U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Recent News About U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
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Judge: Car dealer software companies can't delete antitrust claims over monopolization of car dealer data
Two companies specializing in software used by car dealerships must face an antitrust lawsuit alleging they improperly cornered the market for key industry data, and allegedly used their market share to close off competitors and jack up prices charged to vendors seeking the information they held. -
CNA says Oakfabco bankruptcy plan would let asbestos lawyers rig the vote; Oakfabco: CNA just protecting its interests
Saying the plan would open opportunities for “gamesmanship” by trial lawyers, insurer CNA has asked a bankruptcy judge to shoot down a plan by the successor company to a defunct boiler maker to wind down its existence by essentially giving lawyers representing plaintiffs in nearly 34,000 asbestos claims the chance to vote themselves a payday. -
Protect Our Parks group sues to block 'con game' allowing Obama museum in Chicago's Jackson Park
A group of opponents of the development of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park have sued the city of Chicago and the Chicago Park District to stop what they call a “short con shell game” that, if allowed to proceed, will “destroy the pristine open environment” and “open the door to progressively more intrusive destruction” of the historic park on Chicago’s South Side. -
Judge: Non-competes can be too broad; Lawyer: Employers should take note
A Chicago federal judge has struck down a non-compete clause because it was too broad to enforce, and an employment attorney in Chicago says the decision should catch the eye of companies and employees alike. -
Class action: CNA Financial improperly raised long-term care insurance policy rates
CNA Financial Corp. is facing a federal class action complaint accusing it of improperly raising rates on long-term policyholders. -
Facebook: Cook County data mining lawsuit designed to benefit only county government, its hired lawyers
Saying only the county and its hired trial lawyers would stand to benefit from any settlement or judgment, Facebook has pushed back against the Cook County State’s Attorney’s attempt to send back to more friendly legal turf the pending legal fight over how much blame Facebook should shoulder for data mining conducted by another firm, ostensibly to benefit the 2016 election campaign of President Donald Trump. -
Judge: Chicago ordinance may not allow sidestep of order to return impounded cars to bankrupt debtors
A federal judge said the city of Chicago may not have the absolute right under federal law to withhold impounded vehicles from people who have filed for bankruptcy protection, but it at least deserves the chance to argue its case to do so. -
Judge slams door on class action vs Zillow; 'Zestimate' may be 'gimmick,' but not deception, fraud
Saying plaintiffs had effectively pleaded themselves out of court, a Chicago federal judge has slammed the door on an attempted class action lawsuit accusing operators of real estate website Zillow of breaking state consumer fraud and deceptive practices laws by using their “Zestimates” – an online home value estimation tool – as a “marketing gimmick” to drive business to Zillow’s preferred real estate agents and undercut home sellers’ ability to sell their home for what they believe it should be worth. -
Class action suit says drug companies caused opioid crisis, heightened insurance costs
A Chicago class-action lawyer has filed a 97-page lawsuit in Chicago federal court against 13 drug companies and distributors, on behalf of a woman who alleges the companies promoted opioid use, knowing such painkillers were dangerously addictive, jacking up people's health insurance costs. -
DeVry University hit with another suit alleging it distorts graduate job placement stats to attract students
A DeVry University graduate has filed a putative class action in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the nationwide electronics and business school has exaggerated the employment rates of graduates, so as to lure new students. The complaint is similar to a lawsuit from a different plaintiff and legal team now pending in federal court on the same claims. -
Feds OK to use article about company's bankrutpcy to rescind Obamacare Navigator grant
A federal judge in Chicago recently granted summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a case brought by a company that claimed it had been wrongly stripped of its designation to act as a "Navigator" to help people purchase health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. -
Judge tanks ex-MWRD cops' lawsuit over termination because they broadcast private convo on IL State Police frequency
A federal judge has squelched a lawsuit brought by two former Metropolitan Water Reclamation District police officers, who said their rights were violated with the MWRD fired them after the Illinois State Police informed their employer a private conversation between the two officers was broadcast over the state police's secure radio frequency. -
Judge: One unsolicited phone call on cell phone enough to allow class action lawsuit vs Allstate
A federal judge has denied a request to dismiss a class-action suit against Allstate for allegedly placing unsolicited sales calls to customers’ cell phones, even though the lead plaintiff received only one such phone call. -
Chicago female paramedics sue over alleged pervasive sex harassment in Chicago Fire Department
A group of female paramedics have filed a lawsuit alleging pervasive sexual harassment in the Chicago Fire Department -
Sheriff seeks to throw out officers' Cook County court suit over Merit Board's makeup, says Board is now legit
Even as he seeks to dismiss a similar case in Chicago's federal court, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is also aiming to pop a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court in which seven sheriff's officers have asked for their disciplinary cases to be tossed because the sheriff's disciplinary board was improperly seated. The sheriff contends the board is now properly constituted and at any rate, the previously improper panel never disciplined the officers, much less even heard the officer's cases, he has asserted. -
Judge delivers two plaintiffs to arbitration, despite TQL's slowness in finding, revealing arbitration clauses
Two plaintiffs who joined a class action suit against an Ohio-based shipping services provider over accusations of not paying overtime to employees are no longer part of the case and their claims could be heading into arbitration, despite the company's tardiness in presenting the court with the employment agreements containing the arbitration requirements. -
Judge shuts down tax accounting firm's fraud class action over 2012 tax filing software
A judge has deleted a tax accounting firm's attempt to reopen a class action lawsuit in Chicago federal court against a tax software provider for claims of fraud, saying the accountant can't demonstrate any of the alleged fraud actually took place in Illinois. -
Verdict much lower, but AbbVie wants $3.2M award tossed in second testosterone class action test trial
North Chicago-based drugmaker AbbVie is resisting what it is calling a jury's “confused and inconsistent” $3.2 million verdict, after the company lost a second trial in Chicago federal court – one in which it was ordered to pay $147 million less than the first trial – over a man’s claims AbbVie allegedly failed to warn its product AndroGel could bring on a heart attack. -
Cook Sheriff: Backpage, attorneys owe Cook County for 'hoax' suit over sheriff's credit card squeeze
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart wants a federal judge to penalize Backpage.com for its conduct in ongoing litigation between the online classifieds site and the sheriff’s office, particularly in light of a recent plea deal from a top executive related to sex trafficking through the site. -
Sheriff: Pull plug on class action from 'dishonest, incompetent' suspended officers, or place public at risk
While the board that reviews and fires Cook County sheriff’s officers accused of misconduct was illegally constituted, Cook County’s sheriff has asked a federal judge to shy away from letting about 230 suspended sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers continue with a lawsuit over the issue, warning granting the reinstatement “with back pay” sought by the fired officers would place the public at risk.