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Federal Court
Appeals court says SEIU OK to dump local leadership over politics
Federal panel agrees the Service Employees International Union office had justification for imposing trusteeship at Chicago-area Local 73, enough to justify ousting longtime local leaders who had dissented from the parent organization's endorsement of Hillary Clinton for U.S. president in 2016
Federal Court
River Forest man nears month in jail over unpaid divorce legal bills
A federal bankruptcy judge did not rule Jan. 3 on competing motions over whether Cook County judge can keep Marty Paris in jail while his bankruptcy continues
Federal Court
Judge shuts down bid by Highland Park shooting plaintiffs to deny Smith & Wesson right to appeal
A federal judge agreed gunmaker Smith & Wesson had small chance to win on appeal to keep Highland Park lawsuits out of famously plaintiff-friendly Illinois state court, but said they have the right under federal law to appeal, no matter how fast plaintiffs want to move the case forward to a potentially big payout
Federal Court
Class action demands IL counties pay back people whose homes were seized over unpaid property taxes
The lawsuit vs DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will and other populous counties says Illinois counties still using tax sales to seize and sell off homes to settle delinquent property taxes are defying the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled such "equity theft" unconstitutional
Federal Court
Apple rejects proposal to amend BIPA suit by subdividing the class, demands explanation of the 'undeveloped argument'
EAST ST. LOUIS - Apple rejected an "undeveloped" proposal from class action lawyers Jerome Schlichter and Andrew Schlichter of St. Louis to reduce the size of a class by adding plaintiffs “to conform to the evidence adduced.”
Federal Court
Everytown for Gun Safety and others file amicus briefs supporting gun liability law, claiming 'bad actors in the gun industry ... enable gun violence'
BENTON - Limits in federal law on civil liability of gun makers and dealers for crimes shouldn’t interfere with expansion of their civil liability in Illinois, private groups argued as friends of U.S. District Court on Oct. 23.
Federal Court
Appeals panel: Employers don't owe OT for 'incidental' work if workers don't record the hours
A federal appeals court tossed out a jury verdict that had ordered ATM maker NCR to pay a field tech more than $250,000 for allegedly unpaid OT performed off the clock
Federal Court
Appeals panel says $5.2M fine in FTC credit monitoring scam litigation can stand
Judges also corrected an error in an earlier judgment that may have allowed the federal government to improperly claim a portion of the funds meant for restitution
Federal Court
Ex-McDonald's workers get another chance to sue over fast food giant's 'no-poach' employment policy
Women say corporate guidelines kept them from obtaining better wages at different locations. A federal judge had dismissed the potentially massive class action lawsuit, describing it in part as an attempt by lawyers to cash in on a "jackpot" of fees, but was ordered by an appeals court to take another look
Federal Court
Dugan dismisses shaving cream ingredient suit, cites attorney's 'wrecking ball' reputation
EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge David Dugan dismissed a suit alleging misrepresented "pure" ingredients in shaving cream against Procter & Gamble on Aug. 17, and he issued a warning to lawyer Spencer Sheehan by citing a judge who called Sheehan a "wrecking ball."
Federal Court
Appeals panel: Courts should place 'heavy thumb on scale' to let defendants make 'copyright trolls' pay
The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals said a federal judge erred in denying the Cremation Society of Illinois' request that Live Face on Web pay its attorneys' fees after the Cremation Society prevailed in court
Federal Court
Appeals panel says some workers might be entitled to ADA accomodations based on commute
Seventh Circuit panel said it wouldn't adopt 'bright-line rule' for similar questions
Federal Court
Buffalo Wild Wings in lawsuit over boneless 'wings': No dog meat in our hotdogs either
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Buffalo Wild Wings is continuing the ridicule of the man who sued it because he expected "boneless wings" to be actual chicken wings with the bones removed.
Federal Court
Judge: Ill. Supreme Court's biometrics decision doesn't apply to class action over yearbook photos
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - A Chicago federal judge won't second-guess herself for tossing a proposed class action lawsuit that accused Ancestry.com of violating the Illinois Right of Publicity Act.
Federal Court
'A big fuss about a little lemon': Judges toss class actions against lemon-flavored products
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Chicago federal judges are left with a sour taste in their mouths by class action lawsuits that want more lemon in lemon-flavored products.
Federal Court
Refiled: Class action claiming boneless wings at B-Dubs should be called nuggets
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - The lawyer trying to sue Buffalo Wild Wings because boneless wings are made out of breast meat has filed his second complaint, hoping to cure procedural issues that killed the first one.
Federal Court
Appeals court says Waukegan teacher can't sue a teachers union she claimed she joined by mistake
A federal appeals panel has ruled a Waukegan teacher can't claim she mistakenly joined the teachers union because she thought membership was mandatory, saying government workers' right to refrain from union membership does not override a voluntarily signed agreement to join.
Federal Court
Judge recommends discipline for Chicago lawyer with record of alleged 'substandard conduct' and of accusing judges of racial bias
A federal judge did not hold back in describing the conduct of a Chicago lawyer with an allegedly troubled history, who "badly mishandled" a lawsuit against City Hall, recommending the lawyer face disciplinary action that could include barring her from practicing in Chicago federal district court.
Federal Court
Judge, who formerly served on IL State Police board, recused from case vs woman accused of using Pritzker-ties to oust ex-ISP Board director
According to a court order, new U.S. District Judge Nancy Maldonado recused herself from the court fight over claims that former ISP Merit Board executive Jenny Thornley called on Gov. JB Pritzker to remove her ex-boss because he was investigating fraud allegations against her. Maldonado had served on the Merit Board, appointed by Pritzker in 2019
Federal Court
Father, son lose bid to turn suit over CPS Buddhist meditation program into religious freedom class action
Family sued over aspect of 'Quiet Time' program that featured Buddhist transcendental meditation and ran from 2015-2019 in certain Chicago Public Schools. Students were encouraged to participate, and the family said it violated their religious rights