Jonathan Bilyk News
Pipe maker J-M says big asbestos firm Simmons Hanly shouldn't escape lawsuit fraud claims
J-M Manufacturing is pushing back against efforts by prominent asbestos law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy to end J-M's lawsuit accusing Simmons of a racket of "sham" asbestos lawsuits. The Simmons firm claims such racketeering claims aren't allowed against law firms over such litigation activities
Judge: Speedway will need settlement or trial to end class action over worker fingerprint scans
A federal judge rejected attempts by Speedway to avoid paying out millions of dollars or more to as many as 7,200 workers at its Illinois stores for allegedly wrongly requiring them to scan their fingerprints when punching the clock at work, as part of a class action under Illinois' biometrics privacy law
Lawsuit against Gotion not done yet, plaintiffs say, after judge calls first version 'unanswerable'
A Kankakee County judge said a group of Manteno residents trying to pull the plug on a huge lithium battery plant whose owners have ties to the Chinese Communist Party and which is backed by Gov. Pritzker have more work to do to back their claims officials rammed through an illegal project
Judge: Revlon can't yet use bankruptcy court orders to pare down hair relaxer lawsuits
A Chicago federal judge rejected Revlon's attempt to pull the plug on what Revlon said was an attempt by plaintiffs to use class action litigation to pull an "end-run around" orders from a New York bankruptcy court limiting the number of lawsuits Revlon must face claiming its hair relaxer products caused cancer
$60M deal makes insurer new target in Jason Cloth movie financing Ponzi scheme suit
The settlement ends the claims against financial advisor Schmidt Advisory Services, who allegedly acted as the Chicago area middleman used by Canadian movie financier to allegedly raise $100M+ to finance an alleged Ponzi scheme from investors who were promised big returns from film projects
Lawsuit accuses Cook divorce judge of unconstitutionally blocking adult son from family's online court hearing
The adult son of a River Forest real estate developer is suing Cook County Judge Abbey Romanek for allegedly violating his rights by refusing to allow him to observe online divorce court hearing involving his parents. The proceedings have resulted in his father being ordered to jail three times in eight years over money disputes
Third District Appellate race shines light on Democrat Will County judge's past run-ins with law
Will Co. Judge John Anderson is running against DuPage Co. Judge Kenton Skarin for a seat on Illinois' Third District Appellate Court. Skarin has launched a website listing Anderson's 33 traffic citations, arrests and convictions dating back to the late 1980s, mostly for excessive speeding. Anderson admits to a 'challenging' past, but says it is part of a redemption story.
Cook Courts clerk casts doubts on official numbers touting success of IL criminal justice reforms
Cook County Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez is calling for an independent analysis of court data being used to trumpet the success of Dems' criminal justice reform measures, saying an analysis by her office shows far more people are skipping court dates than are being acknowledged by official numbers
Chicago cop says Foxx wrongly prosecuted him for shooting at man who threatened cops with gun
A Chicago Police officer has become the latest cop to sue the Cook County State's Attorney. This officer accuses Foxx for wrongly charging him for injuries suffered by suspect who was next to another who shot at officers
IL Supreme Court questions if Smollett special prosecution wrongly undermined Foxx, set bad precedent
The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments concerning actor Jussie Smollett's bid to reverse his conviction for staging an infamous fake racially-motivated attack in 2019, that spurred a politically-motivated outcry of sympathy and demands for justice from Kamala Harris and other left-wing politicians and celebrities
Lawsuit: Anti-cop bias, politics at COPA producing 'tainted' investigations into Chicago police conduct
A deputy administrator at Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability says he was fired after shining light on alleged bias and political motives at the office under its current top administrator
IL Baptists plan to appeal ruling that IL abortion coverage mandate doesn't violate religious rights
A Springfield judge agreed with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul that the state's abortion health insurance coverage mandate doesn't violate religious objectors' rights because they can still buy health insurance from other states
Jury awards $50M to man who said was wrongly imprisoned as accomplice to murder
Marcel Brown had been sentenced to 35 years as an accomplice in a 2008 murder, after he drove an accused gunman to a city park to take part in a feud among rival groups. Cook County prosecutors dropped charges 10 years later, saying Brown was denied a lawyer during questioning that led to a confession
Highland Park families' lawsuits say IL State Police could have stopped 2022 parade massacre
Complaints filed in the Illinois Court of Claims assert the Illinois State Police knew man accused in the July 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July Parade massacre was 'clear and present danger' and should have stopped him from buying the gun allegedly used.
Did IL just try again to ban E-Verify? New law could leave employers facing hard choices, big challenges
The new law could leave Illinois employers facing a choice between abiding by competing state and federal immigrant employment laws and requirements, and leave Illinois facing another day in court defending a law which could stand in defiance to federal laws governing immigrant work eligibility
Lawyers slated to get as much as $40M from $100M CDK car dealer class action settlement
Software maker CDK has reached a deal to pay $100 million to settle thousands of car dealerships' antitrust claims accusing CDK of inflating the cost of their Dealer Management Systems. Dealers have until Jan. 2025 to submit a claim for a share of about $60 million that could be left after lawyers are paid
IL appeals court greenlights biometrics class actions vs eyewear sellers over 'virtual try-on' tool
An Illinois state appeals court has said federal judges were wrong to block potential big money class actions against online eyeglass sellers under Illinois' biometrics privacy law, saying an exclusion for 'health care' shouldn't apply to companies using 'virtual try-on' tools to sell non-prescription glasses
Illinois ban on carrying concealed weapons on transit unconstitutional, judge says
A Rockford federal judge particularly called a legal theory advanced by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx that government can ban guns on all public property "breathtaking, jawdropping, and eyepopping" for the harm it could deliver to constitutional rights everywhere
Bears to settle lawsuit accusing them of anti-white male hiring discrimination
A federal judge announced the settlement between the Chicago Bears and a white male DePaul University law student who said the Bears intentionally discriminated against him and other white males in advertising and hiring for a "diversity" legal position with the team
IL law doesn't protect car dealers from competition if car makers want to sell direct to buyers: IL appeals court
A state appeals panel has rejected the attempt by Illinois car dealerships to sue the state for granting licenses to electric car makers Rivian and Lucid to sell their vehicles to consumers without going through third-party franchise dealers