Jonathan Bilyk News
'White guy' protestor disrupts SAFE-T Act press conference called by DeVore, Black south suburban leaders, activists
The press conference was intended to draw attention to alleged racial discrimination risks faced by Black and brown Illinois residents under the SAFE-T Act. DeVore called on Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul to condemn the 'violence' that disrupted the press conference
Report: IL, Cook County courts driving 'nuclear verdicts' trend, leveling big costs on consumers, business, economy
A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform said Illinois ranks sixth nationwide for jury verdicts totaling at least $10M
Pritzker threatens to sue TV stations that air political ad his lawyers say 'defames' the governor
The ad features Beverly Miles, a Black female Army major and "lifelong Democrat," who claims Gov. JB Pritzker attempted to "get her fired" from her job as a Veterans Administration nurse, allegedly in retaliation for her decision to run against him in the Democratic gubernatorial primary
Cook County courts mask mandate to remain in place, potentially through winter
A memo from Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans indicates the county will continue to be the only county circuit court system in the region to require masks for everyone entering the county's courthouses
Cook County Judge Carl Boyd suspended from hearing cases after charged with domestic battery
Cook County Circuit Judge Carl Boyd was charged with domestic battery in an incident Chicago Police say left a woman with a cut on her cheek from broken glass. Boyd has served on the Cook County bench since 2012
Judge OKs final deal ending Osco pharmacists' biometrics class action; Attorneys get $551K
The settlement ends a 4-year-long court fight over claims Osco pharmacists were improperly required to scan their fingerprints to prove their identity when accessing the pharmacy's computer system
McHenry County State's Attorney lawsuit: SAFE-T Act's end of cash bail violates crime victims' rights under IL constitution
The lawsuit is the latest in a growing list of constitutional challenges launched in court against Gov. JB Pritzker and the SAFE-T Act, which critics allege would make it too difficult to hold violent criminals in jail while they await trial
Jury verdict: Sterigenics, related cos. owe $363M to woman in first Willowbrook EtO cancer trial
Medical device sterilization company Sterigenics says it plans to appeal the verdict. Plaintiffs said they hope the verdict sets a "precedent" for hundreds of other cases still pending vs Sterigenics
Will Co. State's Attorney sues Pritzker, other top IL Dems, says SAFE-T Act violates state constitution
Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow says it takes Democratic lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker can't simply abolish cash bail without amending the state constitution. He further says Democrats trampled constitutional procedures in passing massive bill in the dead of night
SAFE-T Act boosts uncertainty around trespassing enforcement, could raise lawsuit risk for cops, property owners
Police will generally still be able to forcibly remove trespassers from homes and businesses, under Illinois' sweeping criminal justice reform law, but unclear language makes it more likely the law will be enforced inconsistently
Class actions: NFL, Warner Bros, Buzzfeed illegally tracked subscribers' online viewing habits
The lawsuits, which accuse the companies of violating federal video privacy law, seek to include potentially millions of subscribers to NFL.com, the Huffington Post and CNN.com
Employee can't sue United for furloughing workers while taking $5B in federal Covid payroll aid
Judge says Treasury Department alone is responsible for enforcing CARES Act agreements, and "third parties," like workers, are not allowed to attempt to enforce the law through lawsuits
Judge to mull lifting hold on ex-ISP's director's suit vs Pritzker-connected ex-employee over sex assault claims
As criminal probes drag on vs ex-ISP employee Jenny Thornley, a federal judge is considering whether to let her former boss resume his lawsuit accusing her of smearing his name with false sexual assault claims, to thwart criminal probes against her
CPS to pay $9.25M to settle CTU lawsuits over alleged racial discrimination in school 'turnaround' program
Chicago Public Schools said the turnaround program resulted in better schools for all students. Chicago Teachers Union said it resulted in discriminatory layoffs of Black teachers
Anne Burke to retire from IL Supreme Court, to be replaced by appellate Justice Joy Cunningham
Burke, who is married to indicted powerful Democrat Chicago Alderman Ed Burke, has served on the state Supreme Court since 2006 and will retire Dec. 1. Cunningham, a Black female judge now serving on the Illinois First District Appellate Court in Chicago, was appointed to fill the vacancy until 2024.
'Not out of the woods': New CDC guidelines recognize natural Covid immunity, but vax mandates remain hard to defeat
Vaccine mandate opponents say they intend to use new CDC guidelines to continue efforts to persuade judges to force officials to prove public health mandates that infringe rights actually produce the stated desired results
Appeals court rejects new hearing over whether hospitals can sue IL state govt over slow, reduced Medicaid payments
Judges on the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals said the state's concerns over liability risks and potential significant new regulatory burdens are "exaggerated"
Amazon Web Services wrongly scanned faces of people applying for jobs through Wonolo, class action says
The class action lawsuit says AWS' alleged activities allegedly violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act and allowed AWS to profit by boosting performance of its image recognition program
Urban Prep Academies founder says CPS railroaded him out of his CEO post under sham Title IX investigation
Timothy King resigned in August 2021 after the Chicago Public Schools investigation allegedly upheld claims King had engaged in sexual misconduct with a student. King denies the claims and says CPS denied him his rights to defend himself
Lawsuits: Facebook, Instagram intentionally designed to be addictive to teens, cause health, societal problems
More than a dozen lawsuits were filed in Chicago and Rockford federal courts, accusing Meta Platforms, parent company of the popular social media apps, of creating "attractive nuisances" that lead to alleged health problems