News from October 2023
LIVE WEB - Navigating Your Time, Billing & Accounting Options on October 10, 2023
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Attorney General Raoul Announces $49.5 Million Multistate Settlement With Blackbaud for Data Breach
Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that Illinois, along with 49 other attorneys general, has reached a settlement with software company Blackbaud concerning its data security practices and response to a 2020 data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers across the United States.
Tribal loyalty should not determine your vote in 2024
Although I have lived in the Metro East for twenty-five plus years, my heart will remain with my hometown of Pittsburgh and, as such, I will always remain a die-hard Steelers fan. They may never return to the glory days of the Steel Curtain but they might and that hope is what I hold onto. I am no fair weather fan either - I wear the black and gold with pride throughout the season.
Former East St. Louis police officer sues over alleged discrimination, retaliatory termination
BELLEVILLE – A former East St. Louis police officer is suing the city, alleging she was discriminated against on the basis of her gender and later terminated from her position after filing a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Class action alleges Maesto Consulting Services violates BIPA
BELLEVILLE – A class action lawsuit alleges St. Paul's Senior Community violates employees' privacy under state law by requiring them to use a fingerprint reader system to clock in and out of work.
Suspended Belleville attorney sued for alleged legal malpractice, fraud
BELLEVILLE – Suspended attorney Jason Caraway, of Belleville, is being sued by a former client for allegedly settling her workplace injury suit for less than the worker's compensation award, failing to inform her, and then allegedly absconded with the funds.
Justice Department Awards More Than $1.4 Million to Public Safety Operations in Southern Illinois
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced five Metro East entities as recipients for a combined $1.4 million in federal funding to support local public safety and community justice efforts.
Suit alleges man died following botched catheter procedure
BELLEVILLE – The family of a St. Elizabeth's Hospital patient claims he died after his bowel was lacerated during a catheter procedure.
Appeals panel: Employers don't owe OT for 'incidental' work if workers don't record the hours
A federal appeals court tossed out a jury verdict that had ordered ATM maker NCR to pay a field tech more than $250,000 for allegedly unpaid OT performed off the clock
Chicago teachers union spending on teachers down, politics up in 2023
The Chicago Teachers Union’s most recent federal report reveals just 17% of its spending in 2023 was on representing teachers, but it tripled its political spending from the previous year. Nearly 500 teachers left the union.
Customer sues O' Fallon At Home store claiming display of mirrors fell on her
BELLEVILLE – A woman is suing the At Home store in OFallon, claiming that a display of floor-length mirrors fell on her while she was shopping.
Dugan delays depositions in Casino Queen pension suit pending settlement efforts
EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge David Dugan stayed depositions about the collapse of Casino Queen’s pension plan for 30 days so they wouldn’t affect settlement negotiations.
Attorney General Raoul Urges Congress to Increase Access to Banking Services for State-licensed Cannabis Businesses
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 22 attorneys general, urged congressional leaders to approve the SAFER Banking Act of 2023 to lift banking restrictions that prevent state-licensed cannabis businesses from accessing the full range of regulated banking and financial services.
Norfolk Southern Railway employee alleges injuries after falling from locomotive
EDWARDSVILLE – A railroad employee claims he was injured on the job when he fell from a locomotive.
Low 3rd-grade literacy is warning for future learning, earning potential
Few Illinois third-grade students can read at grade level. Even fewer low-income and minority students are at grade level in reading. Research shows this is a warning sign for Illinois students’ academic success and adult earning potential.
No injury, no barriers? IL Sup Ct to decide if 'no-injury' standard for big money biometrics lawsuits applies to other laws, too
Walgreens has won the chance to ask the state high court to decide if plaintiffs' lawyers can press big money class actions in Illinois state courts under a federal identity protection law, despite no harm caused by a technical violation of the law, and despite rulings across the country that they can't do so
Suit alleges Protestant Memorial Medical Center patient suffered head injury after fall
BELLEVILLE – A patient of the Protestant Memorial Medical Center in Belleville claims he was neglected under the facility's care, causing him to fall and suffer serious head and brain injuries.
Man alleges injuries after finding glass in drink at Shiloh restaurant
BELLEVILLE – A man claims he suffered internal bleeding after allegedly being served a beverage with glass in it while dining at the 54th Street Grill in Shiloh.
Dugan grants summary judgment in butter cake class action over faulty reports
EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge David Dugan, who accepted reports provided by class action attorney Spencer Sheehan about research on butter cake as true last year, found butter in the cake but no truth in the reports.
Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP Sponsors Duly Health and Care Charitable Fund Fundraiser
Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP and partners Elizabeth A. Bruer, Marie K. Lynch, and Jessica Levitt Acuna are proud to sponsor the “Care Affair Uncorked” fundraiser hosted by the Duly Health and Care Charitable Fund on October 7 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.