Jonathan Bilyk News
Lawsuits: City Hall, Bally's illegally blocking white males from investing in new Chicago casino
The lawsuits, filed by the American Alliance for Equal Rights and the Liberty Justice Center, say Chicago City Hall illegally forced Bally's to agree to racial and sex-based ownership and hiring quotas at the planned new Chicago casino, which resulted in white males being denied the opportunity to invest in the project
Not 'free and equal:' IL GOP asks court to toss out gerrymandered state House map
Republicans have asked the Illinois Supreme Court to uphold the legislative district mapmaking principles spelled out in its own prior rulings and knock out a map so gerrymandered that Republicans say Democrats can win a supermajority even if they lose the statewide popular vote, trampling voting rights
Pro-immigrant activists demand court shut down Trump immigration raids in Chicago
The activist groups claim the immigration raids violate their First Amendment rights because Chicago was targeted to punish cities and other jurisdictions who have flouted federal immigration laws by enacting so-called "Sanctuary" policies and vowing to protect illegal immigrants
IL Sup Court upholds changes to workers' comp law; Asbestos, other toxic exposure suits from decades past not barred
The court ruled changes enacted by Illinois Democrats at the urging of trial lawyers don't deprive companies of their constitutional due process rights by now allowing them to be sued over exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances from decades past, when they had previously been explicitly shielded
Judge OKs antitrust class actions vs big turkey producers over prices
The class actions will include retailers, restaurants and other commercial and institutional customers who purchased turkeys from large U.S. turkey producers from 2010-2016. The lawsuits, similar to those filed against chicken and beef producers, assert the turkey producers conspired to constrict supply and boost prices
IL high court to decide if state can force people to challenge laws only in Chicago, Springfield courts
Justices heard arguments over the constitutionality of HB3062, which forces all Illinoisans to only file constitutional challenges to state laws in courts in Cook County and Sangamon County. Democrats passed the law in 2023 after a blitz of lawsuits challenged a litany of controversial state laws and executive orders
Lawsuit: IL law requiring nonprofits to disclose leaders' race, gender promotes discrimination
The American Association for Equal Rights has filed another suit against the state, now seeking to strike down a Pritzker-backed law forcing nonprofits to disclose their leaders' race, gender and other 'demographic classifications.'
Mistrial ends, for now, first trial vs Isomedix over Lake County EtO emissions
Problems with a juror apparently cut short jury deliberations in the first trial over claims that emissions from medical device sterilization plants in Lake County caused cancers. About 275 similar lawsuits are pending in Cook County court vs Steris Isomedix, the sole remaining unsettled defendant in those lawsuits
Allstate accused of secretly tracking 45M customers' driving, selling info to other insurers
A class action lawsuit has accused insurance giant Allstate of allegedly secretly tracking customers' movements using their smartphones and then allegedly using that information to allow Allstate and other insurers to justify raising some customers' car insurance rates.
IL biometrics claims multiplied again in '24, helping to fuel big class action payouts nationwide
A new report from defense law firm Duane Morris said class action settlements again totaled more than $40B in 2024, with attorneys raking in many of those billions for themselves in fees. In Illinois, much of the action was driven by hundreds of new claims under the Illinois biometrics privacy law, despite reforms
Cook Sheriff's Office investigator says was demoted for uncovering Covid fraud, ghost payrolling, other misconduct
A female investigator in the Cook County Sheriff's Office has sued Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and the Sheriff's Office for allegedly retaliating against her for persisting in an investigation, aided by the FBI, allegedly revealing Covid relief funds fraud, ghost payrolling, nepotism and other alleged misconduct within the Sheriff's Office
Cook County gun, ammo tax unconstitutional still, judge says
The Illinois Supreme Court struck the law down in 2021, saying Cook County's taxes and fees don't hold up under the state constitution. Cook County had argued changes it made in the way it distributes the funds should address those concerns. A Cook County judge said the changes don't undo the earlier ruling
Judge tosses suit vs Cook judge accused of illegally blocking adult son from watching parents' divorce hearing
A federal judge appeared to agree a young man had no right to sue Cook County divorce court Judge Abbey Fishman Romanek, even though she is accused of violating the man's constitutional rights by refusing to allow him to listen in via Zoom to a hearing in his parents' contentious divorce case
Cushman & Wakefield, LivCor, other landlords added to feds', states' rent collusion lawsuit
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul signed onto the legal action first brought by the Justice Department vs real estate property management software vendor RealPage last summer. It now accuses six large corporate landlords of allegedly using RealPage software to set apartment rents artificially high
SCOTUS weighing challenge to IL two-week-long mail-in vote counting system
The U.S. Supreme Court has directed the state of Illinois to respond to a petition for appeal filed by Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Bost, who has argued lower courts wrongly denied him the ability to sue the state for requiring mail-in ballots to be counted up to two weeks after Election Day, which he says violates federal law
Cook, St. Clair County judges can't undo reforms that may limit judges' pension benefits
A Cook County judge ruled two of her Illinois state court judicial colleagues - a retired St. Clair County judge and current Cook County judge - aren't entitled to collect higher 'Tier 1' pension benefits just because they worked for other state or local governments before becoming judges under 'Tier 2' pension reforms
Drury, Proft reach deal to end 10-year-long defamation suit over campaign ads
Political commentator Dan Proft called the confidential settlement a "victory" against a defamation lawsuit launched a decade ago by former Democratic State Rep. Scott Drury to punish political critics and enabled by a permissive court system and rulings that have "gutted" key legal protections for political speech
Appeals court: Cook divorce judges can't hold ex-husbands 'hostage' to force families to pay divorce bills
An Illinois appeals panel has become the first to push back against a continued practice by Cook County divorce court judges who have jailed ex-husbands to force them to pay 'obligations,' even if they may not have the money. The justices said Judge Scannicchio, who oversees the county's divorce courts, improperly jailed a man without first determining he could pay $248K
Jury orders plastic surgeon to pay $66M to family of woman who bled to death after procedure
The verdict was entered against Dr. Abou Sayeg, who practices plastic surgery in Chicago and Detroit, according to his online bio. Plaintiffs' lawyers estimated the verdict is the largest of its kind in Illinois history.
Tadros may get trial in defamation case vs Crain's over 2016 article
A Cook County judge on Dec. 10 denied a motion by Crain's Communications to end the lawsuit brought by businessman Philip Tadros, which accused Crain's Chicago Business of defaming him in a 2016 article. The judge said a jury may need to decide if accusing Tadros of a "pattern of mismanagement" was defamatory