News from March 2017
IL Supreme Court gives hospitals win over property tax exemptions, but still not declared 'constitutional'
Hospital operators in Illinois have won a battle in the fight over a state law blocking local governments from making them pay property taxes, as the Illinois Supreme Court determined an appellate court had erred on procedural grounds in using the case to strike down the state law as unconstitutional.
However, the high court did not go so far as to declare the 2012 law to be constitutional, setting the stage for more legal tussles to come on the question.
Judge: Target not liable for 12-year-old hurt riding skateboard in store; child should know better
A federal judge in Chicago has determined Target and a toy company will not be held liable for an 11-year-old who injured herself while riding a skateboard inside a Vernon Hills store.
Judge rejects Google's argument in privacy lawsuit over photo scans; impact could reach far
A Chicago federal judge recently rejected Google’s argument that an Illinois law on obtaining a person's biometric data does not apply to scanned photographs, and the decision could have far-reaching ramifications if other courts adopt the judge's interpretation of the law.
Advocate South Suburban Hospital allegedly failed to diagnose patient with MRSA infection
A deceased patient's family is suing Advocate South Suburban Hospital and Advocate Medical Group, and others, for allegedly failing to diagnosis an antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacterial infection after the patient allegedly told the medical staff she had been exposed to the bacteria.
Midway Neurological and Rehabilitation Center allegedly failed to prevent fall, femur fracture
A representative of the estate of a disabled patient is suing Midway Neurological and Rehabilitation Center LLC for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent the patient from falling and fracturing her femur.
Forest City Rehabilitation and Nursing Center allegedly failed to prevent patient from falling
The administrator of the estate of a deceased patient is suing Forest City Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, iCare Financial Services Inc., iCare Consulting Services LLC and two nurses for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent the patient from falling and fracturing her left hip.
Glenshire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center allegedly failed to take measures to prevent MRSA death
The family of a deceased patient is suing Glenshire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and related entitites for allegedly failing to prevent the patient from contracting an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection through his feeding tube.
Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center allegedly failed to monitor intravenous device
The administrator for the estate of a deceased patient is suing Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent an intravenous device from damaging and disfiguring her right arm and hand.
Advocate Illinois Masonic, others sued for patient's death from alleged improperly inserted catheter
The administrator for the estate of a deceased patient is suing Union Health Service Inc., Advocate Medical Group, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Cameron Haery, a doctor, for allegedly inserting a catheter improperly into the patient, causing hemorrhaging which allegedly led to the patient's death.
Panel: Parents suing athletic trainers for son's football brain trauma must present medical testimony
A state appeals panel has said parents suing athletic trainers for allegedly failing to properly treat their son for concussion and other brain injuries during a high school football game must present medical expert testimony to demonstrate the trainers essentially committed malpractice, and not just negligence, to continue to press their case.
Class action: Ex-IL Lottery managers owe jackpot for manipulating games to reduce big prize payouts
Two players of the Illinois Lottery’s scratch-off games have asked a court to award a jackpot from the former operators of the state lottery system, alleging Northstar Lottery Group owes them and others who played the state’s instant games for flooding the market with tickets to greatly reduce the odds players could win grand prizes, contrary to advertised odds, allowing the Lottery to pocket millions of dollars more than it should have.
State appeals panel upholds $2.1M verdict vs City Hall for family of woman killed by suspects fleeing cops
The city of Chicago must pay $2.1 million to the family of a woman who died when burglary suspects fleeing the police crashed their vehicle into hers, a state appeals panel has ruled.
Appeals panel tosses out $84K sanction ordered vs Schaumburg attorney in contract dispute vs PNC
A divided federal appeals panel has tossed an $84,000 sanctions order against an attorney, finding a federal judge abused discretion in imposing the sanctions in a breach of contract suit brought by a telecommunications vendor against PNC Bank.
IL 'fair share fees' lawsuit tossed; plaintiffs say 'desired result,' allowing appeal to SCOTUS
The U.S. Supreme Court will get the chance to decide just how much public worker unions in Illinois and elsewhere can exact from non-union workers, after a federal appeals court in Chicago upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit intended to challenge a longstanding legal precedent used by unions to justify the forcible collection of so-called “fair share” fees.
Seattle lawsuit shines light on 'first-come, first-serve' rental housing policy, already followed in Chicago
Chicago could adopt a law that is similar to a recent Seattle ordinance that requires landlords to rent to the first qualified tenant who walks through the door, according to Richard Magnone, an attorney at Reda, Ciprian, Magnone LLC in Chicago who specializes in landlord-tenant law.
NorthShore University HealthSystem accused of failing to timely diagnose cancer
A patient is suing NorthShore University HealthSystem and Jeffrey A. Grinblatt M.D.for allegedly taking insufficient measures to timely diagnosis him with cancer after Grinblatt reportedly cancelled the analysis of a prostate screening without notifying the patient.
Centegra Hospital McHenry, others allegedly failed to prevent pressure ulcers
A deceased woman's family is suing THC Chicago Inc., which does business as Kindred Hospital - Sycamore, Northern Illinois Medical Center, which does business as Centegra Hospital McHenry and Ballard Respiratory and Rehab for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent the patient from developing pressure ulcers.
Surgeons allegedly injected patient with toxic dye at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
A patient is suing Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent surgeons from injecting him with a toxic dye during brain surgery.
Appeals panel upholds $26M for lawyer hurt in taxi crash, despite dissent over Chicago regulations
A divided state appeals court has upheld a $26 million jury verdict awarded to a Chicago lawyer injured in a 2005 taxicab crash near Hinsdale, saying the Yellow Cab taxi affiliation must pay out for the accident because the injured passenger believed Yellow Cab was the driver’s “apparent agent,” even though Yellow Cab did not employ the driver and a Cook County trial judge refused to let YCA show the jury key evidence on how extensively all cabs are controlled by Chicago City Hall.
Appeals panel: Cook County can go back three years to grab taxes for improper homestead exemptions
A state appellate panel has upheld a lower court ruling that the Illinois Property Tax Code allows the Cook County Assessor’s Office to reach back three years, to claim unpaid taxes on a south suburban house that had an invalid homestead exemption.