Dan Churney News
McDonald's fights antitrust labor suit, says its restaurants do not compete with each other for workers
A former McDonald’s worker and the fast-food giant are battling over the worker’s putative class action suit, which alleges McDonald’s restrains trade by barring employees from transferring from one franchise to another in pursuit of better wages and conditions.
Ex-Loop office tenant's conspiracy claim vs Chicago property manager JLL doesn't 'make sense' to judge
Building management company Jones Lang LaSalle couldn't conspire to coerce itself into boycotting non-union contractors, the judge ruled.
Judge tosses racial bias suit vs CPS, says lower black enrollment caused teacher layoffs, not racism
A federal judge has dismissed a teachers union class action against the Chicago Public Schools board, which alleged discrimination against blacks was behind teacher layoffs, finding color blind bureaucracy, not racism, determined who received pink slips.
Appeals court: Cook County judge OK to send man to 'debtors prison' for not paying wife's legal bills in divorce case
An Illinois appeals court has ruled a Cook County judge was right to jail a Chicago real estate developer for not paying interim legal fees for his wife in their divorce case, rejecting the man's contention the jailing amounted to sending him to "debtor's prison" for not having the funds a judge presumes he does.
Split IL high court says local governments must make decisions if hiding behind special IL lawsuit immunity
Making no decision, leading to someone getting hurt, can get a local government sued, the Illinois Supreme Court says
Judge sinks cruise line's 'frivolous' defense in telemarketing class action, says evidence shows 'pattern' of 'illegal conduct'
A Chicago federal judge has ruled a cruise ship line is liable in a class action, which alleged the cruise line let telemarketers make unsolicited calls on its behalf, describing as "frivolous" the cruise line's defense argument that late physicist Stephen Hawking's computer-assisted voice could have violated anti-telemarketing law.
Facebook: SCOTUS should delete biometrics class action, says plaintiffs weren't harmed by photo tagging system
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.