Dan Churney News
Lawyers get $5.3M in settlement of investor class action against drugmaker AbbVie over scrapped Shire deal
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Appeals court green lights IL car buyer's Cook County fraud suit vs N. Carolina online auto seller
An Illinois appeals court has ruled that a North Carolina online auto auctioneer's advertising, emails, phone calls and its online auctions mean the company has done enough business in Illinois to be sued in Illinois state court for allegedly misleading an Illinois customer about the SUV he purchased online, even though the online seller's terms and conditions said disputes should be settled in North Carolina courts.
IL Supreme Court: Company chose wrong legal vehicle to challenge state underinsured motorist insurance rules
The Illinois Supreme Court has detoured a company's challenge to a state law requiring certain passenger transport companies to carry certain amounts of underinsured motorist coverage, as the high court justices said the company, which is being sued in a personal injury case citing that law, chose the wrong legal vehicle to make its arguments.
Shareholder suit accusing Walgreens of misleading investors in 2014 survives dismissal motion
A federal judge is allowing a lawsuit to continue vs Walgreens over stock losses that followed its 2014 merger with Boots.
Edelson: Disqualify wife's divorce lawyers, because might aid Johnson & Bell disparagement case vs Edelson
In divorce, Chicago class action lawyer Jay Edelson wants his wife’s attorneys kicked off the case, because he alleges they could feed sensitive information to Johnson & Bell, which is suing Edelson for allegedly disparaging their practice.
Should unions refund collected fees that were later declared unconstitutional? Appeals court to decide
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled it is unconstitutional to require non-union state workers in Illinois to pay "fair share" fees to a union, but a Chicago federal appeals panel is considering whether a union must refund millions of dollars in fees already collected.
Judge: Legal rules protect defense contractor accused of outing gay Gitmo defense lawyer to al-Qaeda detainee
A Chicago federal judge found a U.S. Defense contractor didn't violate any rules when she allegedly outed a Gitmo lawyer as gay to his al-Qaeda affiliated client.
Appeals panel hears arguments over whether Illinois campaign finance law creates 'unlevel playing field'
Illinois' campaign finance law may create an unlevel political spending playing field, giving one kind of political organization a built-in advantage. But a federal appeals panel appeared to harbor doubts over whether that makes the law unconstitutional.
Judge gives nod to $28M deal to settle investor suit vs DeVry Education Group over grad job rate claims; Lawyers to get $7M
DeVry University has agreed to pay $28 million to settle a class action suit, in which investors alleged DeVry’s falsification of graduate success rates caused the school’s publicly traded stock to drop, leading investors to take a bath.
Illinois state lawyers: Janus decision didn't change unions' obligation to represent all workers in bargaining units
Unions aren't the same as state employees, so the holdings of the Supreme Court's Janus decision don't apply to them, Illinois state attorneys argue, asking judge to swat down a union's contention it no longer has an obligation under the Constitution to represent non-union workers.
Appeals court says IL Auditor Mautino subject to fines for alleged campaign finance violations
An Illinois appeals court ruled the Illinois Board of Elections should consider fining Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino for alleged campaign finance irregularities, committed while Mautino was a state representative.
Kraft Foods: Feds breached $16M deal by ‘touting’ victory in wheat price manipulation action
Kraft Foods alleges federal trade regulators quickly spoiled a settlement agreement in which Kraft agreed to pay $16 million to end a suit alleging it had manipulated wheat prices, by braying to the public about their purported triumph over Kraft in the case.
Appeals court: State of IL can sue community colleges accused of boosting student success numbers to boost state money
An Illinois appeals panel has ruled the Illinois state government can sue another Illinois state entity under the Illinois False Claims Act, in a suit alleging a downstate community college district gave the state the shaft by inflating credit hours of mining students to extract extra grant money from Springfield.
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Realtor group asks judge to slam door on class action antitrust lawsuit over MLS, agent compensation rules
The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors is asking a federal judge to toss a class action suit by a group of home sellers, which alleges real estate agents across the country breached antitrust law by scheming to lock in high commission rates, because brokers are free to negotiate compensation.
Taxpayer suit says state constitution drafters would be 'horrified' to see long-term debt issued to fund Illinois’ structural budget deficits
Plaintiffs suing to bar Illinois' government from treating borrowing like tax revenue are asking a state judge for the chance to make the case that two state bond issues are illegal and prohibited by the Illinois State Constitution.