U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Recent News About U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
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Appeals panel: Taxpayers' rights not violated by county assessments raising property taxes in only one township
A federal appeals panel has shelved an attempt by a group of downstate landowners to sue their county for setting property tax bills after only reassessing the properties in their township, effectively raising their tax bills by 25 percent, allegedly violating their constitutional rights to equal protection. -
Attorney: Court's denial of Lincolnshire right-to-work ordinance could forebode SCOTUS fight
A recent decision by a federal appeals court in Chicago likely forebodes a legal fight before the U.S. Supreme Court over the fate of so-called local right-to-work zones in Illinois and throughout the country. -
Chicago Joe's Tea Room group asks court to strike down IL law barring Broadview strip club
A group of investors have renewed their long-running legal fight win the chance to open a strip club in suburban Broadview, now asking a federal judge for permission to directly challenge the constitutionality of an 11-year-old state law the would-be club operators contend effectively bans all adult entertainment establishments from opening anywhere in the town. -
Appeals judges: Lincolnshire, other towns can't create right-to-work zones, despite home rule powers
Saying to find otherwise would create “catastrophic” consequences for labor law in Illinois and across the country, a federal appeals panel has backed a federal judge’s decision to toss an attempt by a northwest suburban village to use its home rule powers to create a local right-to-work zone within its borders. -
Judge: Lawyers must justify fee requests for investor suits withdrawn vs Akorn over proxy disclosures
A federal judge says a group of lawyers must demonstrate why they should be allowed to collect more than $300,000 in attorney fees for their work representing clients who withdrew a potential class action against generic drug manufacturer Akorn Inc. over its attempted sale to German pharmaceutical company Fresenius. -
Judge: Federal court not right place for homeowner's tax assessment discrimination claims vs Cook assessor
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former Chicago Heights homeowner, who claimed he and other homeowners in poor and minority neighborhoods in Cook County were forced to pay more than they should in property taxes because, he said, Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios inflated the taxable value of homes in those neighborhoods. -
Appeals court: Office Depot commission policies don't negate obligation to pay workers within month
Businesses who employ commissioned sales representatives may need to reevaluate their policies for paying commissions, after appeals judges said company policies don't trump Illinois law requiring employers to promptly pay commissioned sales reps. -
Federal appeals court won’t review its decision to toss $3M verdict v. GSK; Plaintiff: ‘Dangerous precedent’
A Chicago federal appellate court has refused to reexamine its decision last month that reversed a $3 million verdict against drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, on grounds the company was not responsible for the labeling of the generic version of its product Paxil, despite plaintiff’s urging a rehearing was needed, because she said the appeals panel set a “dangerous precedent.” -
Judge: Plaintiffs' lawyers could face sanction for ignoring key precedent in debt collection case
Saying a plaintiff’s attorneys' actions stood as an “egregious violation” of conduct rules, potentially punishable by sanction, a Chicago federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a collection agency, which alleged the agency tried to mislead a debtor with an allegedly bogus offer to settle their debt by a certain date. -
Appeals panel: IL law OK letting committees controlled by legislative leaders give unlimited campaign cash
Brushing aside assertions the law allows party leaders to consolidate power statewide, a federal appeals panel has upheld an Illinois campaign finance law which restricts what individual donors can give to political campaigns, while allowing unlimited contributions from legislative caucus committees controlled by partisan leaders within the state's House and Senate. -
Appeals court: IL doesn’t usurp feds’ power by making coal, gas burners subsidize Illinois nuke plants
A federal appellate court has affirmed a Chicago federal judge’s ruling that switched off suits by a group of electricity producers and Chicago-area power consumers, which sought to invalidate a state law requiring coal and gas burning electricity companies buy credits to prop up two failing Exelon nuclear plants, saying the law doesn’t infringe on federal regulatory prerogatives. -
LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN LLP: State Farm Settles Rigged-Judge Auto Parts RICO Fraud Trial for $250 Million
Hale, et al. v. State Farm, No. 3:12-cv-00660 (S.D. Illinois) began over 20 years ago with a class action suit by State Farm insureds alleging State Farm wrongly replaced their post-accident vehicle parts with non-OEM in violation of the terms of their insurance policies. -
Anti-union IL state worker asks judge to let him defend state vs union attempt to 'discriminate' vs non-union workers
Saying Illinois’ attorney general’s defense is “inadequate” and is “bordering on malpractice,” an Illinois state employee who factored in the court action that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down rules requiring non-union workers to pay fees to unions has again jumped into a federal court action, this time asking a judge to allow his legal team to defend the state against a union’s attempt to secure a court order striking down labor laws requiring them to represent all workers in a collective bargaining unit. -
Judge slashes ‘grossly excessive’ attorney’s fees in class action settlement
A federal judge gave a blistering condemnation of Chicago class action attorney Joseph Siprut’s request for fees in a settlement in which he had requested more than $2 million for obtaining class members settlements around $95 each. -
Judges nix consumer antitrust vs steelmakers; Production chain too complex to undergird sprawling class action
While noting the plaintiffs had presented statements which could indicate price-fixing activity, a federal appeals panel has refused to melt down a lower court’s decision to slice up a potentially massive class action lawsuit accusing U.S. steelmakers of conspiring to jack up prices for raw steel. -
Appeals panel: Retirement home liable under federal housing law for residents' harassment of lesbian resident
A federal appeals panel has ruled an independent and assisted living facility can be held liable for a harassment suffered by a lesbian resident at the hands of other residents, because of her sexuality. -
Appeals court rules Cook County Sheriff Dart shouldn’t be blamed for loss of jail inmates’ property
A Chicago federal appeals has refused to upset a jury’s verdict against onetime Cook County Jail inmates, who alleged in a lawsuit the sheriff violated their constitutional rights by not protecting their possessions when they were booked, saying plaintiffs failed to show any crime was committed, much less a breach of their rights. -
Appeals panel: Property preservation companies OK to leave door hangers steering owners in default to collectors
In what may be a defining decision for property preservation companies, a federal appeals panel has affirmed that property preservation companies are not acting as debt collectors when they leave a door hanger on a property they have serviced directing property owners who have defaulted on loans to contact a debt servicer or collector. -
Appeals panel: Caterpillar didn't discriminate vs older workers by nixing benefits plan to boost early retirement
A federal appeals panel in Chicago has ruled Caterpillar can’t be sued for age discrimination simply because it changed a benefits plan that led to widespread worker retirement. -
Appeals court tosses $3M verdict vs GSK, says FDA, not drugmaker, controlled Paxil warning label
A federal appeals panel has tossed out a $3 million verdict vs GSK for the widow of a Chicago lawyer who committed suicide after taking the generic equivalent of GSK's drug, Paxil. The judges said the company can't be held responsible for language on the warning label when that language was controlled by the FDA.