Cook County Record

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Dan Churney News

Facebook: SCOTUS should delete biometrics class action, says plaintiffs weren't harmed by photo tagging system

By Dan Churney | Dec 11, 2019

Facebook wants the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appellate court's ruling allowing a class action worth potentially billions of dollars to continue under an Illinois biometrics privacy law, as the company argues plaintiffs weren't harmed and the case would be too sprawling.

Pipeline Health: Melrose Park hospital workers properly told facility was closing, WARN suit should be tossed

By Dan Churney | Dec 3, 2019

The parent company of Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park is arguing hospital workers had plenty of advance notice the facility was closing, contrary to a suit by the workers that alleges employees were "blindsided" when the owners abruptly shut down, allegedly violating federal labor law.

Plaintiffs claim Shutterfly tries end-run around putative class action by emailing site users

By Dan Churney | Nov 30, 2019

Lawyers leading a biometrics class action against online photo sharing site Shutterfly claim Shutterfly tried to trick potential class members into waiving their right to take part in the suit.

Pritzker campaign committee says ex-campaign workers refusing to cooperate, discrimination suit should be tossed

By Dan Churney | Nov 27, 2019

Lawyers for Pritzker's campaign say the plaintiffs haven't cooperated in scheduling and taking depositions and other discovery, and so most of them should be tossed from the action.

IL High Court says broker Gallagher Risk can't get McCormick Foundation's lawyer communications over Tribune buyout

By Dan Churney | Nov 26, 2019

The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled an insurance broker for the McCormick Foundation, cannot obtain the Foundation’s communications with its attorneys, to help it fight an action by the Foundation alleging the broker set up a policy that did not cover suits resulting from the Tribune’s bankruptcy.

Paint makers ask IL Supreme Court to toss ruling saying parents can sue for costs of child lead tests paid by Medicaid

By Dan Churney | Nov 20, 2019

Several paint companies, which are facing a class action by a group of parents, have told the Illinois Supreme Court they should not have to pay for children's mandatory lead screenings, because Medicaid paid for the tests, not the parents.

Appeals court: Lawyer can't force Chicago to set aside a third of retiree health insurance subsidies for attorney fees

By Dan Churney | Nov 19, 2019

An Illinois appeals panel has said it has no jurisdiction to reverse a Cook County judge’s refusal to take some of the payments by the city of Chicago, meant to cover city retirees’ health insurance coverage, to instead pay fees to attorneys suing the city on behalf of retirees.

Appeals court: Insurance executive can press illegal tax shelter suit vs Northern Trust, Christiana Bank, not Seyfarth Shaw

By Dan Churney | Nov 15, 2019

An insurance executive facing a $10 million bill for unpaid income taxes can sue his former financial advisors, but not the law firm that employed the lawyer who the executive said misled him into hiding $64 million in an illegal tax shelter.

U.S. appeals judge: Aurora lawyer may need to be sanctioned for allegedly ‘bizarre’ brief

By Dan Churney | Nov 11, 2019

A Chicago federal appeals court is asking an Aurora lawyer why he shouldn’t be penalized for causing a “shameful waste of judicial resources,” on behalf of a client who pushed an “utterly frivolous” discrimination lawsuit against a candy manufacturer and others.

Suit alleges HCSC uses faulty guidelines to deny claims for inpatient mental health care

By Dan Churney | Nov 6, 2019

A woman has filed for a class action in Chicago federal court against one of the nation’s largest health insurance administrators, alleging the company tries to save money by refusing to cover residential mental health treatment on grounds such treatment is unnecessary.

Lawyers get $3.1M, robocall recipients $22 each, to settle telemarketing class action vs cruise lines

By Dan Churney | Nov 5, 2019

Plaintiff attorneys will collect $3.1 million from the settlement of a class action suit, alleging a defunct suburban travel agency made illegal telemarketing calls for cruise ship companies. People who received the calls would pocket about $22 each.

Appeals court says 'circular' Illinois FOID law is 'de facto' ban on rehabilitated felons legally owning guns

By Dan Churney | Oct 31, 2019

An Illinois appeals court is calling for state legislators to correct a “circular” law that ostensibly gives rehabilitated felons a chance to acquire gun permits, but in reality puts them on a "merry-go-round" between state and federal law without hope of obtaining a permit, the ruling states.

Two Chicago-area lawyers allege lawyer employed by IL state government can’t claim referral fee in malpractice case

By Dan Churney | Oct 30, 2019

A pair of Chicago-area law firms are suing a lawyer employed by Illinois' state government, whom they say allegedly improperly interfered with their medical negligence case to refer the case to another firm for a fee, cutting them out of at least $1 million.

Appeals court: 54 ex-NFL players' concussion suits vs Riddell doomed by failure to sue helmet maker at same time as NFL

By Dan Churney | Oct 29, 2019

An Illinois appeals panel has ruled a group of more than 50 NFL players waited too long to sue the maker of the helmets they wore in their playing days, as the players neglected to sue helmet manufacturer Riddell when they first sued the National Football League, alone. However, one former player did sue in time, the appeals court ruled.

Lawyers get $5.3M in settlement of investor class action against drugmaker AbbVie over scrapped Shire deal

By Dan Churney | Oct 28, 2019

Plaintiff attorneys are collecting $5.3 million for handling a class action against North Chicago-based drugmaker AbbVie, which alleged the company hid information that caused investors in a European company to lose millions after AbbVie pulled out of a merger.

Federal judge shoots down investor class action vs in-flight Internet tech provider Gogo

By Dan Churney | Oct 25, 2019

A federal judge has grounded a putative class action suit vs in-flight Internet provider Gogo, saying the plaintiffs failed to show company officials knew the gravity of a hardware problem when they made sunny statements to investors.

Tow company alleges Cicero reneged on rent deal amid contentious divorce involving town's lawyer, tow biz owner's daughter

By Dan Churney | Oct 17, 2019

The owners of a Cicero tow company have accused the town's attorney, Michael Del Galdo, of allegedly lying to them when he allegedly assured them they didn't need to pay rent or tow fees to the town if they performed "political favors."

Feds say Natl. Assoc. of Realtors misinterprets consent decree to fight antitrust class action

By Dan Churney | Oct 16, 2019

The U.S. Justice Department has jumped into an antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors, arguing a deal the association inked with the federal government years ago may not cover the claims at issue in the antitrust suit.

Judge seals financial info, other filings, in class action lawyer Jay Edelson's divorce case

By Dan Churney | Oct 11, 2019

Class action trial lawyer Jay Edelson has secured a court seal on his firm's financial records, after saying he feared his wife's divorce lawyers would feed it to the firm of Johnson & Bell, which is suing Edelson's firm in a separate matter.

Appeals court: Chicago lawyer did not botch dram shop lawsuit vs Live Nation over girl's post-concert crash death

By Dan Churney | Oct 9, 2019

A state appeals court has refused to reinstate a malpractice lawsuit against a Chicago lawyer, who was alleged to have mismanaged a lawsuit brought by the parents of a woman killed in a drunk driving crash after leaving a concert in Tinley Park, ruling the case was weak rather than botched.