News from December 2015
Wife blames Grandbar nightclub for husband’s death
CHICAGO – A Cook County woman is suing a Chicago nightclub, alleging her husband, a father of four minor children, fell to his death as a result of unsafe conditions on the premises.
Nursing home resident blames Manorcare facility for wounds
CHICAGO – A Cook County woman is suing a South Holland nursing home, alleging she suffered injuries due to negligence.
Son alleges DuPage Hospital's negligent care caused father’s death
CHICAGO – A Cook County man is suing a DuPage County hospital, alleging the failure of nurses and staff to follow surgeon’s orders caused his father’s death.
Businessman alleges partner profited from unauthorized property sale
CHICAGO – An Illinois man is suing his business partner, alleging the defendant made an unauthorized sale of corporate land and pocketed the proceeds for himself.
Homebuyer accuses Melrose Park property seller of hiding flood damage
CHICAGO – A Cook County woman is suing a Melrose Park homeowner, alleging he sold her property in a flood plain, but failed to disclose the home had suffered extensive prior flood damage.
Caterpillar ordered to pay U.K. engineering firm $73 million for stealing trade secrets
A federal jury has ordered one of Illinois’ largest employers, Caterpillar, to pay a small United Kingdom-based company more than $73 million in damages, after the jury found Caterpillar had stolen trade secrets from the supplier business. On Dec. 18, the jury returned a verdict in favor of parts supplier Miller U.K.
Jury awards $2.4 million to African-American butcher who alleged 5 years of sexual, racial harassment at South Side grocer
An African-American man who said he was subjected to repeated and regular racial epithets and sexual harassment, including groping of his genitals, by Latino coworkers at a grocery store on Chicago’s far South Side won a federal jury verdict against his former employers for more than $2.4 million. On Dec. 15, jurors in Chicago federal court handed down the verdict, ordering defendant Rosebud Farmstand to pay plaintiff Robert Smith damages.
Miss Illinois beauty pageant organizers' legal tussle with Miss America group headed to arbitration
A legal spat between the Miss America Organization and a suburban Chicago-based outfit which had for years run the Miss Illinois pageant will head to arbitration, after a Cook County judge determined the dispute, despite the protestations of the Illinois group, should be controlled by the terms of a licensing agreement governing the relationship between the pageant organizers.
Daughter’s wrongful death suit blames Manor Care for neglect
CHICAGO -- A Cook County woman is suing a Homewood nursing facility, alleging neglect and wrongful death in a case involving her mother.
Whether buyer knows it or not, landmark designation not insurable home title encumbrance, court says
The First District Illinois Appellate Court in Chicago slammed the door on a South Side homeowner’s claim, which blamed prior owners for not disclosing that the 99-year-old house’s title is burdened by landmark designation and demanded her title insurer compensate her for the oversight. The appellate court’s decision was rendered Dec. 14.
Investor demands stake he thinks he's owed should selfies replace signatures in credit card transactions
A startup company seems to believe its new technology can revolutionize the credit card transaction business, by allowing users to substitute a selfie for a signature when authorizing a purchase. And a Chicago businessman who invested in the venture believes he is being wrongly denied his cut of what he expects to be a windfall once the tech lands in the hands of the world’s largest processors of electronic payments.
Daughters battle in court over mother’s estate
CHICAGO – A Cook County woman is suing her sister in a dispute surrounding their mother’s estate.
Husband blames Presence St. Andrew Life Center for wife’s fatal injuries
CHICAGO – A Cook County man is suing his late wife’s caregivers, alleging their negligence led to her death.
Water well driller hits Chicago Public Building Commission, contractors with RICO suit over treatment of subs
A Michigan-based water driller has brought a $2.4 million federal racketeering suit against the City of Chicago’s Public Building Commission and contractors the CPBC used to build a new police station in Chicago’s University Village neighborhood, claiming the CPBC and contractors routinely conspire to hold down the city’s costs on public building projects, while maximizing profits for the lead contractors, by withholding payments due subcontractors, driving many out of business.
Mother alleges Advocate Christ Medical Center misdiagnosed son's condition
CHICAGO – A Cook County woman is suing doctors and a medical center, alleging they misdiagnosed her son’s condition, leading to his death.
Chicago offers amnesty program for certain back-due taxes through Dec. 31
The City of Chicago has offered a Tax Debt Amnesty Program allowing city taxpayers a chance to avoid interest and penalties on certain unpaid taxes if the outstanding debt is brought up to date by Dec. 31.
State Supreme Court says CPS doesn't need to arbitrate over 'Do Not Hire' decisions for probationary teachers
Saying to rule otherwise would illegally limit the ability of the Chicago Public Schools and other school districts to choose to hire or not hire teachers, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled 6-1 to reject the Chicago Teachers’ Union’s attempt to force the Chicago Board of Education to arbitrate grievances over how CPS designates probationary teachers it ultimately opts not to hire.
Madison County lands on "Judicial Hellholes" list; Cook off list for 2nd consecutive year
For the second consecutive year, Cook County was not listed on the American Tort Reform Association’s annual registry of the country’s worst “Judicial Hellholes.” However, downstate Madison County, thanks in large part to what the group calls an asbestos “rocket docket,” was again subjected to a torching this year, as ATRA released its annual report.
Elderly patient alleges Hanover Park nursing home caused her broken leg
CHICAGO – A Cook County woman is suing a Hanover Park nursing home, alleging negligence caused her to break her leg.
Patient accuses Geneva Pain Specialists of malpractice
CHICAGO – A Cook County man is suing a health care practice, alleging doctors treating his chronic pain made a mistake that left him permanently injured.