Dan Churney News
Uber, Lyft video ads maker, City Hall face off in court over Chicago's ridesharing ad ban
The city of Chicago and a company which wants to provide interactive video advertising for Uber and Lyft vehicles operating in the city have squared off in federal court over Chicago’s ban on such ads, with the company maintaining the ban runs roughshod over the U.S. and Illinois constitutions, and the city asserting the ban is a legitimate restriction of commercial speech.
Ex-church worker: Restore $700K verdict to punish church for painting her as 'deranged' in workplace porn tiff
A woman, fired by the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese allegedly in retaliation for reporting contractor watching porn on church computer, has asked a federal judge to reconsider the decision to slice her $700,000 jury award, saying the church needs to be punished for allegedly wrongly painting her as "deranged."
Too soon to sanction plaintiff attorneys for 'false statements' in Yellow Cab bankruptcy dispute, judge says
A Chicago federal judge has cut several defendants from a suit filed by a federal bankruptcy trustee, which alleged the company that succeeded Yellow Cab drove Yellow Cab into the ground to avoid paying creditors. The judge, however, refused to sanction the trustee’s attorneys for allegedly making false claims, saying it’s too early in proceedings to address that allegation.
Federal appeals court won’t review its decision to toss $3M verdict v. GSK; Plaintiff: ‘Dangerous precedent’
A Chicago federal appellate court has refused to reexamine its decision last month that reversed a $3 million verdict against drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, on grounds the company was not responsible for the labeling of the generic version of its product Paxil, despite plaintiff’s urging a rehearing was needed, because she said the appeals panel set a “dangerous precedent.”
Judge: Plaintiffs' lawyers could face sanction for ignoring key precedent in debt collection case
Saying a plaintiff’s attorneys' actions stood as an “egregious violation” of conduct rules, potentially punishable by sanction, a Chicago federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a collection agency, which alleged the agency tried to mislead a debtor with an allegedly bogus offer to settle their debt by a certain date.
Appeals court: IL doesn’t usurp feds’ power by making coal, gas burners subsidize Illinois nuke plants
A federal appellate court has affirmed a Chicago federal judge’s ruling that switched off suits by a group of electricity producers and Chicago-area power consumers, which sought to invalidate a state law requiring coal and gas burning electricity companies buy credits to prop up two failing Exelon nuclear plants, saying the law doesn’t infringe on federal regulatory prerogatives.
Appeals panel: Parents can sue paint makers for kids' lead screening costs, even though covered by Medicaid
A Chicago appellate court has overturned a lower court’s dismissal of a class action by parents who wanted paint companies to pay for mandatory tests of their children to see if the children had lead in their blood, finding the parents still hold the right to sue the companies, even though Medicaid footed the bill.
Chase to pay $19M to settle black financial advisors' suit alleging denied opportunities; lawyers to claim $5.5M
JP Morgan Chase Bank has agreed to pay more than $19.5 million to settle a class action suit brought in Chicago federal court by several of its employees, who alleged the banking giant assigned its black and African-American financial advisors to less profitable locations and denied them other opportunities to get ahead, because of their race.
Court-appointed federal monitor: Oversight of Cook County hiring practices no longer needed
A court-appointed monitor of Cook County patronage is asking a federal judge to release her from her oversight duties, saying she believes the county’s government has undergone “profound transformation” in its employment practices and has a culture in place to keep politics from unduly influencing who gets county jobs and who doesn’t.
Appeals court rules Cook County Sheriff Dart shouldn’t be blamed for loss of jail inmates’ property
A Chicago federal appeals has refused to upset a jury’s verdict against onetime Cook County Jail inmates, who alleged in a lawsuit the sheriff violated their constitutional rights by not protecting their possessions when they were booked, saying plaintiffs failed to show any crime was committed, much less a breach of their rights.
Appeals court lets pilots’ suit take off again, says fliers’ union may have breached representation duty
A dismissed suit by United Airlines pilot instructors, which alleged their union unfairly divided retroactive pay among different pilot categories, is flying again, courtesy of a Chicago federal appeals panel that ruled a lower court should not have grounded the suit, because the instructors plausibly argued the union gave them the short end of the stick.
Lyons, Bedford Park, Summit file opioid lawsuits; legal actions hit medical societies as defendants
Three more Cook County communities are suing opioid makers and distributors in connection with the opioid epidemic. But unlike dozens of other Chicago-area towns that have already taken similar court action, the three towns are suing separately, rather than together, and have added medical societies as defendants.
Ex-Chicago firefighter-medic: Firefighter retirement rules don't apply to him; Judge: Lawsuit filed too late
A Chicago federal judge has doused an age discrimination lawsuit brought by an ex-Chicago firefighter-paramedic, who alleged the city made him retire against his will at 63, allegedly improperly applying mandatory firefighter retirement rules to him, even though he was a paramedic.
Suburban pain doctor sues other doctor he says illegally used his name to boost opioid 'pill mill'
A suburban Chicago doctor, who in one legal action is facing accusations he improperly sued pharmacies for faxing prescription requests to him, is alleging in a different unconnected lawsuit that a different doctor, who now faces sentencing after pleading guilty to improperly prescribing opioids, capitalized on the coincidence of having the same name as the first doctor to abet an illegal drug dispensing operation.
Judge denies class action status for insurer’s suit against AbbVie, others over testosterone drugs
A Chicago federal judge has barred an Ohio health insurer from pursuing a class action against several pharmaceutical companies, which are already embroiled in massive litigation over their testosterone drugs, saying the thousands of potential claims would be too individualized to be served well by a class action and the insurer’s drug review practices were “unconventional.”
IL high court: Cities can't sidestep lawsuits by simply calling property repairs 'discretionary'
The Illinois Supreme Court has reduced the reach of the legal shield long enjoyed under Illinois state law by cities and other public bodies when faced with personal injury lawsuits, as the high court indicated the rationale advanced by lower court judges in rejecting a woman’s lawsuit over the injuries she sustained tripping on a Danville sidewalk was overbroad.
UIC Greek prof says IL Court of Claims wrongly sidestepped his lawsuit vs school over his firing
A onetime professor of Greek at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is flunking the Illinois Court of Claims for dismissing his lawsuit against the school, in which he alleged school officials fired him as the result of a plot to discredit him and protect the jobs of other professors, saying the court denied him due process by dismissing his case against the school on the grounds he won a verdict against one of the professors in circuit court.
More Cook County towns sue over opioids; Edelson again includes doctors to keep court action local
Another group of Cook County communities have launched a lawsuit, which they want to stay in Cook County rather than federal court, against a number of opioid makers, distributors and doctors, alleging they pushed prescription opioids on the public despite knowing the drugs were dangerously addictive.
Bartender accuses Four Corners of exaggerating tip amounts on official reports, shorting worker wages
A onetime Chicago bartender has served up a putative class-action lawsuit against the Four Corners tavern restaurant group, alleging his former employer shorted employees pay at its 15 bars around the city, paying less than the required minimum wage by overstating on pay stubs and W-2 tax forms how much employees received in tips.
Judge: Illinois condo law not meant to control 'reasonable' fees for electronic condo sale documents
A Chicago federal judge has tossed a putative class action lawsuit by a trio of onetime suburban condominium owners, who alleged they paid excessive fees for state-required documents when they sold their units, saying Illinois condo laws are not meant to control fees.