News from April 2017
200+ retired Chicago firefighters accuse pension board of shorting them owed COLA boosts
A group of more than 200, 60-62-year-old retired Chicago firefighters have filed suit against their retirement pension board, accusing the board of wrongly interpreting a state law intended to give them retroactive benefits increases, shorting them the automatic 3 percent annuity raises they say they are owed every year under the law.
Lawsuit: Bose headphone app secretly collects customer listening habits, data then sold by Bose
An Illinois man is pursuing a class action complaint worth at least $5 million against Bose Corp., accusing the maker of high-end wireless headphones, speakers and other audio equipment of selling customer data secretly collected by an app paired with the headphones and other consumer gear.
Federal judge says clock ran out on part of a franchisee's racial discrimination suit vs Checkers
A federal judge has put half of a restaurateur’s racial discrimination claim against Checkers Drive-In on the back burner, saying the statute of limitations had run out on his lawsuit.
Man alleges hospital left wound-packing material in hip, causing abscess
A patient is suing NorthShore University HealthSystem Skokie Hospital, citing alleged insufficient measures were taken to prevent injuries and negligence for failing to remove materials from his wound.
Son, suing on behalf of deceased mother, claims fall at Elmwood Care led to death
A man is suing Elmwood Care, a nursing facility, on behalf of his deceased mother, citing alleged negligence for failing to prevent a fall.
Complaint says resident at nursing facility suffered from pressure sores throughout stay
The administrator of an estate is suing Southpoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC, which does business as Southpoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and Infinity Healthcare Management of Illinois LLC, citing alleged insufficient measures were taken to prevent injuries and negligence.
Patron at massage parlor says cameras recorded her undressed
A woman is suing a Lincolnwood massage parlor alleging the business had cameras installed where they could record patrons in states of undress.
Jury: Trucking companies not to blame for drinking water contamination in Sauk Village
A federal jury has ruled two trucking companies are not liable for drinking water contamination in suburban Sauk Village, granting a win to their firms in their court battle with the village, which had contended the trucking companies spilled cancer-causing chemicals into the groundwater the village pumps from its wells into the homes and businesses connected to its water system.
Judge: Newly listed endangered bumblebee could stop Kane County Fox River bridge project
A Chicago federal judge has thrown the brakes on a plan to construct a new bridge over the Fox River in northwest suburban Kane County, saying the plan could harm a kind of bumblebee placed last month on the Endangered Species List.
Judge tosses man's suit vs Equifax for dinging his credit over misreported late child support payments
A Chicago federal judge has dismissed an Illinois man's lawsuit against Equifax alleging the credit reporting giant misreported his child support payments as delinquent because Texas state officials had been wrongly deducting too much from certain paychecks.
State can deny FOIA'd documents under new law even though law changed after request filed: Panel
Illinois state regulators can use a state law shielding certain public records from disclosure to prevent a business owner from obtaining public records related to a regulatory complaint filed against his business, even though the state law was enacted after the business owner had tried, failed and then sued to force the regulators to give him the documents.
Faulty service to airplane led to man's death in 2015 Bloomington plane crash, suit says
The wife of a Eureka man who died in a 2015 plane crash near Bloomington is suing various companies who worked on or provided parts for the aircraft in the years leading up to the crash.
Spouse of deceased man claims doctors failed to diagnose brain condition that led to death
A surviving spouse is suing a trio of doctors and their employers for allegedly failing to recognize issues with a CT scan that they claim eventually led to the man's death.
Wife of man who died at nursing facility say doctors failed to review abnormal test results
A woman is suing Aperion Care international, Satwant Kindra M.D., Ermin A. Arriola M.D., and Mohamad Atassi M.D., citing alleged insufficient measures were taken to prevent injuries and negligence after her husband died at the defendants' rehab facility.
Suit says Glenview-based SoyNut Butter Company sold food contaminated with E. coli
A California couple is suing The SoyNut Butter Company and three unnamed individuals with the company, citing alleged negligence and product liability for selling products linked to a recent E. coli outbreak.
Former Camping World employee says company didn't pay enough OT
A former employee has filed a class action lawsuit against Camping World Inc., citing alleged unpaid wages and violation of Workers' Compensation acts.
IL appeals panel: Man can challenge constitutionality of state's retroactive estate tax bill
A state appeals panel has overturned a DuPage County circuit judge’s dismissal of a challenge to Illinois’ retroactive estate tax, saying an executor is entitled to pursue his case against the tax in circuit court, not the Illinois Court of Claims as the state asserted.
Sons of man awarded millions in medmal settlement sue lawyers, say wrongly let wife control the money
The sons of a man who collected millions of dollars in a medical malpractice suit are suing his former lawyers for legal malpractice in Cook County court, saying they wrongly allowed the man’s wife to control the money collected in the judgment.
Lawsuit alleges Chicago State professor misused student pharmacist association funds
A Chicago State University professor is, for a second time, a defendant in court in Chicago in a legal action involving the Student National Pharmaceutical Association, this time facing accusations she misused association funds.
Judge: 'Ride time' to worksites should be counted in OT calculations, even if workers not working
A Chicago federal judge has determined employers can be forced under the law to pay workers overtime for certain “ride time” spent traveling to a worksite, agreeing with a group of workers for a party tent and equipment rental company who argued their employer could have been required to pay them overtime under federal and Illinois wage laws.