News from February 2022
Dissent: IL Supreme Court should have decided whether Pritzker broke the law in imposing school COVID mandates
Two Republican justices said the state high court's Democratic majority had erred in passing on the chance to determine whether a Springfield judge had properly blocked Gov. JB Pritzker from enforcing his school mask, testing and exclusion rules
Appeals panel: IL hospital workers can sue over systems requiring fingerprint scans to access drug lockers
Hospitals argued HIPAA should shield them from class actions brought under Illinois' biometrics law by workers who needed to scan their fingerprints to access locked medicine dispensary systems
Tax in the City® on March 1, 2022
Tax in the City® on March 1, 2022.
Appeals court revives suit claiming McDonald's advertised falsely at O'Hare, says Cook County judge should have stepped down
A suit against McDonald's for allegedly advertising false prices at O'Hare, which had been dismissed, will begin again, because an appeals panel has ruled the judge in the case should have OK'd plaintiff's motion to substitute her with another judge.
IL Supreme Court denies Pritzker appeal over school mask mandates as moot, vacates restraining order
Gov. JB Pritzker warned he may attempt to impose mask mandates again in the future, if he believes they are needed
No COVID emergency to justify giving Pritzker back his emergency powers over schools: DeVore filing
The lawyer for Illinois students, parents and educators responded to Gov. JB Pritzker's petition asking the Illinois Supreme Court to put a hold on a Springfield judge's order barring Pritzker from enforcing his school mask mandate and other COVID restrictions
Arlington Heights says Rolling Meadows refusing to give up $1.2M in sales taxes wrongly collected from Cooper's Hawk
The village of Arlington Heights says its neighbor was given the money in error by the Illinois Department of Revenue, but is refusing to refund it
Appeals panel: IL liquor control law doesn't define an unborn fetus as a 'person,' family can't sue taverns for DUI death
The state's Wrongful Death law allows lawsuits for the deaths of unborn children, but Illinois' Dramshop Act, which governs when taverns can be sued for death and injuries, includes no such provisions, the appellate justices said
Judge OKs $10M Octapharma fingerprint class action deal; $800+ per class member, $3.3M for lawyers
A federal judge granted final approval to a deal to end a class action vs Octapharma Plasma over claims the company improperly required plasma donors to scan their fingerprints, in violation of Illinois' biometrics privacy law
Union workers' biometrics claims belong in arbitration, not in class actions, because of CBA: Appeals panel
A Cook County judge had ruled workers' claims over fingerprint scans were separate from their union contract. But a state appeals panel said they would not break with a decision set by a federal appeals court on the question.
County health dept owes $374K to lawyers who represented nurse forced from job for refusing to refer abortions
The lawyers said they hope the ruling and resulting payout will send a message to other Illinois governments and health care employers who might try to force workers to choose between their religious beliefs and their jobs.
Freeborn Partner Matthew J. O’Hara Named BTI Client Service All-Star MVP for 2022
Freeborn Partner Matthew J. O’Hara Named BTI Client Service All-Star MVP for 2022.
DeVore announces Illinois Attorney General campaign; Vows to never 'represent the governor against the people'
Greenville attorney Tom DeVore, who confirmed that he will run on the Republican ticket for Illinois Attorney General, said he had no intentions of pursuing politics until he watched children across the state stand up for themselves by walking into school without masks and vowed to fight for the people rather than against them.
IL Supreme Court to lift statewide courthouse mask mandate Feb. 28
The Illinois Supreme Court will end the courthouse mask mandate it has had in place since last September, at the same time Gov. JB Pritzker lifts his statewide indoor mask mandate
Pritzker asks IL Supreme Court to restore his power to force school students to mask, test, be excluded, over COVID
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says only the Illinois Supreme Court can "halt mischief," as school districts statewide ditch forced masking, testing and student exclusion policies that a Springfield judge says were illegal
Jones Day adds seven U.S. Supreme Court clerks from the October 2020 Term
Jones Day adds seven U.S. Supreme Court clerks from the October 2020 Term.
Hard time fighting back: Employers seek defenses vs rising biometrics class actions, emboldened settlement demands
A January Illinois Supreme Court decision effectively ended employers' efforts to use Illinois' workers' comp law to beat biometrics class actions, and may have emboldened the plaintiff’s bar to seek even higher settlements
Estate Planning for High Net Worth Individuals in 2022 on February 23
Estate Planning for High Net Worth Individuals in 2022 on February 23.
Alejandro Caffarelli Named to Super Lawyers Top 100
Alejandro Caffarelli Named to Super Lawyers Top 100.
Greenberg Traurig Elevates 7 Attorneys in Chicago Office
Greenberg Traurig Elevates 7 Attorneys in Chicago Office.