Illinois

  • April 09, 2024

    Sheppard Mullin Adds Locke Lord Corporate Transactions Pro

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP has added the co-chair of Locke Lord LLP's corporate and transactional department as a partner in Chicago, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • April 09, 2024

    Printer Buyers Defend HP Ink Cartridge Antitrust Claims

    HP printer buyers told an Illinois federal court they've done enough to show that HP monopolized the market for replacement ink cartridges by alleging the company used firmware updates to lock them into purchasing HP ink cartridges.

  • April 09, 2024

    7th Circ. Allows Casino Workers To Appeal Class Cert. Denial

    The Seventh Circuit granted Casino Queen workers' request to immediately challenge a trial court's refusal to certify a class in their suit alleging that company executives charged their employee stock ownership plan $170 million for shares that ended up being worthless.

  • April 09, 2024

    16 States Seek To Defend EPA Particulate Matter Rule

    A coalition of 16 states, New York City and Washington, D.C., has pushed to intervene before the D.C. Circuit in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final rule tightening federal standards for fine particulate matter pollution, as it faces challenges from industry groups and Republican-led states.

  • April 09, 2024

    California Can Set Own Emissions Standards, DC Circ. Says

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program, rejecting challenges filed by red states and industry groups.

  • April 08, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Demolish Obama Center Approval

    Federal agencies properly reviewed the environmental impacts of building the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park, the Seventh Circuit ruled Monday, once again rejecting opponents' attempts to stop construction of the campus set to open in 2026.

  • April 08, 2024

    Target's Acne Treatments Contain Benzene, Customer Says

    A Target customer in Illinois has launched consumer protection claims in federal court targeting acne treatments the retail giant allegedly manufactures and markets without disclosing benzene among their active ingredients. 

  • April 08, 2024

    3 Firms To Lead Weber Investor Suit Over $3.7B PE Buyout

    Prickett Jones & Elliot, Grant & Eisenhofer PA, and Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check will together represent a proposed class of investors in grill maker Weber Inc. in consolidated litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery over a $3.7 billion squeeze-out by private equity firm BDT Capital Partners LLC, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick decided on Monday in what she described as a "close call."

  • April 08, 2024

    Allstate Sues Ex-Agent For Post-Litigation 'Smear Campaign'

    Allstate Insurance Co. has alleged in Colorado federal court that a former independent contractor it previously sued for allegedly stealing trade secrets has since launched an online "smear campaign" to spread false claims that the company is selling its customers' sensitive personal data to criminals and that it flouted a court order in the earlier suit by posting confidential deposition excerpts.

  • April 08, 2024

    Hytera's IMs With Chinese Court Don't Sway Judge

    An Illinois federal judge told Hytera Communications on Monday it still had not done enough to be free of serious sanctions for continuing a Chinese intellectual property suit against her orders, saying recent instant messages between Hytera and the Chinese court were not proof the case was officially over.

  • April 08, 2024

    Judge Urged To Reject UnitedHealth's Antitrust Deal Qualms

    Patients who cut a $55 million antitrust settlement with NorthShore University HealthSystem are urging an Illinois federal court to reject objections by United Healthcare Services, arguing that the insurer has no standing to derail the deal and that its challenge to the agreement could dilute their recovery.

  • April 08, 2024

    Teamsters Benefits Row Isn't Arbitrable, Sysco Tells 7th Circ.

    An Indiana federal judge correctly held that a Sysco distribution center in Indianapolis didn't have to arbitrate a dispute with a Teamsters local over workers' entitlement to early retirement benefits, the company has told the Seventh Circuit, asking the appellate court to uphold the judge's ruling. 

  • April 08, 2024

    Ex-USPS Worker Can Proceed With Disability Suit

    An Illinois federal judge refused to toss an ex-worker's lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service, saying she had enough evidence to get her claim that she was denied overtime because of a wrist injury before a jury, but failed to show that age discrimination was at play.

  • April 05, 2024

    Wow Bao Says Customer Can't Prove Kiosk Data Collection

    Asian fast-food chain Wow Bao has urged an Illinois state court judge to grant it summary judgment in a biometric privacy suit targeting the company's self-serve kiosks, arguing it cannot be held liable for collecting or possessing data it never in fact had.

  • April 07, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Save Hytera From 'Self-Inflicted' Wounds

    A Seventh Circuit panel this weekend said Hytera Communications could not be trusted after it filed a Chinese lawsuit behind an Illinois court's back and brought a $1 million daily fine upon itself, as a federal judge said she needed written proof that a Chinese court had really dismissed the suit.

  • April 05, 2024

    Rapper French Montana Seeks Atty Fees For 'Frivolous' IP Row

    French Montana has told an Illinois federal judge that a young musician who alleged that the rapper sampled his song to make his hit single "Ain't Worried About Nothin'" should cover the attorney fees and litigation costs he spent defending the "frivolous" copyright lawsuit, suggesting that he only filed it to gain publicity.

  • April 05, 2024

    New Partner Joins Nixon Peabody's IP Team In Chicago

    Nixon Peabody LLP has brought on a pair of patent attorneys to its Chicago office, including a partner who worked at Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP for more than 30 years.

  • April 05, 2024

    Insurer Denies Coverage In Pet Store BIPA Class Action

    An insurer told a Michigan federal court Friday that it didn't have to cover a pet store in an underlying employee proposed class action alleging the store violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act because the claims were precluded by the policy and a state statute of limitations.

  • April 05, 2024

    Beverage Giant Sued Under Illinois Genetic Privacy Law

    Reyes Holdings, the largest beer distributor in the United States, has been sued in Illinois state court by a proposed class of job applicants who claim their genetic privacy rights were violated when they were required to submit to physical exams and inquiries about their family medical history as a condition of employment at the beverage distributor or its subsidiaries.

  • April 04, 2024

    Boeing Can't Ditch Ill. Securities Fraud Suit Over 737 Max

    An Illinois state judge on Thursday refused to throw out Boeing investors' suit accusing the aerospace company of misleading and lying to investors following the deadly Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes involving Boeing's then-new 737 Max jets, according to an order entered in Cook County Circuit Court.

  • April 04, 2024

    'Halfhearted' Hytera Filings Not Enough To Lift Hefty Sanctions

    Hytera Communications' daily $1 million fine and other sanctions for violating an Illinois federal judge's anti-suit injunction stayed in place Thursday as she ordered the company to submit a fourth, more "meaningful" request in China to halt a lawsuit it lodged against Motorola Solutions.

  • April 04, 2024

    Ill. Temp Worker Dispute Stayed For 7th Circ. Appeal

    A challenge to an Illinois law mandating that many temporary workers receive equivalent benefits to long-term employees has been stayed, as a federal court allowed the state to appeal an order preliminarily blocking the statute.

  • April 04, 2024

    Smith & Wesson Scolded At 7th Circ. For Minimizing Victims

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Thursday lambasted counsel for Smith & Wesson for stating "several" people were killed or wounded in the July Fourth shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, saying he was tempted to use up some of the company's allotted time by listing the names of all 55 victims.

  • April 04, 2024

    White & Case Lands Mayer Brown Energy Ace In Chicago

    White & Case LLP has added a Chicago partner to its global project development and finance practice, the firm said Thursday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Winning Foreign Patent Damages Just Became A Lighter Lift

    The Federal Circuit has clarified that patent owners can ask for reasonable royalties when pursuing damages for foreign infringement and expanded what constitutes eligible infringement in those instances, a ruling attorneys say should make it easier to recover damages from abroad.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'

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    In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.

  • Young Thug Case Spotlights Debate Over Lyric Admissibility

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    A Georgia court’s recent ruling, allowing prosecutors to use some of rapper Young Thug’s lyrics in his conspiracy trial, captures the ongoing debate about whether rap lyrics are admissible, with courts often stretching the boundaries of the federal evidence rules, say Amy Buice at Smith Gambrell and Emily Ward at Continuum Legal Group.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Employers Should Review Training Repayment Tactics

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    State and federal examination of employee training repayment agreements has intensified, and with the potential for this tool to soon be severely limited, employers should review their options, including pivoting to other retention strategies, says Aaron Vance at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • AI's Baked-In Bias: What To Watch Out For

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    The federal AI executive order is a direct acknowledgment of the perils of inherent bias in artificial intelligence systems, and highlights the need for legal professionals to thoroughly vet AI systems, including data and sources, algorithms and AI training methods, and more, say Jonathan Hummel and Jonathan Talcott at Ballard Spahr.

  • Cos.' Trade Secret Measures Must Adjust To Remote-Work Era

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    Several recent cases demonstrate that companies need to reevaluate and adjust their trade secret protection strategies in this new age of remote work, says Stephanie Riley at Womble Bond.

  • Safe-Harbor Period Change Could Hinder TCPA Compliance

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    A proposed rule change under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission would require businesses to honor do-not-call requests within 24 hours of receipt for calls and texts that are subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and companies have already called it unreasonable, say Aaron Weiss and Danny Enjamio at Carlton Fields.

  • Opinion

    Courts Shouldn't Credit Allegations From Short-Seller Reports

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    Securities class actions against public companies can extend for years and lead to significant settlements, so courts should not allow such cases with allegations wholly reliant on reports by short-sellers, who have an economic interest in seeing a company's stock price decline, to proceed past the motion to dismiss stage, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Why 7th Circ. Libel Ruling Is Crucial For The Media

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    As more defamation plaintiffs attorneys argue that allowing a published statement to remain online after additional evidence of falsity emerges equates to actual malice, the Seventh Circuit's recent National Police Association v. Gannett opinion should be lauded by the media and online publishers as a favorable decision, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

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