The Cook County Record News
Judge shuts off Cicero's bid to flush BNSF claims $1M yearly sewer bill hike broke federal law protecting railroads
BNSF said the town of Cicero's efforts in 2021 to force the railroad to pay $1 million more in sewer bills amounted to an illegal effort to force BNSF to help the town close a budget hole, and violated federal laws prohibiting local taxes on interstate railroads
IL legislation would OK 'predatory lending practices' in third-party lawsuit funding, boost costs for all, biz groups warn
SB1099, the so-called Consumer Legal Funding Act, would produce even more lawsuits, that take longer to settle, while allowing lawsuit investors to charge 18% interest rates, assessed every 6 months, to people borrowing money to fund lawsuits, business groups say
Appeals panel: State Farm has no obligation to cover restaurant's losses from Pritzker's COVID closure orders
While the restaurant only closed because the governor ordered them to do so, it was the COVID-19 virus that actually caused the losses, so the steep losses the businesses suffered aren't physical losses covered by insurance policies, state appeals judges ruled
Issues in Higher Education | Legal Considerations and Best Practices for Diversity Hiring Initiatives in Higher Education on March 22, 2022
Issues in Higher Education | Legal Considerations and Best Practices for Diversity Hiring Initiatives in Higher Education on March 22, 2022.
Judge rules Continental Casualty may have told 'half-truth' by saying premiums could only be raised nationwide
A judge has ruled plaintiffs can keep up their lawsuit accusing Chicago-based Continental Casualty of breaching policies by upping premiums state by state rather than across the nation
Lawsuit lenders say biz opposition to regulation law 'disingenuous' effort to block lawsuit lending in IL
A trade association representing lawsuit lenders in Illinois says business groups' push for greater transparency and disclosure rules for lawsuit lending would unfairly harm plaintiffs
Bite-Sized Legal Food Webinar Series on March 22, 2022
Bite-Sized Legal Food Webinar Series on March 22, 2022.
BNSF can't use federal rail law to end truckers' biometrics class action over fingerprint scans to enter rail yards
A federal judge says federal laws don't necessarily preempt the notice and consent rules for fingerprint scans under Illinois' biometrics privacy law, even if the scans are designed to comply with federal transportation security rules
Appeals court OKs $97.5M for lawyers who got $650M from Facebook in photo tags class action
A California federal appeals court says the big fee award to the lawyers for their work leading the class action under Illinois' biometrics law wasn't excessive
Judge again nixes bid by Smollett lawyer to escape Nigerian bros' slander suit over 'whiteface' claim
A federal judge says the Osundairo brothers can keep suing lawyer Tina Glandian for asserting in a TV interview that the brothers had worn "whiteface" when they allegedly helped Jussie Smollett stage the alleged hate crime attack against the actor
The Hispanic National Bar Association Selects Gray Mateo-Harris Among Top Lawyers Under 40 Honorees
The Hispanic National Bar Association Selects Gray Mateo-Harris Among Top Lawyers Under 40 Honorees.
DeVore lawsuit targets Chicago vax-or-test mandate for workers, says mandate is illegal
Attorney Tom DeVore has filed suit on behalf of dozens of Chicago city workers, arguing Mayor Lori Lightfoot's vaccine-or-test mandate wasn't issued legally, and violates city workers' due process rights
Jacksonville Jaguars claim insurer owes millions for COVID losses team suffered in 2020-21
The NFL franchise sued Chicago-based Axis Surplus Insurance Company in Cook County court, asserting the insurer wrongly denied the team's claim for loss coverage under a $6 million business interruption policy
U.S. District Court Orders Suburban Chicago Company To Stop Distribution of Adulterated and Misbranded Nutritional Supplements
U.S. District Court Orders Suburban Chicago Company To Stop Distribution of Adulterated and Misbranded Nutritional Supplements.
Judge says Illinois voter registration list is public, state broke law by refusing access to conservative group
A judge has ruled Illinois must turn over the state's list of registered voters to a politically conservative watchdog group, saying the list needs to be public to make sure the electoral process is on the up and up.
Tripoli Earns Declaratory Judgment in Cook County Bench Trial
Tripoli Earns Declaratory Judgment in Cook County Bench Trial.
Foxx's Smollett 'kangaroo prosecution' statements 'unusual,' may trigger hard look from ethics regulators
But legal ethics specialist says regulators would have a hard time making ethics charges about Foxx's 'carefully worded' statements stick in this case, due to free speech considerations.
Fifth Third, Vantiv agree to pay $50M to settle class action over recorded telemarketing calls
Lawyers say sum is by far the largest ever reached under California Invasion of Privacy Act. Myron M. Cherry & Associates to get $16M from the deal
International Women’s Day: ‘Break the Bias,’ World Ip Review
International Women’s Day: ‘Break the Bias,’ World Ip Review.
Judge powers down Apple's legal challenge to Chicago's 9% streaming tax, for now
A Cook County judge says the tech giant's complaint isn't legally specific enough at this point to be allowed to continue. He gave the company the chance to try again, if it wishes.