U.S. Supreme Court
Recent News About U.S. Supreme Court
-
Ameristar Casino, patrons OK to pursue lawsuit accusing union of targeting, harassing customers
A federal judge has cleared an East Chicago casino and a group of its customers to proceed with a lawsuit against a union, saying the union’s actions to escalate its long running labor feud with the casino by personally targeting the customers with a campaign of fliers, phone calls and visits to their homes and businesses, could be considered illegal harassment going beyond mere “handbilling” and other forms of permissible persuasive speech. -
Downstate B&B owner fined for refusing to host same-sex ceremony, vows appeals
A panel of the Illinois Human Rights Commission has fined the owner of a downstate bed-and-breakfast inn that refused to host a same-sex civil union ceremony. And the innkeeper's attorney has pledged to appeal the case as far as they can. -
Maneuver in receipt privacy class action earns AllSaints $58K sanction from federal judge
The U.S. wing of a British high-end retail clothier has failed in a gambit to persuade a federal judge to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging it broke federal law by printing too many credit card digits on its customers’ receipts – and has been stuck with a bill for $58,000 for its opponents’ legal costs, as the federal judge sent the case back to Cook County court for further proceedings. -
Advocate, NorthShore continue to push for merger, despite 7th Circuit decision against them
CHICAGO – Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem have said that despite an appeals court ruling against their proposed merger, they will still seek to merge. But how that can happen in light of the court ruling remains unclear. -
Judge: New jail policy allowed sheriff to avoid order to distribute prisoner rights journal to inmates
A federal judge has sided with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and its policy of keeping inmates at the county jail from reading magazines focused on the legal rights of prisoners. -
Ruling in Wisconsin redistricting lawsuit could provide pathway for reform in Illinois
A legal fight over the way legislative districts are drawn in Wisconsin could have implications for Illinois voters who have called for similar reform. -
Change in chief justices not likely to produce other significant changes at IL Supreme Court, experts say
Justice Lloyd Karmeier’s selection as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court won’t have much effect on the way the court makes decisions, political scientists in the state say. -
Big U.S. sales of Androgel sink Belgian drugmaker Besins' try to toss 'Low T' drug class action suit
A federal judge has denied a Belgian drug maker’s attempt to remove itself from a massive class-action lawsuit that claims testosterone replacement drugs caused harm to patients taking them for off-label conditions. -
Cruise line, others agree to pay up to $76M to end lawsuit over telemarketing cloaked as surveys
A cruise line and other companies accused of allegedly cloaking telemarketing calls as nonprofit surveys have agreed to settle a federal class action lawsuit against them, agreeing to pay potentially as much as $76 million – including potentially as much as $24 million to plaintiffs’attorneys - to end the litigation before it went to trial. -
Judge dismisses 'fair share' fee suit vs state worker unions; SCOTUS deadlock means precedent stands
In the wake of a deadlock at the U.S. Supreme Court, letting stand a federal appeals court’s ruling that public unions can compel workers not represented by unions to pay so-called “fair share” fees in lieu of union dues, a Chicago federal judge has tossed a lawsuit brought by several Illinois state workers, similarly challenging the union’s payroll deductions. -
Upsurge in retaliation claims prompts new EEOC guidelines; employers should take note, lawyer says
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued its final Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues late last month, replacing its 1998 Compliance Manual section on retaliation. And employers should take note of the changes, which tighten regulations governing when employees might bring actions. -
NLRB rules employers must bargain with unions before disciplining workers ahead of first contract
While unions and employers focus on bargaining points like pay and benefits ahead of their first contract, they’re also obligated to put discretionary discipline on the table, according to a recent National Labor Relations Board decision. -
Judge says antitrust class action vs NorthShore's 2000 Highland Park hospital merger not time-barred
NorthShore University Health System will need to continue to defend itself against a class action antitrust lawsuit, after a federal judge ruled a group of patients and health insurers were not years too late in bringing their legal action over NorthShore’s decision to allegedly jack up its rates nearly 16 years ago following its acquisition of Highland Park Hospital. -
Judge nixes lawyer's 1st Amend defense vs crash reports privacy suit; will allow Spokeo argument
A Chicago federal judge has refused to dismiss a suit against a Chicago personal injury lawyer, which alleges he violated a federal drivers privacy law by buying traffic crash reports. Nonetheless, the judge said he wants the lawyer to further explain why the plaintiffs may lack standing under the law to pursue the case at all. -
Judge sinks bid by cruise line to use Spokeo to thwart class action over telemarketing disguised as surveys
A cruise line and other companies being sued for allegedly cloaking telemarketing calls under the guise of nonprofit surveys lost an attempt to use the recent U.S. Supreme Court Spokeo ruling to defeat a class action against them. -
Ruling may expand use of 'hearsay' government reports to support inmate lawsuits, attorney says
A recent appeals court ruling that a Cook County Jail inmate may cite a 2008 Department of Justice investigation could open similar doors for other plaintiffs alleging unconstitutional mistreatment at the jail and at the hands of law enforcement, the inmate's attorney said. -
Some market manipulation claims vs Opana maker chopped under IL law, other states' laws
A Chicago federal judge has chopped a few counts from a huge putative class-action suit – based on laws of various states, including Illinois – accusing the maker of the prescription pain killer Opana of improperly keeping the price of its product high by paying off another pharmaceutical company to delay the release of a generic version of the drug. -
Judge tosses privacy action vs locker concession Smarte Carte, says no harm from storing fingerprints
Smarte Carte, one of America’s largest providers of rentable storage lockers at train stations, airports, amusement parks and other popular locations, has beaten back a privacy class action lawsuit, after a Chicago federal judge ruled the company didn’t violate a controversial Illinois biometric privacy law by storing, without explicit advanced consent, fingerprints used by patrons to open the lockers. -
Judge tosses Slovakian painter's sex discrimination suit vs Morton HS District, laments law can't apply
A male Slovakian painter who formerly worked at Morton East High School has failed in his bid to make the district and his former supervisors pay for failing to stop what a federal judge described as “appalling” harassment from his coworkers. -
Cook County's predatory lending actions vs big banks on hold as Supreme Court takes up similar case
Cook County’s lawsuits against three of the country’s biggest banks over claims of predatory discriminatory lending targeted at minorities have been put on hold as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to weigh in on an appeal brought by two of the banks, challenging the ability of local municipal governments, like Cook County, to sue under federal law.