U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Recent News About U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
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Edwardsville attorney Ron Foster appointed Madison County associate judge
Edwardsville attorney Ronald J. Foster Jr. has been selected Madison County associate judge for the vacancy left by former associate judge Donald M. Flack’s retirement. -
IHOP restaurant operators file motion to dismiss EEOC's harassment allegations
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (Legal Newsline) – Two companies in Illinois that operate IHOP restaurants have filed a motion to dismiss allegations from IHOP employees who claimed they faced sexual harassment at work. -
Court denies move to increase punitive damage award in auto accident lawsuit
BENTON – A federal judge has ruled against an Illinois man who filed a motion to increase the amount of punitive damages awarded in a case involving a car accident. -
Yandle grants summary judgment for Hardee's in suit alleging leg amputation from sidewalk fall
A handicapped woman who tripped on a two-inch curb at the Jerseyville Hardees after failing to use the designated handicapped parking is appealing District Judge Staci Yandle’s order granting summary judgment for the restaurant. -
Yandle denies request for hearing on motion to dismiss class action alleging contamination from 2015 Highland oil spill
District Judge Staci Yandle will decide whether dismissal is appropriate for two pipeline companies without a hearing in a suit alleging they contaminated land near Highland following a 2015 oil spill where 100 barrels of crude oil were accidentally released. -
Summary judgment granted in St. Clair County bid rigging suit; Yandle: Jury left with ‘speculation, guesswork’ without evidence of proper penalty rate
District Judge Staci Yandle granted summary judgment for St. Clair County tax buyer defendants and closed the case alleging the tax buyers participated in a bid-rigging conspiracy with Treasurer Charles Suarez. -
Court denies plaintiffs' motion to exclude expert witnesses in AutoZone aftermarket part suit
BENTON – Two plaintiffs’ motions to exclude expert witnesses in a lawsuit to recover damages for the purchase of an allegedly defective auto part was denied by Judge Staci M. Yandle on March 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. -
Court grants Hartford Fire Insurance summary judgment in flood damage case
BENTON — The U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of Illinois granted Hartford Fire Insurance Co.'s motion for summary judgment on March 23, citing certain exclusions in its coverage policy maintained the company could not be held liable for property damage stemming from a burst pipe. -
District judge directs BASSC, former worker to settlement conference in employment case
BENTON — U.S. District Judge David Herndon has granted in part and denied in part a special-education cooperative's motion for summary judgment in a case filed by an employee who retired earlier than planned and directed them to a settlement conference. -
Jurors award family $8.1 million in trial involving company’s failure to disclose all insurance
BENTON – Jurors in U.S. district court awarded a family more than $8 million on a claim that Southern Illinois Asphalt misrepresented its insurance when negotiating with them in prior litigation. -
Belleville attorney Alana Mejias appointed St. Clair County associate judge; Father-in-law is former judge Cueto
Belleville attorney Alana I. Mejias, 35, has been appointed St. Clair County associate judge to fill the vacancy left by former associate judge Randall Kelley. -
Threat of sanctions lifted as trial against road builders gets under way in Benton
BENTON – U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle forgave defendants for filing a frivolous motion as trial approached, finding they acted in desperation and not in bad faith. -
Illinois Prevailing Wage Act does not apply to state's high-speed rail project, court rules
BENTON – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted summary judgment to Professional Transportation Inc. (PTI) in an Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) case filed by a former employee. -
Alaskan man convicted on conspiracy charges sues individuals over money collected for legal defense
EAST ST. LOUIS – An Alaskan man previously convicted on federal murder conspiracy charges alleges several individuals used money raised for his legal defense to unjustly enrich themselves. -
Meridian High School student sues over alleged sexual assault, bullying
EAST ST. LOUIS – A mother and her minor child are suing Meridian Community Unit School District 101 and others over allegations the district let an adult on school premises who engaged in sexual contact with the minor. -
Man seeks damages after motorist struck motorcycle in Columbia City
EAST ST. LOUIS – A man alleges a driver attempting to pass in a no-passing zone caused his vehicle to strike the plaintiff's motorcycle. -
Trial starts March 19 in road contractors’ fraud case; Yandle again rejects Murphy report
BENTON – U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle rejected expert testimony of former district judge Patrick Murphy about two weeks before he would have testified for road builders defending a fraud claim. -
Mudge dismisses talc cases for lack of personal jurisdiction; Cites BMS decision
Citing the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brystol-Myers Squibb, Madison County Circuit Judge William Mudge dismissed two separate talcum powder cases that alleged use of Johnson & Johnson baby powder as a feminine hygiene product caused ovarian cancer. -
Benzene class action settles for nearly $5 million; Simmons and others to get $1.2 million in fees
EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal court judge ordered that residents living in or near Roxana are due nearly $5 million in damages over allegations Shell Oil and its affiliates were responsible for releasing benzene into the ground that contaminated the water and devalued properties. -
Summary judgment granted in Hardee’s slip and fall: ‘Plaintiff cannot ambush defendants with entirely new theory’
BENTON – U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle canceled an injury trial against a Hardee’s restaurant after deciding she wouldn’t let Alton lawyers Michael Glisson and Timothy Chartrand “ambush defendants with an entirely new theory.”