News from June 2023
Appeals panel: Illinois prejudgment interest law constitutional, doesn't unfairly hamper defendants' rights to defend themselves in court
Other courts have found differently, but the ruling marks the first time a state appeals court has directly answered the question of whether Illinois' law allowing plaintiffs to demand huge interest payments on top of potentially draconian verdicts, violates Illinois' state constitution
Cozen O'Connor hosts SEC Update: What's Happened, What’s Ahead on June 14, 2023
The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has undertaken an ambitious agenda over the last 18 months in its effort to protect corporate investors and ensure that the capital markets are strong and efficient.
Biometrics class action vs company that operates dating apps Tinder, OKCupid shifted from Chicago to Texas court
The lawsuits accuse app maker and operator Match Group of violating Illinois' biometrics privacy law by scanning the faces of users of Tinder and OKCupid without proper notice and consent, as allegedly required by the law
Family of student suing Latin School over son's death by suicide say school is blocking access to student's records
New lawsuit alleges elite private school improperly withholding kinds of documents released to other families
Judge refuses to OK class action vs city of Chicago from Black water department workers alleging racist work environments
Kennelly said the plaintiffs haven't yet presented enough evidence that their work experiences and workplaces were common or similar enough within the massive Chicago city water department
Appeals panel: Northwest Community Hospital not liable for alleged mistakes by doctors who worked as independent contractors
The lawsuit was linked to complications from a 2013 open heart surgery
Webb fires back on Smollett's attempt to toss out his conviction for lying about attack, says court did not abuse the process
Actor Jussie Smollett is still fighting the outcome of his trial linked to lying to Chicago Police about his alleged assault hoax, which special prosecutor Dan Webb says was shown at trial to have faked for Smollett's "own personal gain"
Livestock feed maker Prestige says Mount Prospect illegally trying to strip business license over odor complaints
The company has filed suit in Cook County court, seeking an order blocking the village from taking action against them, which they claim is in violation of an agreement under which the village gave the company time to address the odor concerns
Google Photos settlement payments sliced again, now down to $95 per person; Lawyers still getting $35M
A renewed screening and claim review process resulted in the addition of nearly 167,000 new claimants to the settlement class, dropping the per person payment, which had initially been estimated at $200-$400, from $154 to $95 per person
Lawsuit seeks to block CHA from transferring land for new Chicago Fire soccer stadium
The lawsuit asserts the CHA and HUD improperly signed off on the transfer of 24 acres on the Near West Side that they say has been designated for public housing for the neighborhood's low income residents
Appeals panel: Law firm Kutak Rock can't be sued for sex assault allegedly committed by one of its attorneys
A female client has accused now deceased attorney Charles MacKelvie of demanding she send him photos of her in the nude, and then propositioning sex from her as a way of resolving her outstanding legal bills. She said the firm should also pay for the alleged misconduct
McDonald's again asks court to ground class action over O'Hare Airport menu price differences
Burger giant says customer can't complain about prices when given an accurate receipt, with an opportunity to dispute the purchase price in person
Ruling: City Hall, Arwady improperly used 'environmental justice' analysis to deny Southside metal recycling center's permit
A Chicago administrative law judge reversed the decision of Chicago Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady, who had denied a permit to the company formerly known as General Iron for a South Side metal recycling center. The denial had been based on a 'health impact assessment' that the judge said isn't allowed by law
Judge says ex-Chicago sports reporter Rodewald can't continue defamation suit vs Niles West HS teacher, District 219
Ex-sports radio reporter Matt Rodewald sued a Niles West H.S. teacher and District 219, claiming he was subjected to harassment and defamation after he left a voicemail asking the school to look into the teacher's Facebook rant against supporters of Trump following the Jan. 6 riots
Judge says California law requiring racial minority, LGBT representation on corporate boards is unconstitutional
The ruling could have implications for similar legislation or laws in other Democrat-dominated states, like Illinois, where lawmakers have considered following California's lead on increasing corporate board diversity by force of law
Lawsuit: Bank of America allegedly discriminated vs Black disabled woman by holding large Social Security check
The lawsuit accuses Bank of America of violating federal law by placing a hold on a $24K Social Security disabilities settlement check and then closing her account, allegedly out of suspicion of illegal activity, while allegedly not doing the same with similar checks deposited by those of other races