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Sunday, September 22, 2019

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Federal judge nixes plaintiffs' bid to downplay damages, send BIPA class action back to Cook County court

By Dan Churney | Aug 13, 2019

A Chicago federal judge has ruled a putative class action suit by a former worker at a Cicero bakery, who alleged her employer breached biometric privacy law, should stay in federal court, as the judge took a dim view of an attempt by the plaintiffs to downplay their own potential damages demands in a bid to get the case kicked back to a Cook County courtroom.

Can a company accused of 'killing' people sue for defamation? Bar is high, even then, attorneys say

By John Breslin | Aug 12, 2019

Companies can face a high bar when considering whether to use defamation lawsuits to defend themselves against claims of wrongdoing, even if they may be able to prove they are falsely accused of "poisoning" communities or "killing" people.

Melrose Park asks judge to toss Westlake Hospital bankruptcy filing, says was done in 'bad faith'

By Jonathan Bilyk | Aug 8, 2019

Saying the owners of Westlake Hospital have proceeded in “bad faith,” the village of Melrose Park has asked a federal bankruptcy court to refuse to allow Westlake Hospital to proceed with its bankruptcy and the fate of the financially-troubled hospital should be decided in Cook County court.

Westlake Hospital owners file bankruptcy, put hold on Melrose Park lawsuits

By Jonathan Bilyk | Aug 7, 2019

Faced with a possible court order forcing them to keep open a hospital they claim is hemorrhaging money, the owners of Melrose Park’s Westlake Hospital have asked a federal bankruptcy court to take oversight of the owners’ long-running efforts to wind down operations at the hospital, and take it out from under the Cook County courts, for now.

How much should schools pay for students' bigotry? Wilmington discrimination suit could define standard, set pattern

By Jonathan Bilyk | Aug 6, 2019

School officials in Wilmington have been hit with a lawsuit accusing them of ignoring a student's repeated pleas to stop racially-motivated bullying. The lawsuit has a difficult path ahead, but could have far-reaching implications, observers say

Chicago tries to put brakes on red light camera suit, says plaintiffs waited too long; plaintiffs say there's no time limit

By Dan Churney | Aug 3, 2019

Chicago city attorneys are asking a Cook County judge to toss another class action vs the city over red light camera tickets, contending the suit was lodged too late and second notices were not required anyway. Plaintiffs say the city is asking the court to rescue it from a "quagmire of its own making."

New IL job 'interview bot' A.I. law could boost lawsuit risks for employers

By John Breslin | Aug 1, 2019

Illinois is ahead of the national curve on legislation regarding artificial intelligence, but that could cause problems, an attorney with expertise on technology law said.

Industry groups: Statewide ban on ethylene oxide a 'sledgehammer,' would hurt IL economy, health care

By Jonathan Bilyk | Jul 31, 2019

Industry groups say they would oppose statewide ban on use of ethylene oxide, as proposed in new legislation from a suburban state senator, describing a ban as a "sledgehammer approach" that would harm the state economy and the U.S. health care system.

Chicago scheduling ordinance opens employers to new lawsuit risk, starting next year

By Jonathan Bilyk | Jul 26, 2019

A new wave of lawsuits and regulatory actions targeted at employers could begin rolling into the local courts, perhaps by the end of next year, after the city of Chicago became the latest government to establish an ordinance setting new rules for how employers can schedule their workers.

Willowbrook, other communities can weigh in on deal to possibily let Sterigenics reopen; permit talks continue

By Cook County Record | Jul 25, 2019

A DuPage County judge has decided to allow a group of suburban communities the opportunity to weigh in on an agreement between Illinois state officials and Sterigenics, keeping in place at least until September a state order that has shuttered its Willowbrook plant for five months. However, the company and the state’s environmental agency also continue to discuss the permits Sterigenics would need to reopen the plant.

Smollett's lawyers ask for sanctions against Nigerian brothers accused of helping actor stage hate crime hoax

By Scott Holland | Jul 24, 2019

Attorneys for actor Jussie Smollett have asked a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by the Nigerian brothers who police have said helped the actor fake the alleged racially-motivated attack in Chicago in January, and to sanction the Osundairo brothers and the lawyers who are representing them.

State lawmakers: IL ethylene oxide law doesn't allow A/G to negotiate Sterigenics settlement

By Jonathan Bilyk | Jul 23, 2019

Acknowledging a new state law was written specifically to target one suburban medical device sterilization plant, a group of state lawmakers have asked a DuPage County judge to reject a deal negotiated between Illinois state officials and Sterigenics to allow the company’s Willowbrook plant potentially to reopen.

Sterigenics, state reach deal to end lawsuits over Willowbrook facility shutdown, emissions, allow plant to reopen

By Cook County Record | Jul 17, 2019

Medical device sterilizer Sterigenics has secured a path to reopening its plant in suburban Willowbrook, which has remained shuttered since February when state regulators under Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker ordered it closed over pollution concerns, even though the plant never violated the terms of its state operating permit.

Judge says won't let opioid defendants use slow federal process to 'avoid litigating' opioid claims in IL court

By Jonathan Bilyk | Jul 17, 2019

The Illinois Public Risk Fund, an organization which helps Illinois local governments pool their workers' compensation insurance, and its lawyers from Edelson P.C., has won the chance to sidestep the federal courts’ “black hole” as it pursues its own legal claims against the makers and distributors of so-called opioid painkillers.

Ex-IL state worker Janus asks appeals court to toss ruling blocking refund of unconstitutional union fees

By Scott Holland | Jul 8, 2019

Lawyers for former Illinois state worker Mark Janus have asked a federal appeals panel to overturn a ruling barring nonunion state workers from collecting refunds of the fees they paid to unions, even though the unions had more than a strong inkling the fees were about to be declared unconstitutional.

Widow asks federal judge to reinstate $3M verdict vs GSK in suicide suit, despite SCOTUS appeal rejection

By Dan Churney | Jul 5, 2019

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent refusal to hear her case, the widow of a Chicago man, who killed himself after allegedly taking the generic form of the antidepressant Paxil, is trying to have a federal district judge restore her $3 million verdict against drugmaker GSK, because the company allegedly didn’t push federal regulators to revise the drug’s warning label.

Class action: Amazon violates IL law when Alexa records voices of Alexa users, non-users, kids

By Jonathan Bilyk | Jul 3, 2019

Amazon has been targeted in a new class action lawsuit under an Illinois biometrics privacy law, with plaintiffs asking a court to order the e-commerce giant to pay potentially enormous damages for allowing its Alexa A.I. program to record the voices of children and others using their systems, or the voices of others speaking nearby while someone else uses Alexa.

Cook County official argues lawsuit against Facebook should remain in Illinois

By Dan Churney | Jul 2, 2019

Lawyers for Cook County are arguing the county can continue its lawsuit in Cook County court against Facebook, which alleges the company let user data be mined to aid President Donald Trump’s election campaign, because Facebook drew a bull's-eye on Illinois residents.