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COOK COUNTY RECORD

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Latest News


Speaker Welch asks IL high court to toss ruling barring Dems from blocking many GOP candidates from fall ballot

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A Springfield judge had ruled Democrats violated the constitutional rights of Republican candidates by passing a law weeks after the primary election barring them from getting on the ballot to challenge Democratic incumbents this fall because they didn't first run in the primary election

State's weapon ban expert - 'rain making trauma surgeon' - on administrative leave

By Steve Korris |
Surgery professor Martin Schreiber filled 100 pages with his credentials as Gov. Pritzker’s expert on assault weapons but didn’t mention that Oregon Health and Science University placed him on administrative leave.

'The Village is broke:' Dolton village board lawyer says Dolton may lose insurance coverage soon

By Jonathan Bilyk |
An attorney representing Dolton's village board of trustees asserts in an email obtained by The Cook County Record that dysfunction under Mayor Tiffany Henyard has left the village 'at risk of having no liability insurance,' even as the village faces a growing list of lawsuits accusing Henyard and the village of corruption and lawlessness

Ex-Chicago cop sues Kim Foxx, Park Ridge Police for wrongly prosecuting him for detaining suspect who had his kid's bike

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Former Chicago Police Sgt. Michael Vitellaro says Park Ridge cops and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx wrongly prosecuted him after he acted within his lawful authority, capitulating to a public pressure campaign from activists who demanded his arrest for detaining a "young man" who had his son's stolen bike

IL to get $29M from $700M J&J talc settlement deal with states

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The settlement will end legal actions launched by 43 states accusing Johnson & Johnson of allegedly misleading consumers about the safety of its talc baby powder and body powder products. The company has denied its products cause cancer, as other plaintiffs have claimed in thousands of other lawsuits

Cook County Judge Flanagan to face investigation over handcuffing of attorney at May hearing

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Cook County's courts leadership has asked the state's Judicial Inquiry Board to examine potential disciplinary action against Cook County Circuit Judge Kathy Flanagan for her conduct amid a dispute with a lawyer in her courtroom which resulted in the lawyer being handcuffed to a chair. Flanagan denied wrongdoing

Cook County court data reporting delayed, months behind other state circuit court systems

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Court officials provided no reasons were provided for the delay in reporting 2023 data from the famously backlogged court system. The Cook County Circuit Clerk's office said 2023 statistics will be published when court officials can "ensure data is accurate and complies with record keeping standards.

IL Supreme Court says ambiguous language in insurance policies doesn't necessarily 'stack' liability limits in multi-vehicle accidents

By Scott Holland |
Unanimous ruling affirms appeals court's stance to deny a bus driver's quest for $7M payout stemming from a multi-vehicle crash on I-74 in McLean County in 2018.

Grischow, judge who blocked Pritzker's school mask mandate, selected to serve on Springfield appeals court

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The Illinois Supreme Court announced it would assign Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow to serve on the state's Fourth District Appellate Court. Grischow notably issued an order in 2022 declaring Gov. Pritzker had illegally issued 'emergency orders' requiring students wear masks in school

Appeals court says CPS can close Urban Prep; Chicago school closing moratorium doesn't apply to charter schools

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The state appeals panel said Cook County Judge Anna Loftus was wrong to block CPS from seizing control at Urban Prep by determining a state law blocking CPS from closing schools until a school board could be elected applied to charter schools, as well as traditional CPS-managed schools

Judge: Democrats can't change 2024 election rules now to block Republicans from fall ballot

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A judge in Springfield has permanently blocked the state from enforcing a new law backed by Dems which the judge said unconstitutionally rewrote candidate selection rules and would keep Republican state legislative candidates from the 2024 ballot

Judge who has endorsed statements critical of Chicago Police 'torture' won't step aside from suit accusing cops of torture

By Jonathan Bilyk |
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings says a group of Chicago Police detectives haven't done enough to show he can't give them a fair hearing in a lawsuit brought by a man who claims cops tortured him into confessing to double murder. Cummings endorsed reports in '07-'08 accusing cops of 'conspiracy of silence' over 'torture'

Judge nixes ex-Park District lawyer's defamation suit vs Lightfoot over infamous 'big d***' rant

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The lawyer had accused former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over smearing his professional reputation, leading to him resigning, over his handling of settlement talks related to ownership of the city's Columbus statue in 2021

Federal labor law doesn't block all state biometrics claims over fingerprint scans, judge says

By Scott Holland |
A federal judge ruled federal labor law and union contracts don't necessarily apply to block lawsuits under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, if the lawsuits allege employees' privacy rights under that law were violated before they joined the union and their relationship with their employer became governed by a collective bargaining agreement

More GOP candidates join court case vs IL Dems over 'candidate slating' ballot blocking law

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Democrats told a Springfield judge she needs to can the case, saying the changes to the election rules in the middle of the 2024 election cycle don't violate anyone's rights, and judges have no place deciding if state lawmakers abided by the constitution in deciding how candidates can get on the ballot

'Unconstitutional dragnet:' Class action seeks to shut down IL cops' automated license plate readers

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The federal lawsuit asserts the system, established in Cook County and then expanded to the rest of the state to trace criminals and fight crime, unconstitutionally tracks the movements of drivers throughout the state, whether suspected criminals or not

IL Supreme Court rewrites attorney 'discrimination' rule; Critics predict court challenges forthcoming

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Supporters say the rule change will create a stronger 'deterrent' to discriminatory and harassing behavior by lawyers in the state. Opponents say the new rule imposes an unconstitutional 'speech code' on Illinois lawyers, and likely will be challenged in court

Judge clears City Hall in cops' religious discrimination suit over Covid shot mandate

By Scott Holland |
Federal judge notes city granted exemptions to shot, only insisted on reporting of test and vaccination status

Woman sues Creative Dining Services for unpaid overtime wages and disability discrimination

By Cook County Record |
Woman sues Creative Dining Services alleging unpaid overtime wages and wrongful termination due to disability discrimination.

Man sues Bolt Electrical LLC for unpaid wages under federal and state laws

By Cook County Record |
Andrew Stout sues Bolt Electrical LLC alleging non-payment of $1,863 in earned wages under FLSA and state laws.