Illinois

  • 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.

  • April 03, 2024

    Hytera's Word Alone Won't Lift $1M-Per-Day Sanctions

    An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday refused to lift a $1 million-a-day fine and other contempt sanctions against Hytera Communications without more proof it was out of options to derail Chinese litigation Hytera started against Motorola Solutions, saying she could no longer take the company's representations at face value.

  • April 03, 2024

    Judge Wary Of Atty's Bid To Cut Sentence For Hiding Assets

    A Seventh Circuit judge appeared skeptical Wednesday of an Illinois lawyer's contention that she should not have received an abuse-of-trust sentencing enhancement for helping her brother conceal more than $350,000 in bankruptcy assets, noting she deposited them in her attorney trust account and attempted to assert attorney-client privilege to hide her conduct from the trustee.

  • April 03, 2024

    McDermott Adds Ex-Baker McKenzie Tax Pro In Chicago

    The former chair of Baker McKenzie's Chicago tax practice group has joined McDermott Will & Emery LLP and will work as a partner in the firm's Chicago office, McDermott said Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    NFL Helmet Maker Riddell Receives $400M PE Investment

    NFL helmets maker Riddell Inc., advised by Lowenstein Sandler LLP, will get a $400 million infusion from King & Spalding LLP-led private equity firm BC Partners Credit, in an effort to advance the company's role in the game of football and put money in the pocket of current investors, the two announced Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Ethiopian Air Trial Set For November Over Boeing's Objections

    An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday that some pending lawsuits over a 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash will go to trial late this year, despite Boeing's objections that he should hold off on setting a trial date to allow for fruitful settlement negotiations.

  • April 03, 2024

    Ex-Saul Ewing Paralegal Gets 2 Years For $600K Fraud

    An Illinois federal judge sentenced a former Saul Ewing LLP paralegal to two years in prison for embezzling more than $600,000 from the firm's bankruptcy practice over nine years, which she used to make mortgage payments, buy a car and partially fund her son's college education.

  • April 02, 2024

    Northwestern Must Face Fired Football Coach's $130M Suit

    An Illinois state judge refused Tuesday to dismiss fired Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald's $130 million contract breach suit alleging he was terminated without cause amid a monthslong probe into hazing allegations, teeing up the case for trial in April 2025.

  • April 02, 2024

    'This Just Has To Stop': Judge Hits Hytera With $1M Daily Fine

    An Illinois federal judge imposed a daily $1 million fine and other steep contempt sanctions against Hytera Communications on Tuesday, as she ripped the company for violating her order to refrain from participating in Chinese litigation that could undermine Motorola Solutions' $530 million mobile radio trade secrets trial win.

  • April 02, 2024

    Amazon App Users Win Class Cert. For BIPA Claims

    An Illinois federal judge has granted class certification to consumers who allege Amazon's virtual try-on technology violates the Prairie State's biometric privacy law.

  • April 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Parents' Claims in Abbott Formula Row

    The Seventh Circuit upheld on Tuesday the dismissal of parents' claims they were economically harmed from buying infant formula that could have been contaminated with bacteria at an Abbott Laboratories plant, saying their alleged injuries aren't enough to prove standing. 

  • April 02, 2024

    Kids' Clothier Didn't Deceive By Silence On PFAS, Judge Says

    An Illinois federal judge has thrown out a proposed class suit alleging that The Children's Place Inc. hid the presence of so-called "forever chemicals" in its school uniforms, saying the plaintiffs haven't alleged any duty to disclose or that the company's statements were misleading.

  • April 02, 2024

    3 Firms Guide Safety Testing Group UL's Estimated $770M IPO

    Safety science company UL Solutions Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a price range for an estimated $770 million initial public offering under the guidance of three law firms, marking the third company to launch IPO plans this week.

  • April 01, 2024

    'Unreliable' Theory Dooms City's Acthar Antitrust Cert. Bid

    The city of Rockford has presented "unreliable" damages evidence that cannot warrant giving class treatment to its claim that pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts engaged in a scheme to fix prices for the seizure medication Acthar, an Illinois federal judge has said.

  • April 01, 2024

    Allstate Liable For Contractors' Illegal Marketing Calls

    An Illinois federal judge found that Allstate violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when its telemarketing subcontractor made phone calls to a man whose number was on Allstate's internal do-not-call list.

  • April 01, 2024

    Gas Cos. Must Face State Law Claims In Contamination Row

    Electricity and natural gas company WEC Energy Group Inc. can't dodge all claims by Illinois residents accusing the company and its subsidiary of conspiring with a public relations firm to hide the extent of natural gas contamination in an aquifer that provides drinking water, an Illinois federal judge ruled Sunday.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements

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    As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.

  • Steps To Success For Senior Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

  • How To Avoid A Zombie Office Building Apocalypse

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    With national office vacancy rates approaching 20%, policymakers, investors and developers will need to come together in order to prevent this troubling trend from sucking the life out of business districts or contaminating the broader real estate market, say Ryan Sommers and Robyn Minter Smyers at Thompson Hine.

  • Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

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    At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

  • Opinion

    Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice

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    The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • Case Law Is Mixed On D&O Coverage For Gov't Investigations

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    As the Fourth Circuit’s recent decision in Brown Goldstein v. Federal Insurance Co. demonstrates, federal appeals courts take different approaches to determine whether government investigations are covered by directors and officers liability insurance, so companies and individuals must review their policy language, say Chloe Law, Jan Larson and Caroline Meneau at Jenner & Block.

  • SuperValu's Lesson: Always Be Building An FCA Defense

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    The recent U.S. v. SuperValu decision confirming that scienter is an essential element of False Claims Act liability should motivate government contractors to prepare for allegations of material misrepresentation by building a record of their honorable efforts toward regulatory compliance, say David Resnicoff and Andrew Patton at Riley Safer.

  • Next Steps For Ill. Tort Defendants After Cotton V. Coccaro

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    While an Illinois appeals court's ruling in Cotton v. Coccaro recently upheld the constitutionality of the state's law imposing prejudgment interest in personal injury and wrongful death actions, defendants can still raise constitutional challenges to the law pending Illinois Supreme Court review, says Melissa Murphy-Petros at Wilson Elser.

  • NBA Players Must Avoid Legal Fouls In CBD Deals

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    The NBA’s recently ratified collective bargaining agreement allows athletes to promote CBD brands and products, but athletes and the companies they promote must be cautious of a complex patchwork of applicable state laws and federal regulators’ approach to advertising claims, says Airina Rodrigues at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks

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    Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.

  • Virginia 'Rocket Docket' Slowdown Is Likely A Blip

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    After being the fastest or second-fastest federal civil trial court for 14 straight years, the Eastern District of Virginia has slid to 18th place, but the rocket docket’s statistical tumble doesn't mean the district no longer maintains a speedy civil docket, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Concerns Emerging On TM Cases Against Undisclosed Parties

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    There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases filed by brands against hundreds of counterfeiters as undisclosed defendants, and given these suits' debatable success in curbing counterfeiting, courts and Congress could view them as a drain on judicial resources, say Bea Swedlow and David Roulo at Honigman.

  • Now Is The Time For State And Local Sales Tax Simplification

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    In the five years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, state and local governments increasingly rely on sales tax, but simple changes are needed to make compliance more manageable for taxpayers, wherever located, without unduly burdening interstate commerce, says Charles Maniace at Sovos.

  • 5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving

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    Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.

  • 3 Abortion Enforcement Takeaways 1 Year After Dobbs

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    A year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, confusion continues to abound amid the quagmire of state-level enforcement risks, federal efforts to protect reproductive health care, and fights over geolocation data, say Elena Quattrone and Sarah Hall at Epstein Becker.

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