree for home fire, injuries caused by defective dehumidifier, subject to recalls, indictments

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit claims a Gree dehumidifier caught fire in 2022 in the family's Lake County home, in which firefighters rescued one family member from a basement window and found another unresponsive on the floor of an upstairs room.
Lawsuits

Amazon accused in class action of wrongly making Prime customers pay $3 a month to skip commercials

By Cook County Record |
Amazon has been hit with a class action lawsuit, accusing the company of unilaterally changing the terms of service for its Prime video streaming service.
Federal Court

Ancestry can't use arbitration clause in parents' user agreements to end kids' lawsuits

By Scott Holland |
Appeals panel said children aren't a party to parents' contracts for use of DNA test kits
Lawsuits

Judge trims prime chunks of consumer fraud class action vs Beyond Meat

By Scott Holland |
Plaintiffs can't press claims about protein content on package-front labels
Lawsuits

Class action accuses Physicians Immediate Care over handling of data breach

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit asserts people's personal identifying information was allegedly exposed in an April 2023 data breach, but people weren't notified until 10 months later.
Lawsuits

Class action claims Target anti-shoplifting camera system violates IL biometrics privacy law

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit could carry a potentially huge payout for Target Corp., which is accused of improperly scanning the faces of people in Target stores using its anti-theft surveillance system.
Lawsuits

Class action says Ledger owes customers for allegedly misleading about security of its crypto wallets

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit had been filed in federal court in New York, but was transferred to Chicago federal court
Lawsuits

Class action targets online test prep biz Themis Bar Review over alleged tracking pixels

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit asserts the company allegedly allowed Facebook to access personal identifying information about users of Themis' website through the use of so-called tracking pixel installed on the website.

Class action accuses Real Estate One of allegedly improperly boosting agents' commissions

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit is similar to others filed against the National Association of Realtors and other brokerages, accusing them of using anticompetitive practices to boost realtor commissions at the expense of home sellers.

Lake County family sues Gree for home fire, injuries caused by defective dehumidifier, subject to recalls, indictments

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit claims a Gree dehumidifier caught fire in 2022 in the family's Lake County home, in which firefighters rescued one family member from a basement window and found another unresponsive on the floor of an upstairs room.

Amazon accused in class action of wrongly making Prime customers pay $3 a month to skip commercials

By Cook County Record |
Amazon has been hit with a class action lawsuit, accusing the company of unilaterally changing the terms of service for its Prime video streaming service.

Wingstop hit with biometrics class action for allegedly allowing virtual ordering app to record customer voices on phone

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit also names as defendant tech vendor ConverseNow, allegedly the supplier of a virtual AI phone order assistant

Black female worker says Metra wrongly fired her over Covid vax mandate

By Cook County Record |
The lawsuit claims the commuter rail agency wrongly denied her request for a religious exemption from the 2021 Covid vaccine mandate.

Chicago City Hall sues Glock, says gunmaker to blame for exacerbating city's 'epidemic' of gun violence

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The administration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has partnered with anti-gun activists to sue firearms manufacturer Glock under Illinois' new consumer fraud law specifically allowing gunmakers to get sued. Glock becomes latest company to be blamed in lawsuits for Chicago's societal woes

IL Supreme Court asked to hear cross-appeals on judge’s order declaring forum law unconstitutional

By Heather Isringhausen Gvillo |
Madison County Associate Judge Ronald Foster’s order declaring Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s forum law is unconstitutional for plaintiffs residing or injured outside of Cook and Sangamon Counties has been appealed directly to the Illinois Supreme Court by both parties for separate reasons.

Realtors to pay $418M to end home seller commission class action; Big changes coming to home sale process

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Lawyers who brought the lawsuits could be in for a big payday, as well, potentially claiming $140 million from the deal, plus $69 million from earlier settlements with large real estate brokerages facing similar claims of alleged collusion to boost real estate agent commissions

Foster declares Pritzker's venue law unconstitutional, refuses to transfer firearm liability challenge to Sangamon County

By Heather Isringhausen Gvillo |
Madison County Associate Judge Ronald J. Foster Jr. declared Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s forum law favoring Cook and Sangamon County is unconstitutional and denied Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s motion to transfer an Alton gun store’s constitutional challenge to both the venue law and the firearm liability law.

Opponents to Chicago property sales tax hike referendum ask IL Supreme Court to step in

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Business groups argued an appellate court's decision reinstating the referendum on the ballot would effectively allow the Chicago City Council and other lawmaking bodies across the state to place any referendum questions on any ballot they wish, regardless if the questions are constitutional

Judge blocks big piece of IL Dems' temp worker regulation law

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A Chicago federal judge ruled that major changes to Illinois' law regulating temp workers and day laborers can't take effect because they are preempted by federal law 

IL courts hit with avalanche of pre-trial jail appeals under SAFE-T Act; Rules rewritten to ease 'staggering' burden

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The Illinois Supreme Court has rewritten rules governing how criminal defendants can appeal judges' decisions to keep them locked up while they await trial, after such appeals rose from 171 in the past 10 years to more than 1,900 in the past five months under Illinois Democrats' SAFE-T Act

Illinois Supreme Court sets new standard on when convicted felons can credibly claim 'torture' by cops

By Scott Holland |
A divided Illinois Supreme Court rejected the attempt by Darrell Fair, who was convicted of murder and armed robbery, but claimed some of his statements while in police custody were coerced by torture. A Cook County trial judge had called such claims "an absolute lie."

Appeals panel: Differences over role of women in church won't stop ex-instructor from suing Moody, for now

By Scott Holland |
A dissenting judge warned the decision to allow a female ex-instructor to sue Moody Bible Institute over her termination would inevitably lead to constitutionally impermissible questions into the religious beliefs Moody cites when running its Bible college

'De facto invisible': High costs, court rules, lack of online access can block public from monitoring 'public' court proceedings

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A settlement has resolved a class action vs federal courts over fees charged to access online court documents. But high costs for certain records and varying court rules about public access to court records in Illinois and elsewhere create a legal patchwork that mostly limits public view into the courts

Cook County Judge Carl Boyd suspended from hearing cases after charged with domestic battery

By Jonathan Bilyk |
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