Dan Churney News
Sterigenics: $363 million verdict in cancer suit over EtO emissions based wrongly on 'passion' and 'class prejudices'
A company that sterilized medical equipment in suburban Willowbrook is asking a Cook County judge to toss a verdict that could cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars for allegedly causing a woman's cancer.
Judge: Amazon may be sued, but not Microsoft, over face scans, because Amazon may have profited, while Microsoft did not
A judge has ruled Amazon may be sued, but not Microsoft, for allegedly breaching biometric protection law, saying plaintiffs make plausible allegation Amazon profited from facial scans, but fail with Microsoft.
Federal judge nixes bid to put medmal lawsuit 'on ice,' over concerns IL's prejudgment interest law is unconstitutional
A Cook County judge has declared Illinois' so-called "prejudgment interest" law unconstitutional. But a federal judge says, until the Illinois Supreme Court weights in, he won't block plaintiffs from using the law in a medical malpractice case to "nudge" Swedish Hospital and other defendants to settle
Appeals court: Law firm may be sued for allegedly discussing client's mental health history when trumpeting $4M medmal verdict
An appeals panel has reinstated a lawsuit, which claimed a man's Chicago attorneys improperly publicized his mental history after winning a $4 million malpractice verdict.
Appeals court says Melrose Park was right to fire officer for abusing sick leave and hunting with felon ex-chief who is barred from using guns
An appeals panel has ruled a Melrose Park police officer was properly fired for "inexcusable" and "dishonest" conduct in consorting with a gun-toting felon, who used to be the village police chief.
Judge says Loyola's procedures aren't rigged against male students in sexual misconduct cases
A judge has ruled Loyola University Chicago did not discriminate against a student for being male, when the school expelled him for alleged sexual misconduct with a female student.
Judge says it's 'premature' to dump suit alleging CPS got Northwestern employee fired for criticizing Chicago public schools
A federal judge has decided it is too early for the Chicago Board of Education to try to toss a lawsuit by a former Northwestern University student teacher placement officer, who claims she was fired for criticizing the city's public schools.
IL High Court says CTA not liable for death of trespasser in subway tunnel because trains 'obvious danger'
The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled the CTA doesn't owe money to family of man killed by subway train, because he was trespassing and should have known trains posed danger.
Appeals court says ex-partners of Chicago's McNabola Law Group didn't lure clients and staff to new firm
An appeals panel has ruled attorneys Cogan and Power, the former partners of McNabola Law Group in Chicago, didn't improperly steal away McNabola clients and employees when they started their own firm
IL Supreme Court to consider time limits, to limit potential payouts for biometrics privacy class actions
The Illinois Supreme Court will hear arguments Sept. 22 that could put a brake on the onslaught of biometric privacy class actions by ruling whether a five-year or a one-year statute of limitations applies
Appeals panel shuts down class action vs NorthShore for placing lien on accident victim's insurance settlement funds
An appeals court has confirmed NorthShore University HealthSystem did not have to bill Medicare for an accident victim's medical tab, before putting a lien on a third-party's insurance company.
Appeals court rules employee shareholders can't blame Boeing for plunge in stock values from 737 MAX craft crashes
An appeals panel has ruled employee stockholders have no grounds to sue Boeing for tumbling stock values caused by two plane crashes, ruling an outside investment firm handled stocks on behalf of employees, not the aircraft company.
Appeals court says small awards in consumer law suits should not always mean small fees to lawyers
An appeals court has ruled a federal judge was wrong to cut lawyers' fees from $65,000 to $6,800 when they only secured their client $500, even after they rejected an offer from a debt collector to pay the plaintiff $4,600, plus full attorney fees
Judge puts lid on suit vs Costco claiming chocolate-dipped ice cream treats weren't really chocolate
A judge has melted a lawsuit, which claimed retailer Costco scammed consumers by selling chocolate coated ice cream bars that had little chocolate, saying plaintiff's own case showed there is indeed plenty of chocolate in the bars.
Judge: IL Institute of Technology must prove it's a 'financial institution' to escape exam face scans suit
A Chicago judge has said it is too early to throw out a class action against Illinois Institute of Technology, which alleges the school breached Illinois' biometric privacy law through facial scanning to verify student identities before they take remote online tests
Metal recycler says it can show Chicago City Hall gave in to undue political pressure to deny permit
A company is claiming Chicago City Hall won't let it build a metal recycling plant on the Southeast Side, because of improper political pressure from community activists
Bank of America wants Cook County to pay bank's legal bill for fighting 'far-fetched' home loan discrimination suit
Bank of America has asked a judge to order Cook County to pick up the bank's tab for fighting the county's "far-fetched" discrimination lawsuit, which alleged the lender made discriminatory loans to minorities.
Widow, 3 daughters get $16M from Rockford trucking outfit for crash that killed man; attorneys collect $8M
The family of a man killed in a traffic crash will receive $16 million, spread out over the next half century, from an Illinois trucking company, with the family's attorneys collecting $8 million.
IL High Court says state pension code doesn't let government cut disability benefits to terminated employees
The highest court in Illinois has ruled Cook County was wrong to refuse to continue disability benefits to a terminated employee with a nervous system disease, saying termination does not trigger a halt to such benefits.
Court says developer was 'despicable' to Loop skyscraper owners, but they didn't suffer enough damages to sue
An appeals panel has ruled that despite a developer's "despicable conduct," the owners of a Loop building failed to show they suffered damages necessary to press a claim against the developer, for falsely alleging in a suit the owners lied about their structure's square footage.