Illinois

  • March 26, 2024

    Ill. Judge Needs More Info To OK $57M Chicken Antitrust Fee

    An Illinois federal judge overseeing a sprawling antitrust litigation against broiler chicken producers said he couldn't rule on class counsel's renewed bid for a $57 million attorney fee award thrown out by the Seventh Circuit last year without more information on one of the firm's graduated fee arrangements in a similar 2015 antitrust case, which wasn't disclosed in the first go-around.

  • March 26, 2024

    Costco Parking Lot Fall Suit Doomed By 2-Inch Rule

    An Illinois federal court has thrown out a woman's trip-and-fall suit against Costco Wholesale Corp., saying the less than 2-inch difference in surface height is not enough of a defect that Costco had a duty to repair it.

  • March 26, 2024

    Newest Illinois Federal Judge Has Financial Crimes Expertise

    As he prepares to take his new district court seat, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil Harjani is being lauded as a former powerhouse litigator whose extensive experience in complicated financial cases helped him prosecute major white collar crimes and contributed to his thorough approach to handling cases.

  • March 25, 2024

    In High Court Sentencing Case, It's Everyone V. Gibson Dunn

    As the U.S. Supreme Court scrutinizes severe sentencing of repeat offenders, one view is backed by the Biden administration, defense bar groups, incarceration reformers and a household name among appellate advocates. And then there's the view backed by a few lawyers at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

  • March 25, 2024

    Judge Finalizes Ban On Taking $540M IP Fight To China

    An Illinois federal judge granted Motorola's request to stop Hytera from pursuing a non-infringement case against it in China, saying Monday that she would also start contempt proceedings in the case.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ill. Atty Fights To Keep Reinstatement Dispute In DC Court

    An Illinois attorney argued Monday that her lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Justice and its immigration component's refusal to reinstate her practice before federal immigration courts belongs in D.C. federal court, where the DOJ is based, not Virginia.

  • March 25, 2024

    Prior Deal Bars Issues-Only Classes In NCAA Football MDL

    An Illinois federal judge has denied a bid by former NCAA football players for issue-only classes in multidistrict litigation over concussion injuries, saying a settlement from a prior MDL specifically prohibits issue-only classes.

  • March 25, 2024

    TreeHouse Shareholders Get New Chance To Sue Execs

    An Illinois appellate panel reversed a Cook County judge Friday and revived a derivative lawsuit demanding that TreeHouse Foods sue three individual executives the shareholders claim materially misled them by falsely stating that two newly acquired companies were being successfully integrated into the food company's operations.

  • March 25, 2024

    7th Circ. Reverses Union's $2.3M Win In Pension Dispute

    The Seventh Circuit reversed a Teamsters pension fund's $2.3 million win in a dispute over withdrawal liability against a bulk transport company, finding that a lower court properly denied the union attorney fees but erred in ruling in the union's favor on the merits of the case.

  • March 25, 2024

    Paul Weiss-Led AbbVie Inks Up To $212M Deal For Landos Bio

    AbbVie Inc., represented by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, said Monday it will pay up to $212.5 million for Cooley LLP-led Landos Biopharma Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for autoimmune diseases.

  • March 25, 2024

    3 BIPA Pros Join Blank Rome In Chicago From Taft Stettinius

    Blank Rome LLP announced the additions of three former Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP attorneys to its corporate litigation group on Monday, touting the Chicago-based trio's experience with biometric privacy laws in a state that has often led the charge on them.

  • March 25, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, litigants battled as Truth Social went public, Carl Icahn and Tripadvisor hit a roadblock, and more shareholders wailed about "invasive" bylaws. Oil drilling and pharmaceutical mergers sparked new lawsuits, and a sewing machine trademark owner sued to end a contract.

  • March 25, 2024

    Class Cert. In United Military Leave Suit Will Have To Wait

    An Illinois federal judge said he had doubts about claims that United Airlines owes pay to pilots taking military leaves, saying he'll wait for several appeals courts to decide the fate of similar suits before signing off on class certification.

  • March 25, 2024

    7th Circ. Affirms Co. Can't Get $3.5M Software Deduction

    A healthcare company that helps nursing homes buy equipment is not entitled to $3.5 million in tax deductions meant for domestic software production, the Seventh Circuit ruled, saying the company failed to meet the threshold for the break because it didn't actually provide software to customers.

  • March 25, 2024

    Lender Curo Group Hits Ch. 11 To Slash $1B In Debt

    Consumer lender Curo Group Holdings Corp. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas on Monday with a plan of reorganization supported by a majority group of creditors, saying it crumbled under a $2.1 billion debt load with high interest rates.

  • March 22, 2024

    Power Line's Refuge Crossing To Stay On Hold For Now

    A Wisconsin federal judge on Friday extended an order temporarily blocking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from executing a land swap that would allow the nearly completed Cardinal-Hickory Creek high-voltage transmission line to cross part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

  • March 22, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Abortion, Jury Trials And Estate Tax

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision expanding access to popular abortion pill mifepristone as well as whether juries should determine a defendants' eligibility for repeat offender enhanced sentencing under the Armed Career Criminal Act and how long federal employees have to appeal adverse employment decisions.

  • March 22, 2024

    Ill. Justices Weigh Whether Rule Violation Merits Fee Award

    The Illinois Supreme Court has questioned whether two law firms should be allowed to preserve their $1.7 million fee award for their work on a family dispute that settled after they were fired, as the justices asked whether fees are appropriate if the firms never disclosed how they would split the money.

  • March 22, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: NAR, Climate, Data Center Dollars

    Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's key developments by state — as well as on how the National Association of Realtors could shift broker fees, what the country's patchwork of climate action plans means for real estate, and why private equity is hot on data centers.

  • March 22, 2024

    Ill. Atty Tampered With Witness In Own Fraud Case, Feds Say

    A Chicago-area lawyer facing criminal tax fraud charges has been slapped with a superseding indictment accusing him of witness tampering by trying to script a bookkeeper's testimony, according to an announcement made Friday.

  • March 22, 2024

    Judge Signals OK For $15M DIP Loan To Petersen Health Care

    During a break in a hearing Friday afternoon in Delaware bankruptcy court, senior-living company Petersen Health Care reached an interim deal with its debtor-in-possession lender and its prepetition lenders to let it access $15 million of its proposed $45 million DIP loan.

  • March 22, 2024

    Ill. Justices Won't Stop Exec Email Defamation Suit

    A Chicago software company must face a defamation suit over two anonymous, disparaging emails sent to a competitor's executives, Illinois' top justices have ruled, finding a company's reputation can be harmed even by messages sent only to top-level leaders. 

  • March 22, 2024

    Ill. Judges End Diversity Rules That Drew Conservative Ire

    The Seventh Circuit's chief judge has resolved judicial misconduct complaints targeting allegedly discriminatory standing orders by some Illinois federal judges encouraging younger, female and minority attorneys to handle oral arguments, after two of the judges rescinded their policies in response to the complaints.

  • March 22, 2024

    NLRB Urges 7th Circ. To Toss Union's Sanctions Bid

    The National Labor Relations Board challenged an International Union of Operating Engineers local's "wholly inappropriate" sanctions bid against the agency at the Seventh Circuit, telling the appeals court that the union can't raise an argument related to the lawfulness of a punch-in policy for strike replacement workers.

  • March 21, 2024

    Burford, Sysco Get OK To Swap Bid In Price-Fixing Cases

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday agreed to allow an affiliate of legal investment firm Burford Capital to substitute for food giant Sysco in price-fixing litigation against broiler chicken producers, a ruling that comes a month after a Minnesota federal judge refused to allow the same Burford unit to substitute for Sysco in similar pork and beef price-fixing litigation.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.

  • Disney Copyright Expiration Spurs Trademark Questions

    Author Photo

    While the recent expiration of Disney’s Steamboat Willie copyright is not likely to have an immediate impact, it could provide clarity on the extent to which trademark rights in character names and appearance affect what others can do with characters from works whose copyright has expired, says Bryan Wheelock at Harness IP.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

    Author Photo

    The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

    Author Photo

    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • Regulatory Trends Offer 4 Lessons For Debt Relief Providers

    Author Photo

    A string of enforcement actions, including a New York lawsuit filed last month by seven states and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, underscore the regulatory scrutiny that debt relief and credit repair companies face and offer important lessons on telemarketing and deceptive practices compliance, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

    Author Photo

    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • No AI FRAUD Act Is A Significant Step For Right Of Publicity

    Author Photo

    The No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas and Unauthorized Duplications Act's proposed federal right of publicity protection, including post-mortem rights, represents a significant step toward harmonizing the landscape of right of publicity law, Rachel Hofstatter and Aaron Rosenthal at Honigman.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Keeping Up With Class Actions: Data Breach Litigation In Flux

    Author Photo

    In this monthly look at notable class action decisions, Gerald Maatman at Duane Morris examines a recent mixed-bag data breach ruling from an Illinois federal court — in the context of case law developments over the last year — which illustrates the range of issues confronting litigants going forward.

  • A Rare Look At Judicial Interpretation Of LEG Exclusions

    Author Photo

    A Florida federal court’s order last month in Archer Western-De Moya v. Ace American Insurance and an earlier decision from a D.C. federal court offer insight into how courts may interpret defects exclusion clauses developed by the London Engineering Group — filling a void in case law in the area, says Jonathan Bruce at Holman Fenwick.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

    Author Photo

    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • 5 Lessons For SaaS Companies After Blackbaud Data Breach

    Author Photo

    Looking at the enforcement actions that software-as-a-service provider Blackbaud resolved with state attorneys general, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in the past year can help SaaS companies manage these increasingly common forms of data breaches, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

    Author Photo

    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Legislative And Litigation Trends In Environmental Advertising

    Author Photo

    Companies that tout their products' environmental benefits can significantly reduce the risk that they will face allegations of greenwashing by staying up to date on related Federal Trade Commission guidance, state requirements and litigation trends, say Raqiyyah Pippins and Kelsie Sicinski at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Illinois archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!