News from January 2005
Rule 225 offers viable solution to dubious claims
Mike Pope Monday, Jan. 24 may prove to be a milestone in efforts to restore balance and consistency to the handling of class actions in Illinois.
Update: In court last week, Jan 18-21
Molly Alter v. Starbucks et.al.
Defendants filed a motion to dismiss. Circuit Judge George Moran set a hearing on the motion for Feb. 10 at 9:30 a.m.
It's all about the legacy
Famous footwear It's only fair.
Do-gooder reformers hope to soon make Madison County’s heady class action days a memory. So why not etch them in stone forever by appropriately naming Madison County’s new Criminal Justice Center, set to open next month?
Jan. 24-28
Advance Auto Parts
House of cards could fall with Ellis indictment
US Attorney of the Southern District of Illinois Ronald J. Tenpas annouces charges handed down by the grand jury "Public office is a public trust, in turn public office confers on those who hold it, the highest obligations to obey the law," United States Attorney Ronald J. Tenpas stated as he announced the indictments of East St. Louis public officials on Jan. 21.
Battle of employers: Granite City v. Madison County
Madison County Administration Building Granite City filed suit against Madison County Jan. 20 seeking more than $50,000 for medical bills the county refused to pay for a worker with insurance coverage from both employers.
Sears sued by portrait worker over carpet tumble
Frances Loftus, who took a tumble over "disrepaired" carpet where she worked at a Sears Portrait Studio in the Alton Square Mall, is seeking $50,000 in compensation for severe injuries she sustained.
Railroad worker seeks relief for injuries
Kenneth Decker filed a two-count Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) complaint Jan. 20 against the Alton & Southern Railway Company seeking to collect at least $50,000 in damages for injuries he received when another train collided with the train on which he was working.
Q & A with St. Clair County Republican Ladies President Cheryl Mathews
What is the function of the St. Clair GOP ladies club? How many members? When and where do you meet?
Judges make the call in class certifications
Circuit Judge Nicholas Byron In a dispute over a $50 credit report fee, Paul and Ladonna Wratchford of Wood River sued a lender who refinanced their home. The very same day, they filed suit against the original lender in a dispute over a $20.90 courier fee. Now Madison County Circuit Court Judge Nicholas Byron must decide if the Wratchfords represent two classes of individuals who deserve the same justice.
New Lawsuits: Thursday, Jan. 20
Fresh from the courthouse:
New Lawsuits: Wednesday, Jan. 19
Fresh from the courthouse:
Adoption of Rule 225 would impact local courts
Chicago plaintiff's attorney Myron Cherry Class action lawsuits would be more difficult to bring in Illinois under a proposed rule a committee of the state Supreme Court is scheduled to consider on Monday.
Kay v. Wojcieszak: Settled or not?
An odd turn in a case of unlikely participants came when the defendant--a victims' rights advocate accused of intimidation--refuted a published report that the lawsuit has settled out of court.
Woman sues after falling on sidewalk
Janet Spurgeon, who stumbled and fell on a crosswalk crack at Alton Square Mall, filed a lawsuit seeking at least $50,000 in damages against its owner Simon Property Group.
Metabolife named in new lawsuit in St. Clair County
Katonya Outlaw of Cahokia filed a 10-count lawsuit in St. Clair County Circui Court Jan. 18 against Metabolife and Walgreen's, alleging her use of the ephedra-based weight loss drug damaged her nervous and vascular systems.
Sparta Community Hospital named in suit
The surviving husband of a woman whose death was caused by multiple medication toxicity on May 30, 2004, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Jan. 19 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Sparta Community Hospital, David Chung, M.D. and Healthline Management Inc.
Schneider Trucking Company named in suit
A Belleville man who was thrown off his feet while unloading pallets of air compressors from a truck--and his wife who has been deprived of the fruits of his labor--are suing Schneider Trucking Company for his injuries.
Appeals court rules against Cassens
The 4th District Court of Appeals recently ruled against Cassens Transport Company in a case involving an employee's claim for worker's compensation.
Madison County weighs in on asbestos trust fund
Simmons: No comment Local reaction to U.S. Senator Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) recent proposal to create a $140 billion fund to compensate asbestos victims and cap liability for the businesses that pay into the coffer, was mute.