Dan Churney News
Drive-thru headset parts maker says Greenberg Traurig, LeClair Ryan law firms cost it $9M settlement
A suburban electronic parts company is suing Chicago- and Virginia-based law firms for allegedly short-circuiting its defense against a trademark infringement lawsuit, which resulted in $9 million in allegedly unnecessary fees, sanctions and settlement costs.
Panel: Those with bowel diseases can sue retailers who refuse them bathroom access under IL law
A Chicago appeals panel has reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a suit against the Anthropologie retail chain, saying a customer with a bowel disease can sue the company under a state restroom access law for not letting her use an employee bathroom, which caused her to soil herself in public.
Appeals panel OK’s Empress Casino, insurers try to put cleaning company on the hook for ‘09 fire
A Chicago appeals panel ruled the former Empress Casino Joliet and its insurers can try to recoup $84 million in deductibles and claims from a kitchen grease removal service, but not from construction contractors, in connection with the 2009 blaze that gutted the casino during renovation work.
EPA, Citgo reach $4 million deal to end action over air pollution at Lemont refinery
Federal regulators and Citgo have worked out an understanding, in which the oil giant has agreed to spend $4 million to reduce the discharge of air pollution from a refinery in suburban Lemont.
Broadview term limits measure placed on ballot; Harvey, Crestwood, Calumet also to vote on term limits
In a 2-to-1 decision, a Chicago appeals panel has ruled a referendum aiming to limit the village president in suburban Broadview to two terms is not confusing, as an objector has claimed, and so can be on Tuesday’s ballot, allowing Broadview to be one of four Cook County communities in which voters can limit the number of terms in office some elected officials can serve.
Zimmer OK to subpoena records to discover how consulting group may be aiding knee implant plaintiffs
A federal judge has allowed knee implant maker Zimmer, which is the target of hundreds of lawsuits alleging defective implants, to subpoena records to see if a doctor changed his opinion to help several plaintiffs skirt designation as bellwether trials.
Second Zimmer bellwether tossed over expert inconsistencies; judge says other cases may not suffer
A Chicago federal judge has knocked down a lawsuit – set aside to test the waters for dozens of other similar actions – against knee implant maker Zimmer Inc., but suggested remaining plaintiffs should not lose heart, because their suits will not likely bear the same deficiencies as the doomed suit.
IL Supreme Court declines to reconsider decision on umarried couples' property rights
The Illinois Supreme Court has refused to reconsider its position that domestic partners do not enjoy the same rights as married couples when it comes to ending the relationship and dividing assets – but with two justices dissenting, stating a 1979 high court ruling, on which the majority relied, is out of date.
DeVry grads bring class action, accuse school of slanting grad job stats to boost marketing
A group of six DeVry University graduates have filed a putative class-action suit, claiming the nationwide electronics and business school overstates the employment rates of graduates, so as to attract new students.
Judge: Ditto Trade founder Fox slapped for not paying legal bills of whistleblower ex-Ditto CEO
A Chicago federal judge is holding the founder of a defunct Chicago online brokerage firm in contempt of court for failing to pay the legal costs racked up by a former CEO, who successfully sued the founder for defaming and firing him after he blew the whistle on alleged financial finagling.
Federal jury orders IDOT to pay Muslim worker $1.5M for discrimination, retaliatory firing
A Chicago federal jury has ordered the Illinois Department of Transportation to pay more than $1.5 million for discriminating against a former employee who is Muslim and firing him in retaliation for blowing the whistle on alleged wrongdoings by fellow workers.
Chicago given third try at pressing opioid deception fraud suit vs drugmakers
A Chicago federal judge is giving City Hall a third try to refine its opioid fraud lawsuit vs drugmakers.
Class action tossed vs Cook County Circuit Clerk over fees for filing motions that aren't 'final'
A Cook County judge has shot down a class action suit brought by a suburban medical records company, which alleged the Cook County Circuit Clerk’s Office wrongly charged litigants with fees for filing certain types of motions, ruling the company should have paid the fee under protest and pursued other options, rather than lodge a lawsuit.
Judge: 'Not a close case,' Chicago GOP has right to exclude Dem voters from committeeman ranks
A federal judge has ruled Cook County Republicans have the constitutional right to attempt to weed out potential Democratic party operatives, who local Republicans worry have infiltrated their committeemen ranks.
Judge nixes lawyer's 1st Amend defense vs crash reports privacy suit; will allow Spokeo argument
A Chicago federal judge has refused to dismiss a suit against a Chicago personal injury lawyer, which alleges he violated a federal drivers privacy law by buying traffic crash reports. Nonetheless, the judge said he wants the lawyer to further explain why the plaintiffs may lack standing under the law to pursue the case at all.
Class members get $45 each, lawyers get $3.1 million in deal to end TCPA suit vs Nationstar
A Chicago federal judge has approved a $12.1 million class action settlement against a national mortgage company, which allegedly made improper automated phone calls to collect debts, in which each class member gets $45 and attorneys pocket $3.1 million – even as attorneys had wanted $600,000 more.
Judge OKs class action vs debt collector over fees tacked on to demands for payment to Six Flags
A Chicago federal judge has given the green light for a case to be litigated as a class action suit against a national collection agency, which allegedly violated federal law by charging debtors with improper collection fees.
Chicago boat tour company asks court to rule Cook County can't tax its river, lake tours
A Chicago tour boat company is asking a Cook County circuit judge to rule a Cook County administrative law judge was right to say the county can’t apply an amusement tax on the company’s Chicago River and Lake Michigan boat tours, but to find the administrative law judge did so for the wrong reason – a move which could also spell taxing trouble for the operators of Chicago’s walking tours.
Some market manipulation claims vs Opana maker chopped under IL law, other states' laws
A Chicago federal judge has chopped a few counts from a huge putative class-action suit – based on laws of various states, including Illinois – accusing the maker of the prescription pain killer Opana of improperly keeping the price of its product high by paying off another pharmaceutical company to delay the release of a generic version of the drug.
Appeals panel: ICC has the power to define ComEd's rate structure formula
An Illinois appellate court has upheld a decision by the Illinois Commerce Commission defining the terms that govern how ComEd can tweak its power rates.