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Friday, March 29, 2024

Dan Churney News


IL Supreme Court: Man can sue his employer for injuries, even though he initially did not report lawsuit in bankruptcy

By Dan Churney |
The Illinois high court said there was no proof the man intentionally tried to pull a scam on bankruptcy officials by not initially telling them he was suing his employer and other companies for injuries he claimed he suffered on the job

IL Supreme Court to consider time limits, to limit potential payouts for biometrics privacy class actions

By Dan Churney |
The Illinois Supreme Court will hear arguments Sept. 22 that could put a brake on the onslaught of biometric privacy class actions by ruling whether a five-year or a one-year statute of limitations applies

IL Supreme Court rules employers can be liable for accidents, even if their employees aren't negligent

By Dan Churney |
The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled a jury was right to hold a Chicago company directly liable for a traffic collision, because the company told one of its drivers to haul an unsafely loaded truck despite the driver's concerns, finding an employer can be held liable both for the acts of their employees and for their own acts.

Reform watchdog: Fed court can look into state's hiring of unqualified COVID lab techs, contrary to Pritzker's claim

By Dan Churney |
A state hiring watchdog is contending he has not conceded, as "misconstrued" by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, that two dozen allegedly unqualified temporary lab techs hired to help with Covid-19 tests, are outside the watchdog's federal mandate because they were hired off the street rather than promoted from within government.

'Message not getting across:' Judge says Pritzker wrong, feds still need to watch IL state government hiring

By Dan Churney |
A federal judge has not only refused to grant Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's wish to end federal oversight of state hiring, but has granted a modest expansion of that watchdog duty.

Pritzker says federal court-appointed hiring monitor no longer needed, state government has 'reformed' itself

By Dan Churney |
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is saying the state has cleaned up its employment practices, so a federal court-appointed hiring monitor can close up shop

Taxpayer suit says state constitution drafters would be 'horrified' to see long-term debt issued to fund Illinois’ structural budget deficits

By Dan Churney |
Plaintiffs suing to bar Illinois' government from treating borrowing like tax revenue are asking a state judge for the chance to make the case that two state bond issues are illegal and prohibited by the Illinois State Constitution.

New law would require landlords in Cook County, possibly elsewhere in IL, to give financial data to tax assessors

By Dan Churney |
If a Democrat-sponsored bill passes in Springfield, owners of countless rental properties in Cook County and potentially elsewhere in Illinois will have to turn over the property's financial records every year to their county assessor's office for tax calculation.

Class action vs Allstate over rates can continue; Company, not state, set rates, appeals court says

By Dan Churney |
In a split decision, an Illinois appeals panel has stripped Allstate Insurance of its defenses against a class action, which alleged the company unfairly billed long-term auto policyholders more than it charged new ones, saying Illinois insurers can’t protect their rates from lawsuits, because their rates are not controlled by the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Appeals panel: Federal judge wrong to deny Boeing military contractor defense in asbestos suit

By Dan Churney |
A Chicago federal appeals court has overridden a downstate federal judge, who sent an ex-Boeing worker’s asbestos suit against the company back to state court, saying the case belongs under federal jurisdiction because Boeing claims the federal government was in control of its bomber production and knew the danger of asbestos was involved.

IL high court: Cities can't sidestep lawsuits by simply calling property repairs 'discretionary'

By Dan Churney |
The Illinois Supreme Court has reduced the reach of the legal shield long enjoyed under Illinois state law by cities and other public bodies when faced with personal injury lawsuits, as the high court indicated the rationale advanced by lower court judges in rejecting a woman’s lawsuit over the injuries she sustained tripping on a Danville sidewalk was overbroad.

Nickel & Dime: eBay, online retailers warn SCOTUS could unleash lawsuit torrent vs sellers over taxes

By Dan Churney |
Nickel & Dime: eBay, online retailers warn SCOTUS ruling could unleash torrent of lawsuits accusing sellers over taxes

Appeal judges mull 'troubling' questions on potential fallout from $3M verdict vs GSK over lawyer's suicide

By Dan Churney |
With one judge saying he found “troubling” the potential harm to patients from decreased incentives for drug makers to develop new breakthrough medications, a federal appellate panel in Chicago hashed out some of the legal questions surrounding the appeal of jury’s verdict ordering GlaxoSmithKline to pay $3 million to the widow of a Chicago lawyer who committed suicide, and whose family has accused the pharmaceutical company of failing to warn that a generic version of its drug Paxil could raise a patient’s risk of suicide.

Life after the Chicago Bears: Ex-players have collected $12.8M in Workers' Comp since 2000

By Dan Churney |
Former Bears running back Matt Forte racked up $43 million in pay before retiring after the 2017-18 season at age 32 because of knee injuries. Now, Forte is trying to get money for those injuries through the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act.

IL Supreme Court calls for fix of rules apportioning blame in multi-car crashes; could leave defendants 'holding bag'

By Dan Churney |
Illinois’ highest state court has upheld a Chicago appeals panel and a Cook County judge's rulings that a defendant in a car crash suit had no basis to contest his codefendant's settlement with the plaintiff under Illinois law, because there was no evidence of fraud, despite concerns the ruling could leave less culpable co-defendants “holding the bag” at trial.