U.S. Federal Court
Recent News About U.S. Federal Court
-
Courts unlikely to dismiss whistleblower cases filed on behalf of feds, just because DOJ asks, attorney says
The U.S. Justice Department has signaled a greater willingness in recent months to seek to short-circuit lawsuits filed by private plaintiffs seeking to collect money from companies, supposedly on behalf of the federal government. -
Judge: Dispute over whether Pritzker broke law in shutting down Sterigenics belongs in state, not federal, court
Medical device sterilizer Sterigenics will not find any relief from federal courts, after a federal judge ruled its dispute over Gov. JB Pritzker’s order closing Sterigenics’ Willowbrook facility belongs in state court. -
Group of seven Jewel store managers can jointly press age discrimination lawsuits, judge says
A federal judge will allow current and former Jewel Food store managers to pursue their age discrimination suit against the supermarket chain as a group, rather than individually, saying the plaintiffs' claims are similar enough to proceed together. -
Court says Hispanic ex-manager can continue discrimination suit vs Studio Move Grill over dating policies
A federal judge says a Hispanic former movie theater manager can continue his discrimination lawsuit against theater chain Studio Movie Grill, accusing the chain of not equally enforcing its policies forbidding managers from dating staff. -
Judge: Cook officials must tell when learned they could sue Bank of America; could undermine discrimination suit
A Chicago federal magistrate judge has ordered Cook County officials who are suing Bank of America for allegedly discriminatory lending to tell the bank when they learned of a similar suit by the State of Illinois, which the bank believes will show some of the county's claims are barred by the statute of limitations. -
Appeals court: Ex-Baker & McKenzie paralegal must pay firm's bill for discrimination suit defense
A Chicago federal appellate court has upheld a $35,000 sanction ordered by a lower court against a former paralegal at a Chicago law firm, who sued the firm for alleged discrimination, then withdrew the suit and then repeatedly refused to satisfy the firm's discovery requests for copies of records and emails. -
Appeals panel decides Chicago surgical center wanted malpractice trial, can't sue insurer for $1.3M
A Chicago federal appeals court says a Chicago surgical center is just as responsible as its insurer for the decision to take a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settle, meaning it can't now sue the insurer over the decision, which cost the surgical center $1.3 million. -
Federal court grants default judgment against 'prophet' who's made millions from millions of robocalls
A federal judge has entered a default judgment against a self-identified "prophet" who is accused of profiting mightily from his use of robocalls, in violation of federal telecommunications laws. -
Seventh Circuit tosses suit over inflatable beach mat, chides plaintiffs for 'luring' defendants into IL court
A Chicago federal appeals panel has deflated a lawsuit by the designers of an inflatable beach mat, who alleged two companies rooked them out of royalties, finding the case does not belong in an Illinois federal court, because the out-of-state companies do not have any substantial presence in Illinois. -
Ranchers lawsuit: Meat packers squeezed cattle prices, even as consumers paid record retail beef prices
A group of cattle ranchers have filed suit in Chicago federal court, accusing four of the largest meat processors in the U.S. of squeezing ranchers by manipulating the market to drive down the price they paid for beef cattle, even as consumer beef prices remained near their peak. -
Judge: Evanston's 'actions speak louder than words'; Lack of action dooms pollution suit vs Nicor, ComEd
A Chicago federal judge has refused to allow the city of Evanston to continue with a three-year-old lawsuit demanding Nicor and ComEd be forced to pay to clean up water pollution and replace sections of city water main because the city asserted the utilities' predecessors operated a long-shuttered gas manufacturing plant near the north suburb. -
Worker time clock maker Kronos: 'Mega' class action attempt 'epitome of gamesmanship, disregard for fair process'
A company that provides the high-tech employee timekeeping devices used by many companies targeted in class action lawsuits under an Illinois privacy law has asked a Chicago federal judge to end a sprawling class action filed against it under the same law. -
Appeals panel: IL can deny concealed-carry permits to citizens of states with less stringent monitoring
In a 2-1 decision, a Chicago federal appeals court has upheld a lower court's ruling that said Illinois is within its rights to bar residents of most other states from seeking concealed gun permits in Illinois, on grounds those states do not make their gun-carrying citizens provide criminal and mental health information to databases Illinois can access and monitor. -
Judge allows Facebook to ask appeals panel if hundreds of workers belong in OT pay class action
A Chicago federal judge has granted Facebook's request to allow a federal appeals panel to weigh in on whether the judge had properly allowed a group of 450 Facebook employees to move forward with a class action accusing the company of shorting them overtime pay, as Facebook asserts a large number of those worker pay disputes are barred by arbitration agreements. -
Judge says advocacy group for disabled can sue Chicago for non-ADA subsidized housing
A Chicago federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit by an advocacy agency for the disabled, which alleged for decades the city of Chicago has not ensured its subsidized housing is accessible to those with disabilities, saying the agency has put forth believable arguments the city's alleged shortcomings caused it to spend extra resources to help the disabled find suitable housing. -
Archdiocese: 7th Circuit should decide if fired gay ex-church music director can sue for hostile work environment
The Chicago Archdiocese is asking a federal judge for permission to take straight to a federal appeals court the question of whether a Calumet City church music director, who has accused the local Catholic Church of firing him for being gay, can sidestep the legal latitude afforded churches under the Constitution by repackaging his lawsuit to instead argue the church subjected him to a hostile work environment. -
Judge: Lawsuit to continue vs D211 over gender 'affirmation policy;' alleges violates students' Title IX, religious rights
A group of parents and high school students in Chicago’s northwest suburbs have won the chance to continue with their lawsuit against one of the state’s largest public high school districts, asserting the district violated students’ rights by imposing a policy to allow transgender students to use the locker room and restrooms of their choice, and allegedly shaming anyone who disagreed. -
Waste hauler can pursue retaliation complaint against Village of Riverdale, its mayor
A federal judge will allow a commercial waste hauler to continue its lawsuit accusing the village of Riverdale and its mayor of political retaliation. -
Irish bank can't be sued in U.S. court over loans made in Chicago Spire negotiations
A federal judge on March 14 ruled an Irish national bank cannot be sued by a development company for allegedly sabotaging the Chicago Spire skyscraper project by selling off the company's loans. -
Appeals court: Clergy housing allowance tax exemption rules are constitutional
A federal appeals panel has reversed a lower court ruling that said tax-free housing allowances for clergy breached the separation between church and state, finding the long history of such exemptions in the United States allows churches, not government, to properly "advance religion."