News from May 2022
Judge: Illinois prejudgment lawsuit interest law unconstitutional
A Cook County judge said the law supported by Democratic state lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker illegally interferes with jury rights and authority, while improperly penalizing defendants, and gifting personal injury plaintiffs with special benefits not given to anyone else in Illinois
Widow, 3 daughters get $16M from Rockford trucking outfit for crash that killed man; attorneys collect $8M
The family of a man killed in a traffic crash will receive $16 million, spread out over the next half century, from an Illinois trucking company, with the family's attorneys collecting $8 million.
Reed Smith advises Golden Gate Capital in sale of PetroChoice
Reed Smith advises Golden Gate Capital in sale of PetroChoice.
D&O Coverage Toolbox - The ins and outs of Run-Off Coverage on June 1, 2022
D&O Coverage Toolbox - The ins and outs of Run-Off Coverage on June 1, 2022.
Judge rules pension fund consolidation doesn't violate IL constitution's pension protection clause
Members of hundreds of local police and fire pension systems say the state violated the state constitution by combining their local systems into two statewide pension funds. A judge said worker and retiree pension system voting rights aren't protected by the pension protection clause
Class action: CVS biometric passport photo system ran afoul of IL biometrics privacy law
The lawsuit claims CVS should pay big, because it didn't provide enough notice to customers of biometric face scans before taking the photos they requested for passports, using a biometric face scanning system designed to comply with federal passport photo rules
Banasek Elected to Risk Management Society Board of Directors
Banasek Elected to Risk Management Society Board of Directors.
Lawsuit: Illinois illegally counts mail-in votes for federal office up to 2 weeks after Election Day
Three Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Michael Bost, have sued the state of Illinois, arguing federal law sets the date of Election Day, and Illinois' vote-by-mail illegally extends Election Day by 14 days
Class action lawsuit accuses Wintrust Bank of racially discriminatory home loans
The complaint asserts Wintrust allegedly declines Black borrowers at higher rates than whites, and approves Black home buyers at terms more onerous than those offered to white borrowers
How to Craft an Effective Work from Home Policy on May 26, 2022
How to Craft an Effective Work from Home Policy on May 26, 2022.
Judge: Ice cream need only taste like vanilla, not have actual vanilla beans, to defeat deceptive marketing class action
A federal judge dismissed a class action against Prairie Farms, claiming the dairy misled consumers by selling "Premium Vanilla Ice Cream" with vanillin flavoring, rather than real vanilla
Appeals panel agrees law firm can't tack $9.75M to client's legal bill for divorce
Fee enhancement provision on retainer agreement lacked specificity, is invalid
Attorney General Raoul Urges Families to Be on the Lookout for Fraud Related to Baby Formula Shortage
Attorney General Raoul Urges Families to Be on the Lookout for Fraud Related to Baby Formula Shortage.
IL High Court says state pension code doesn't let government cut disability benefits to terminated employees
The highest court in Illinois has ruled Cook County was wrong to refuse to continue disability benefits to a terminated employee with a nervous system disease, saying termination does not trigger a halt to such benefits.
Fear & Politics: Judges, lawyers reluctant to defend rights vs guv's, mayors' emergency power amid pandemic
Why have judges and lawyers - including those who bill themselves as defenders of civil liberties - largely deferred to the widespread use of emergency executive power by governors, mayors and others, throughout the Covid pandemic, despite constitutional questions?
Fiduciary Compliance for Church Plans: What Fiduciaries Should Know and Be Doing Now! on May 24, 2022
Fiduciary Compliance for Church Plans: What Fiduciaries Should Know and Be Doing Now! on May 24, 2022.
IL appeals courts, again: No insurance coverage for Covid shutdowns, mitigations, even if ordered by government
Two different Illinois state appellate court panels rejected attempts by the owners of hotels and restaurants, who were hammered by the government response to the Covid pandemic, to force Zurich American Insurance to cover their losses
Illinois Supreme Court agrees fitness centers may be liable if staff fail to use AED when needed
Plaintiffs allowed to sue for willful, wanton negligence over non-use of life-saving device to treat cardiac arrest
Cozen O’Connor’s Anna Wermuth named to the American Lawyer’s 2022 Midwest Trailblazers list
Anna Wermuth, vice-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s national Labor & Employment Department, has been named to The American Lawyer’s 2022 list of Midwest Trailblazers.
PTE 2020-02 Obituaries: Mistakes and Misunderstandings (Part 2: Common Questions About Compliance with PTE 2020-02) on May 24, 2022
PTE 2020-02 Obituaries: Mistakes and Misunderstandings (Part 2: Common Questions About Compliance with PTE 2020-02) on May 24, 2022.