DM Herra News
Appeals court backs American Airlines in disability case, says not forced under ADA to let worker work from home
A federal appeals panel has come down on the side of American Airlines in a suit filed by a former employee who alleged the airline violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it ended the accommodations that made it possible for her to do her job at home.
United Continental pilots' class action suit vs their union should survive, judge says
A federal judge has grounded an airline pilots’ union’s efforts to dodge a class-action lawsuit by arguing the claims brought by the suit expired while the case was on appeal, and the class action over pay owed to pilot instructors will continue.
Federal judge rejects lawsuit attempting to 'level playing field' of Illinois elections funding
A federal judge sided with Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Illinois State Board of Elections in a lawsuit that sought to lift a state law that prohibits independent expenditure committees from contributing funds directly to political candidates, to "level the playing field" in an elections system the plaintiffs asserted is tilted.
Judge OKs $3.75M deal to settle class action accusing Blue Cross parent over mental health claims
A class-action suit alleging Health Care Service Corporation, the parent company of health insurance behemoth Blue Cross Blue Shield, improperly refused to pay for mental health services, has ended in a $3.75 million settlement. Attorneys will receive $1.13 million.
Abbott Labs can't move out-of-state plaintiffs' Depakote effects lawsuits out of Cook County: Appeals panel
Abbott Labs can't move out-of-state plaintiffs' Depakote effects lawsuits out of Cook County: Appeals panel
Federal judge rules UGG is a brand name, not a generic boot style
Deckers Outdoor Corp., owner of the popular UGG brand, succeeded in a legal quest to prevent an Australian company from calling the sheepskin boots it sells in the U.S. “ugg boots,” as the judge said that term cannot be considered generic for those kinds of boots.
Third strike: Judge tosses racketeering suit vs Seyfarth Shaw, Northern Trust over tax shelters
Prominent Chicago law firm Seyfarth Shaw, financial services company Northern Trust, and others have sidestepped a racketeering claim brought by a financial services provider who claimed he was misled into investing in an illegal tax shelter that eventually cost him more than $10 million in back taxes, fees, interest and penalties.
Judge slashes ‘grossly excessive’ attorney’s fees in class action settlement
A federal judge gave a blistering condemnation of Chicago class action attorney Joseph Siprut’s request for fees in a settlement in which he had requested more than $2 million for obtaining class members settlements around $95 each.
‘It’s not really cut-and-dried’: Few legal avenues to force private nonprofits to change the way they govern
Throughout Illinois, disputes among members of nonprofit organizations can leave members feeling frustrated and wondering where to turn. But in reality, experts in non-profit law say, there are few outside legal remedies available to them. The best bets? Evoke change from the inside, or bring in a parent organization to restore order.
Grecian Delight says insurer refuses to pay more than $12M in claims from Elk Grove plant explosion
Elk Grove-based Greek food maker Grecian Delight has filed suit against its insurance company, claiming an insurer is crippling the company by refusing to pay out millions in claims after an explosion crippled the company’s food processing facility.
Divided IL Supreme Court: Unconstitutional convictions can't be used to end parental rights
A deeply divided Illinois Supreme Court upheld an appellate court decision in favor of a convicted felon fighting the state’s use of his criminal history to terminate his parental rights. In a strongly worded dissension, three of the seven justices warned of judicial overreach and the unintended consequences of new precedent.
Appeals panel upholds $500K verdict for butcher vs South Side grocer for sexual, racial harassment
A federal appeals panel has upheld a lower court’s order requiring a Chicago grocery store to pay more than $500,000 to an African American former butcher who claimed he suffered severe racial and sexual harassment at the hands of his Hispanic coworkers.
Appeals panel: Attorneys didn't do enough to merit fees topping amount paid to plaintiffs in junk fax suit
A federal appeals court rejected a request for attorney’s fees that exceeded the amount paid to claimants in a quickly settled lawsuit over faxed ads, as judges faulted the attempt by plaintiffs’ lawyers to lay claim to one-third of a potential settlement amount, rather than basing their fee request on the actual deal.
Black pipefitters can take to trial claims union allowed contractors to discriminate when hiring
A federal judge granted a partial victory to a group of African American union pipefitters claiming their union failed to protect them from racial discrimination, allowing them to proceed to trial on some of the claims in a lawsuit, which asserts the union allowed contractors to circumvent hiring rules to avoid hiring black workers.
Lawsuit: Expedia partner scheduled nonrefundable hotel reservations on wrong dates
A Wisconsin man is suing travel website Expedia and its partner Eventblocks, claiming nonrefundable hotel reservations made through the sites cause users’ reservations to land on incorrect dates, causing them to miss the events, such as the Taste of Chicago, which had prompted them to book in the first place.
Court: IL tax collectors can’t ‘jump the queue’ of creditors to collect unpaid taxes from bankrupt debtors
Illinois state tax collectors cannot jump ahead of other creditors when collecting unpaid taxes from bankrupt estates, a federal appeals panel has ruled, rejecting the Illinois Department of Revenue’s attempt to collect delinquent taxes from two bankrupt businesses whose debts far outweighed their assets.
LifeTime Fitness settles ex-trainers' wages, whistleblower class action for $700K; lawyers to get $245K
LifeTime Fitness has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a class action brought by a group of former trainers who sued the fitness chain over back wages and claims the company violated whistleblower laws.
Appeals panel divides over number of 'sole' causes, denies paralyzed jockey's try for new trial vs Arlington
A divided state appellate court sided with the jury in a lawsuit against Arlington Park Racecourse by a jockey paralyzed in an accident, reversing a Cook County judge’s decision to grant a new trial because the jury had been improperly instructed to consider whether two different things could be considered the “sole” cause of an injury, simultaneously.
Ex-bookeeper can't press retaliation claims vs Hellenic Museum because never told cops about financial practices
The former vice president of finance and operations for the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago has lost, for now, his attempt to sue the museum for allegedly wrongfully terminating him, after he claims he brought to light financial improprieties at the museum and a museum staff member claimed he stalked her.
IL Supreme Court: Clerks can't slap on extra fines, but defendants can't appeal, must sue instead
The justices of the Illinois Supreme Court agreed court clerks lack the legal authority to tack on supposedly mandatory fines to judgments entered against defendants, when no judge ever ordered the defendants to pay the fines. However, the court divided sharply over what recourse defendants can use to stop clerks from collecting the fines, nonetheless.