Stories by Sara McCleary on Cook County Record

A Chicago federal judge has delivered a split decision in a lawsuit brought against Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology by a 63-year-old former administrator at the school, who claimed he was wrongly fired because of his age, because he was Hispanic, and because the school discovered he was organizing meetings with other Latino faculty and staff to discuss Latino issues at the school.

A decision by a federal appeals court to uphold a settlement awarding attorneys more in fees than was paid to class members in total should serve as an "eye-opener" for the public and businesses concerning the nature of class action litigation in U.S. courts, said a local attorney who defends employers against such suits.

A Chicago federal judge has ruled that telemarketing calls filtered through a human-initiated and controlled dialing system does not amount to an illegal robocall under federal law, keeping in line with decisions in other states.

A federal judge has affirmed a bankruptcy court judge was correct in finding a 63-year-old lawyer is still required to repay $500,000 in student loan debt, and not allowing him to shift the burden "at the expense of American taxpayers."

A Chicago federal judge has denied Citibank’s motion to compel arbitration in a lawsuit against it by two former employees.

A panel of Illinois appellate judges has reversed a circuit court’s ruling, finding an insurance company was within its rights to rescind an insurance policy when it learned of misrepresentations in the policyholder's application, even though it had already allowed the insured to open an accident claim under the policy.

A state appeals panel has upheld a decision from a lower court ordering Edward Hospital, in Naperville, to produce documents related to the death of an infant.

A federal judge has determined glove maker Wells Lamont should be allowed to continue to pursue its lawsuit against a former employee and the direct competitor that hired him, for allegedly stealing Wells Lamont's trade secrets.

A state appeals court in Springfield has said the state of Illinois was correct to deny a property tax exemption to a church for a day care center owned, staffed and operated by the church and its member, finding the day care center was more "businesslike than religious" in nature.

An appeals court's decision to reverse the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging The Home Depot and one of its flower suppliers should be held responsible the off-site murder of young woman by her male supervisor, could affect future employer liability cases.

A jury in suburban DuPage County has awarded the highest verdict Illinois has yet seen as a result of a dog bite incident. After a nine-day trial, jurors awarded plaintiff Kristen Hayes a record $940,000 award for injuries she sustained being bitten by a dog on April 23, 1997, at the age of 8. The case had been brought against Carriage Animal Clinic, whose employee had been walking the dog at the time of the bite.

A federal judge’s decision awarding at least $15 million to lawyers who secured a $56 million settlement in a class action against a cruise line and others who allegedly masked telemarketing calls as non-profit political surveys, marks one of the largest such payouts to attorneys under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners recently approved a new ordinance that will set out new regulations for recipients of tax incentives through the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development.

A judge has dissolved a stay on the effective date of Chicago’s controversial home sharing ordinance, allowing the city to begin enforcing the law.