Jonathan Bilyk News
Lawsuit says Northwestern failed Jewish students by 'coddling' pro-Hamas, 'terror-supporting' encampment
A class action lawsuit accuses Northwestern University of a breach of contract with its Jewish students by allowing a pro-Hamas rife with antisemitic bigotry to continue on the campus' central lawn, allegedly in violation of university policies
Judge: IL Sup Ct decision can shield health care vendors from huge biometrics class actions
A federal judge has tossed a class action under Illinois' biometrics privacy law vs health care tech vendor Becton Dickinson, saying attempts by plaintiffs' lawyers to argue an Illinois Supreme Court decision shields only hospitals and clinical providers "borders on frivolous"
Homeservices of America to pay $250M to settle real estate commission antitrust lawsuits
Attorneys could stand to rake in more than $80 million in fees from the new deal, meaning plaintiffs' lawyers could be in line for more than $300 million in fees from multiple settlements worth more than $940 million so far, with potentially more on the way.
Chicago parking meters owners say City Hall owes millions for not properly enforcing parking rules
Arbitrators ruled the city should pay $2M+ for not enforcing parking rules in neighborhoods in 2020, and the city could owe millions more for strategic maneuvers to bank $10M+ in 2021-2022. Chicago Parking Meters say it's also owed $36M more, as well, for other alleged lax enforcement
White Castle to pay $9.5M to settle contentious worker fingerprint scans case
A long court fight over the case had resulted in a landmark Illinois Supreme Court decision, which placed Illinois businesses at risk of "annihilative" payouts, leading lawmakers to at last move to reform the law to potentially avert further economic harm.
Appeals panel again finds safety net hospitals can sue IL over speed, amounts of Medicaid claims pay
Saying it recognized the huge implications of their decision, a split panel of judges at the Seventh Circuit again ruled Saint Anthony Hospital, considered a 'safety net' hospital, can sue the state to demand it improve the way the state's insurers pay Medicaid claims. A dissenting judge said it was overreach
Dexter Reed's family sues Chicago cops over Reed's death, after Reed fired at Chicago cops in traffic stop
The family says officers are to blame because they shouldn't have stopped Reed at all, and then acted "outrageously" in pulling their weapons on Reed. They do not concede Reed fired first. Police advocates say the plaintiffs look to be seeking a "quick settlement" from Mayor Brandon Johnson's City Hall
Cook County shuts door on class action claims that property tax sale system discriminates vs black, Latino homeowners
A federal judge said class action plaintiffs haven't done enough to support claims that Cook County's property tax sale system - which sells off homes to collect unpaid property taxes - discriminates vs black and Latino homeowners. The decision doesn't end claims the system is unconstitutional
Judicial reform advocate says IL Judges Assn allows judges to band together to squelch public criticism
Attorney and court reform advocate Edward "Coach" Weinhaus sued the Illinois Judges Association in federal court, accusing the organization of serving as a cabal enabling judges to quell critics. He pointed to his experiences in Illinois courts after criticizing the presiding judge over Cook County's divorce courts
Cook County jury orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $45M in talc powder asbestos verdict
Jurors agreed a woman who died of mesothelioma likely contracted her illness from using talc baby powder and other products which allegedly may have contained asbestos fibers. Such studies have been assailed by critics as 'junk science'
Ex-Onward restaurant owner pressing on with court fight vs Loyola over restaurant's demise
Restaurateur Michael Olszewski says Loyola University undermined and "kicked to the curb" the Onward Rogers Park fine dining restaurant into which Olszewski said he sunk more than $1M, at Loyola's request. The university says Olszewski "caused problems" for years and didn't pay rent during the Covid shutdowns
Privacy class action firms jockey for control of 23andMe data breach claims; Edelson calls for new approach
Data privacy class action firm Edelson P.C. is seeking to control 40 class actions, potentially worth huge money, against 23andMe for allegedly allowing genetic info to be stolen in a data breach. In a new filing, Edelson is asking courts to reconsider how they decide which lawyers should lead
Glock seeks to take Chicago's anti-gun lawsuit to federal court
Firearms maker Glock has filed a motion to remove Mayor Brandon Johnson's lawsuit, in partnership with anti-guns rights activists, from Cook County's courts to federal court. The lawsuit claims Glock's semiautomatic pistols are too easily modified into "machine guns"
Judge says Harvey's financial situation makes it impossible to complete road project, rescinds contract
A Cook County judge ruled a road contractor already shorted $2M can't be forced to maintain "temporary" traffic signals in Harvey indefinitely. The judge rescinded the contract and ordered IDOT to take control of the traffic signals, despite falling short of normally required standards
Unopposed Cook County judge candidates appointed by IL Supreme Court to Cook bench early
The new judges include a former Cook County Assistant State's Attorney who famously was blamed for Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's handling of the police killing of Adam Toledo, and later authored a resignation later that blasted Foxx for failures of leadership
Judge nixes class action vs Abbott over baby formula shortage, says not obliged to maintain formula supply, prices
A federal judge in Chicago dismissed a class action vs Abbott Laboratories claiming the company wrongly profited from increased prices for baby formula sparked by a nationwide shortage that followed Abbott's shutdown of a Michigan plant over alleged bacterial contamination
Judge: Title IX plaintiffs can use IL law to retroactively demand 'emotional distress' damages
The Illinois law, known as the Civil Rights Remedies Restoration Act, was enacted this year specifically to restore the ability of certain plaintiffs to use "emotional distress" claims to boost their potential payouts under civil rights lawsuits, in defiance of a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision to limit the ability to do so
IL lawmakers advance law to limit 'annihilative' payouts faced by business under biometrics law
The Illinois State Senate approved SB2979, which would explicitly limit the amount of money trial lawyers and plaintiffs can demand businesses pay under the Biometric Information Privacy Act. The law has spawned thousands of lawsuits generating hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees
Student claims CPS ignored sex assaults by ex-dean at Little Village H.S., part of culture of grooming, abuse at CPS
The lawsuit claims the male dean impregnated the student twice, and forced her to get two abortions despite being underaged. He allegedly claimed to be her parent to sidestep a parental notification law that Illinois lawmakers have since repealed. The suit claims other staff knew, but did nothing
New Trier wrongly refused requests for records to explain decision to cancel Holocaust Remembrance Day: Lawsuit
Education reform group Parents Defending Education has sued New Trier Township High School District claiming administrators violated Freedom of Information law by refusing to provide PDE with staff communications that may discuss the Holocaust or conflict in Gaza.