Cook County Record

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Cook County Record News

Chicago Board of Ed accuses Taft High School Foundation of 'reckless mismanagement,' demands accounting

By Cook County Record | Oct 19, 2019

The Chicago Board of Education has asked a judge to bar a group from continuing to raise funds in the name of William Howard Taft High School, as the school board has accused the Taft High School Foundation of mismanaging funds raised allegedly to benefit the high school, while using the Taft High School name and public images without permission.

Illinois EPA OKs Sterigenics construction permit; 'First step in lengthy process' toward reopening, IEPA says

By Cook County Record | Sep 21, 2019

The Illinois EPA has granted a construction permit to allow Sterigenics to install emissions capture technology at its Willowbrook plant.

Appeal on tap over judge's decision to end challenge over whether state debt practices are unconstitutional

By Cook County Record | Sep 13, 2019

A state appeals court will be asked to weigh in on the question of whether state courts can have any input at all on the question of whether Illinois’ state constitution puts any constraints at all on state lawmakers who want to rack up debt to cover state expenses.

Class action: McDonald's franchisee violated Chicago paid sick leave ordinance

By Cook County Record | Sep 13, 2019

A new class action is attempting to fry a McDonald’s franchisee for allegedly violating the city’s three-year-old paid sick leave law.

Anne Burke, wife of indicted Chicago alderman, selected next chief justice of Illinois Supreme Court

By Cook County Record | Sep 11, 2019

Anne Burke, an Illinois Supreme Court justice who has served on the court since 2006, and the wife of indicted Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, has been selected by her fellow justices to serve as the new chief justice of the state’s high court.

DuPage judge OKs Sterigenics consent order; Company can begin regulatory process to reopen Willowbrook plant

By Cook County Record | Sep 6, 2019

A DuPage County judge has signed off on an agreement that would end a court fight over actions taken by the state of Illinois to shut down Sterigenics' Willowbrook medical device sterilization plant over claims the plant emitted an allegedly cancer-causing chemical into the air.

Hidden 'tort tax' from heavy lawsuit activity costing Chicago area residents $800 each, every year, new report says

By Cook County Record | Aug 28, 2019

The pain from lawsuits in Illinois isn’t limited to the purses of the companies that get sued, but is spread to the pocketbooks of every state resident, a new report said, estimating the state’s high level of litigious activity costs the average Chicago area resident $811 each, every year.

Class action: Walgreens mismanaged retirement funds, cost workers $300M by investing in underperforming funds

By Cook County Record | Aug 9, 2019

A new class action asserts Walgreens owes tens of thousands of retirees and employees money for allegedly mismanaging their retirement accounts by leaving investments in underperforming funds, costing employees more than $300 million in retirement savings.

Class action accuses Office Furniture LLC of violating biometrics identifier act

By Cook County Record | Aug 9, 2019

An office furniture seller and its corporate parent has been hit with a class action lawsuit, accusing it of violating an Illinois biometric privacy law by requiring workers to scan their fingerprints when punching the time clock each shift.

Class action: Brake maker Power Stop wrongly forced workers to scan 'biometric identifiers' when punching clock

By Cook County Record | Aug 8, 2019

A man who formerly worked for a car brake maker has filed a class action lawsuit, accusing his employer of violating an Illinois privacy law in the way it required employees to scan their "biometrics" when punching in and out of work shifts.

Willowbrook, other communities can weigh in on deal to possibily let Sterigenics reopen; permit talks continue

By Cook County Record | Jul 25, 2019

A DuPage County judge has decided to allow a group of suburban communities the opportunity to weigh in on an agreement between Illinois state officials and Sterigenics, keeping in place at least until September a state order that has shuttered its Willowbrook plant for five months. However, the company and the state’s environmental agency also continue to discuss the permits Sterigenics would need to reopen the plant.

Crane maker Terex defeats $248M lawsuit over engineer's injuries from 2014 Elgin crane accident on I-90

By Cook County Record | Jul 18, 2019

Connecticut-based construction crane maker Terex has staved off a $248 million lawsuit brought by the family of a civil engineer who was severely injured when the arm of construction crane fell on him in 2014 while on the site of a bridge project for the recent reconstruction of Interstate 90 in Elgin.

Sterigenics, state reach deal to end lawsuits over Willowbrook facility shutdown, emissions, allow plant to reopen

By Cook County Record | Jul 17, 2019

Medical device sterilizer Sterigenics has secured a path to reopening its plant in suburban Willowbrook, which has remained shuttered since February when state regulators under Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker ordered it closed over pollution concerns, even though the plant never violated the terms of its state operating permit.

Prenda Law's Steele sentenced to 5 years in prison for role in $3M shakedown scheme vs online porn downloaders

By Cook County Record | Jul 10, 2019

A former Chicago lawyer, one of the principals at Prenda Law and one of the masterminds behind a scheme to secure millions of dollars in settlements as part of a shakedown scheme targeted at those downloading online porn, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Appeals court: Wisconsin county not liable for $4M verdict for two former inmates sexually assaulted by guard

By Cook County Record | Jul 5, 2019

A divided panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has decided a Wisconsin county can't be made to pay millions of dollars in damages to two female former jail inmates who were sexually assaulted by a jail correctional officer.

Appeals court: Insurer can exclude coverage for drunk, high drivers; Widow's claim for husband's death barred

By Cook County Record | Jul 2, 2019

ELGIN -- A state appeals court has ruled an insurance company was right to deny a claim that a policy was not enforceable due to a supplementary provision relating to an intoxicated driver operating a vehicle.

New IL ethylene oxide law could keep Sterigenics closed, keep new sterilization plans out of state

By Cook County Record | Jun 26, 2019

A new Illinois state law, which contains ethylene oxide regulations without peer anywhere else in the country, could make it all but impossible for a now-shuttered sterilization facility to reopen or for medical device sterilizers to open new plants in the state. And, despite the strict new law, Illinois’ chief legal officer has pledged to continue the state’s legal action to punish Sterigenics, which operated a sterilization plant in Willowbrook.

Chicago Inspector General asks court to order ex-alderman candidate Siaw to testify in campaign finance inquiry

By Cook County Record | Jun 19, 2019

Chicago’s city Inspector General has asked a Cook County judge to force a former candidate for Chicago alderman to testify amid an investigation into campaign finance law violations.

Prenda Law's Hansmeier sentenced to 14 years for shakedown scheme targeting porn downloaders

By Cook County Record | Jun 17, 2019

Paul Hansmeier, one of two Prenda lawyers behind a scheme to use lawsuit threats to allegedly shakedown downloaders of online porn, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

IL appeals panel: Skokie firefighter with aneurysm entitled to free lifetime health care; village disputes if 'work-related'

By Cook County Record | Jun 12, 2019

A state appeals panel has ruled Skokie wrongly denied a firefighter free lifetime health insurance benefits, saying it didn't matter the firefighter continued on the job in the same capacity after he was diagnosed with an aneurysm, nearly a year before he allegedly suffered symptoms following a work incident