Illinois

  • March 07, 2024

    Illinois Judge OKs $870K Deal In Database Privacy Suit

    A Cook County judge said Thursday she would award preliminary approval to an $870,000 settlement between B2B platform Apollo.io and a class of Illinois residents who say the company unlawfully used their personal identifying information to advertise its paid subscriptions.

  • March 07, 2024

    Ex-Staffer Blasts 'Skulduggery' In Posner's Sanctions Bid

    The so-called pro se litigation "expert" suing retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner for $170,000 has hit back at Posner's bid to have him sanctioned for gratuitous "personal attacks" — by accusing Posner of "hypocrisy," calling the former judge's friend a murdering "deranged societal misfit," and alleging that Posner hired a "serial liar" attorney to bolster his case.

  • March 07, 2024

    Feds Look To Bar Advice-Of-Counsel Defense From Tax Trial

    Federal prosecutors have sought to prevent two attorneys and an insurance agent from relying on advice-of-counsel defenses in their upcoming tax fraud trial, telling a North Carolina federal judge the trio failed to give the court an adequate heads-up about their intended defense.

  • March 06, 2024

    Ex-Northeastern Coach Gets 5 Years In Nude Photo Ploy

    A former Northeastern University track and field coach was sentenced by a federal judge to five years in prison Wednesday for a series of schemes to trick young women into providing him with nude or semi-nude photos that he used for his own gratification and shared for clout in online forums that traded in surreptitiously-obtained images.

  • March 06, 2024

    Judge OKs McDonald's Atty-Client Privilege In Race Bias Fight

    An Illinois magistrate judge on Tuesday mostly upheld McDonald's attorney-client privilege assertions over internal employee-investigation documents produced by outside counsel at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in a contentious race bias lawsuit by former McDonald's executives against the fast-food giant, finding that McDonald's and the attorney haven't entirely waived privilege.

  • March 06, 2024

    Meta Must Face Ill. Media Co.'s Deceptive Ads Suit

    An Illinois federal judge refused to let Meta duck, or force into arbitration, a local media company's proposed class action accusing the Facebook successor of competing unfairly by luring away advertisers with inflated user numbers, deeming the allegations plausible and outside of what was agreed to be arbitrated.

  • March 06, 2024

    Meta Must Tackle Increased Account Hijackings, 41 AGs Say

    A bipartisan group of 41 attorneys general have urged Meta Platforms Inc. to tackle the "dramatic" increase in hackers taking over Facebook and Instagram accounts, saying the attacks have caused financial harm to victims and their families and friends.

  • March 06, 2024

    Film Funder Fights 'Severe' Sanction Bid in Malpractice Suit

    A media investor accusing a now-defunct Chicago law firm of negligently helping him secure intellectual property rights to develop a television show has argued that an Illinois state court should reject the firm's request for sanctions and dismissal over alleged discovery violations, arguing that the firm is ignoring its own discovery failures in the case.

  • March 06, 2024

    Univar Will Appeal $190K Teamsters Pension Suit Loss

    Univar Solutions is challenging an Illinois federal court's holding that the company owes over $190,000 to a Teamsters pension fund due to an automatic extension of contract language, saying Wednesday that it is appealing the decision to the Seventh Circuit.

  • March 06, 2024

    Weber Stockholders Vie For Chancery Suit Over $3.7B Deal

    The competition among former Weber Inc. stockholders who sued over the grill maker's $3.7 billion squeeze-out by BDT Capital Partners LLC heated up Wednesday in Delaware's Court of Chancery as more than a dozen firms on teams led by Scott + Scott Attorneys at Law LLP, Friedlander & Gorris PA and Prickett Jones & Elliot PA battled to lead a consolidated class suit.

  • March 06, 2024

    Judge May Sit In On Depos In Abbott Formula MDL

    An Illinois federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation in which Abbott Laboratories' Similac infant formula is alleged to have caused a deadly illness in premature babies said Wednesday she would hold off on appointing a special master following claims of improper deposition conduct, offering to tune in to depositions to help move things along.

  • March 06, 2024

    Ill. Appeals Court Revives Chicago Real Estate Tax Measure

    A Chicago referendum seeking authorization to impose tiered real estate transfer tax rates can proceed, an Illinois state appeals court ruled Wednesday, reversing a Cook County Circuit Court decision that blocked the city from counting votes on the measure.

  • March 06, 2024

    ​​​​​​​'Joker' Producer Accused Of Funding Films Via Ponzi Scheme

    Movie producer Jason Cloth and a Chicago-area investment brokerage are facing an $80 million proposed class action that was recently leveled in Illinois state court by an investor who says the filmmaker has mishandled money he's pulled in for several projects and raised new funds to pay older investors. 

  • March 05, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Grills Both Sides In Toyo Tire IP Dispute

    Federal Circuit judges had pointed questions Tuesday about a $10.1 million award — slashed from $110 million — that a small tire maker won against Toyo Tire for unfair competition and other claims, and about Toyo's bid to revive its trade dress case against the rival, Atturo Tire.

  • March 05, 2024

    Ex-Ill. Chief Justice Urged Leniency For Former Madigan Aide

    Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride and a sitting state appellate justice were among more than a hundred politicians, legislative staffers and state government employees who urged an Illinois federal judge to go light on former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's longtime chief of staff ahead of his perjury sentencing, according to letters unsealed Tuesday.

  • March 05, 2024

    Robertshaw's Ch. 11 Sale Plan Panned As 'Blatant Favoritism'

    Asset manager Invesco asked a Texas bankruptcy judge to block appliance parts maker Robertshaw US Holding Corp.'s proposed bidding procedures for a Chapter 11 sale, calling the debtors' agreement with a lender group and its equity sponsor "blatant favoritism."

  • March 05, 2024

    Judge Rips THC Drink Co.'s 'Repackaged' Injunction Bid

    A manufacturer of THC- and CBD-infused beverages shouldn't prevail on its second attempt to stop a rival from marketing drinks under an allegedly similar name, an Illinois federal magistrate judge found Monday, writing that the company's second injunction request "simply repackaged and reargued information."

  • March 05, 2024

    Ill. Atty Tells 1st Circ. Feds Botched Venue For Scam Case

    An Illinois lawyer convicted of receiving proceeds from business email compromise schemes orchestrated by others told the First Circuit on Tuesday that Massachusetts was the wrong place for him to have been tried, urging the appeals court to dismiss the charges underlying the guilty verdict. 

  • March 05, 2024

    Baker McKenzie Lands KPMG Tax Atty In Chicago

    Baker McKenzie recently hired a new tax partner in Chicago who came from KPMG and has prior experience working at PwC.

  • March 04, 2024

    Justices Try To Shroud Differences With Trump DQ Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court issued a purportedly unanimous decision Monday finding states cannot bar federal candidates from appearing on ballots, but a closer look at the justices' writings — and the opinion's metadata — reveals a sharp divide that court watchers say was papered over in an effort to preserve the court's institutional legitimacy.

  • March 04, 2024

    Don't Skip Mock Trials, Veteran Criminal Defense Atty Says

    A mock trial is a must before the real thing, even when the defendant is on a budget and the jury is just friends of friends, a veteran trial lawyer told a New York City Bar audience Monday.

  • March 04, 2024

    Turkey Cos., Burford Unit Fight Over Refused Swap's Meaning

    Turkey giants like Cargill, Perdue and Tyson trying to evade price-fixing allegations traded blows Friday in Illinois federal court with a Burford Capital affiliate over the meaning of a federal magistrate judge's ruling in separate litigation refusing to let a different Burford affiliate swap in as a plaintiff.

  • March 04, 2024

    Army Corps Says It Considered Dredged Waste Plan Correctly

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has urged an Illinois federal judge to reject environmental claims targeting dredged sediment it is storing on part of Lake Michigan's shoreline, arguing the Corps' "robust" public interest study proves its decision-making process followed all statutory and regulatory requirements.

  • March 04, 2024

    7th Circ. Keeps Bonefish Grill On Hook For Fall Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday revived a woman's claim that she dislocated her hip after falling at an Illinois Bonefish Grill LLC restaurant, saying her repeated, certain assertion that she slipped on water is enough to defeat summary judgment.

  • March 04, 2024

    Regal Cinemas Must Face Ex-Worker's BIPA Suit

    Regal Cinemas can't ditch a lawsuit alleging the movie theater chain violated a worker's rights under Illinois' biometric privacy law by collecting fingerprint scans without informed consent, an Illinois federal judge ruled Friday, rejecting the company's argument the plaintiff needed to show it was negligent, recklessness or intentional in its data collection.

Expert Analysis

  • A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 2023 High Court Rulings

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    In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued four bankruptcy law opinions — an extraordinary number — and a close look at these cases signals that changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code will have to come from Congress, not the courts, says Phillip Shefferly at the University of Michigan Law School.

  • 5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions

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    In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Hoopers In NCAA Suit Respark Eligibility Framework Debate

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    A decision by two brothers involved in a recent antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA — to play college basketball rather than go professional after graduating from the Overtime Elite league — has aimed the spotlight on what exactly the NCAA deems permissible compensation under its current framework, say Brady Foster and Dan Lust at Moritt Hock.

  • ESG Investing Caught In Culture War Crosshairs In 2023

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    As 2023 draws to a close, ESG investing remains a raging battleground in the U.S. culture wars, as illustrated by the array of legislative efforts across the country aimed variously at restricting or promoting the use of ESG investing — but it remains to be seen what practical impact, if any, these laws will have, say Amy Roy and Robert Skinner at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

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    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • The Key To Defending Multistate Collective FLSA Claims

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    Federal circuit courts are split on the reach of a court's jurisdiction over out-of-state employers in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, but until the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review the question, multistate employers should be aware of a potential case-changing defense, say Matthew Disbrow and Michael Dauphinais at Honigman.

  • Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks

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    Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Ill. Temp Labor Rules: No Clear Road Map For Compliance

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    While the delay of a particularly thorny provision of the Illinois temporary worker law will provide some short-term relief, staffing agencies and their clients will still need to scramble to plan compliance with the myriad vague requirements imposed by the other amendments to the act, say Alexis Dominguez and Alissa Griffin at Neal Gerber.

  • Series

    Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.

  • Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.

  • Opinion

    Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

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    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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