News from November 2022
'Truth in Politics' bill would criminalize 'false' political advertising; Plummer calls it an assault on free speech
A bill that criminalizes "libel and defamation" in Illinois political advertising has State Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) calling the proposal an attack on the right to free speech.
Class action can continue, for now, over cheese content in TGI Friday's Mozzarella Sticks snacks, but not vs TGIF
Complaint alleges TGI Friday's Mozzarella Sticks snacks contain cheddar, not mozzarella. The judge said TGI Friday's can't be sued, because it only lends its name to the products, which are made and sold by another company
Guidance on State and Local Paid Sick Leave Laws — Part IX: Unions and Leave Requirements: Examining How the Patchwork of Paid Sick Leave Laws Impacts Collective Bargaining Under the RLA and NLRA on November 30, 2022
Please join us for a multi-part series on recent developments involving state and local mandatory paid sick leave laws.
Appeals panel revives portion of ex-Oak Park village manager's pension lawsuit vs village
A federal appeals court said former Oak Park Village Manager Thomas Barwin had done enough to be allowed to press his claims the village wrongly blocked him from using his prior government service to purchase credits sufficient to get an Oak Park pension.
Des Plaines woman files class action vs KSN law firm over rent collection practices
A newly filed class action lawsuit accuses landlords' law firm Kovitz Shifrin & Nesbit of improper efforts to attempt to force tenants to pay back rent, allegedly including rejecting Covid rent relief funds available to tenants
IL Supreme Court: Landlord's insurance company not obligated to defend tenants over oven fire damage
Pekin residents were sued by an appliance repairman, who had been sued by the landlord's insurance company, after the tenants allegedly lit a gas stove amid repair process, setting fire to their rental home
Attorney General Raoul Joins Coalition Urging Apple to Protect Consumers’ Reproductive Health Information
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 10 attorneys general, is expressing concerns about reproductive health privacy on Apple’s App Store following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Raoul and the attorneys general urged Apple to take practical steps to protect consumers’ private reproductive health information.
Judge: Loevy firm, not its ex-partner Drury, gets to lead face scans class action vs Clearview
The ruling from a Chicago federal judge gives the edge to Chicago-based Loevy & Loevy in a tussle with its former attorney, Scott Drury, over who can lay claim to a potential massive payday as lead attorneys in a sprawling biometrics case against facial recognition tech firm Clearview A.I.
Corporations can take it personally: Appeals panel says company can sue for defamation if disparaging emails sent to officers, directors
An appeals court has ruled a Chicago shipping corporation can claim it was defamed through emails sent to its management disparaging the company, saying managers are not the same as the 'corporation'
Affirmative Action: The Possible K-12 Impacts of the Supreme Court Cases Involving Harvard and UNC on November 28, 2022
Join Husch Blackwell and the Council of the Great City Schools for a discussion on Supreme Court cases Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.
Judge curbs Subaru's try to detour class action over distracted driver face scans to arbitration
The class action lawsuit, brought by the owner of a 2020 Subaru Outback, claims the carmaker's DriverFocus system violates Illinois' biometrics privacy law.
Littler Launches Inclusion, Equity & Diversity Playbook
Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce the launch of its Inclusion, Equity & Diversity (IE&D) Playbook: a comprehensive collection of resources designed to help employers navigate the legal and practical considerations associated with IE&D programs.
Fox Rothschild Bankruptcy Team Among TMA Chicago/Midwest Chapter’s Small Turnaround of the Year Honorees
A Fox Rothschild Financial Restructuring & Bankruptcy Team, including Michael Sweet, Gordon Gouveia, Howard Cohen and Stephanie Slater, was honored by the Turnaround Management Association Chicago/Midwest Chapter for their role in the MobiTV, Inc. Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which received the Small Turnaround of the Year Award during TMA’s Executive Speaker Forum.
DuPage County Clerk appeals again to escape judge's order requiring her to follow law when counting mail-in ballots
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has appealed to the Illinois Third District Appellate Court to overturn a DuPage County judge's temporary restraining order in a dispute with a Republican state legislator over how she is verifying mail-in ballots are legal
Judge won't let turkey producers end class action accusing them of fixing prices of Thanksgiving birds
The lawsuits are similar to those that hatched settlements worth hundreds of millions of dollars from many of the same companies over chicken prices
Freeborn Expands Chicago Office and Litigation Practice with Addition of Associate Carly Allen
Freeborn & Peters LLP continues the expansion of its litigation practice group and Chicago office with the addition of Carly M. Allen as an associate.
Chicago's progressive agenda has been destructive for black communities
Politico says the Chicago mayor’s race highlights the importance of the “progressive” agenda for Chicago and the focus will be on crime. There are grumbles that incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot isn’t “progressive” enough. But the urban progressive agenda under her – with its emphasis on “social justice,” managed outcomes, and performative politics – has hardened the city’s horrible results for blacks around crime and K-12 public education.
IL Supreme Court rejects bid by DuPage Clerk to overturn judge's order to follow law when counting mail-in ballots
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek had argued a DuPage County judge overstepped his authority by granting a court order sought by a DuPage County state lawmaker seeking to force her office to verify mail-in ballots as Illinois election law requires
Lawsuits: Medline discriminated against people fired after denied religious, medical exemptions from Covid vax mandate
The lawsuits say Medline used an "illusory" religious and medical exemption request process to identify and "mass terminate" people who objected to the company's Covid vaccine mandate.
Appeals panel: Courts don't have power to tell county board how to spend transportation funds before passing budget
Road contractors said Cook County will improperly divert transportation funds in violation of Safe Roads Amendment and a Supreme Court ruling, and asked for a court order requiring the county to follow the constitution before the county board passed a new budget.