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Illinois
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June 11, 2024
Smoking Habit Can't Nix Retired Miner's Black Lung Benefits
The Seventh Circuit on Monday backed a review board's decision to uphold black lung benefits for a retired coal worker who smoked cigarettes through his entire career in the mines, saying it wouldn't second-guess medical findings made at the administrative level.
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June 11, 2024
Travelers Says No Coverage For Investment Bank's Bond Row
A Travelers unit said it doesn't owe directors and officers coverage to an investment bank accused of misleading bondholders into investing in a sports complex development project, telling an Illinois federal court the policy bars coverage for claims arising from the bank's performance of services for a client.
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June 11, 2024
JPML Consolidates AT&T Data Breach Suits In Texas
Thirty lawsuits brought against AT&T over a data breach that left 70 million customers' information on the dark web are being consolidated in the Northern District of Texas, with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruling that proximity to AT&T headquarters will bring added efficiency to the proceedings.
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June 11, 2024
Feds Want 10 Years For Ex-Chicago Alderman Burke
Federal prosecutors asked an Illinois federal judge Monday to send former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to prison for 10 years for "brazenly and boldly" using his official position to steer tax business to his law firm, while Burke requested a sentence of probation, bolstered by letters of support from prominent attorneys and retired judges.
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June 11, 2024
J&J Inks $700M Deal To End AGs' Talc Marketing Suits
Forty-three state attorneys general on Tuesday said there has been a $700 million nationwide settlement and a consent judgment has been reached with Johnson & Johnson that ends claims it misled consumers about the safety of its talc products.
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June 10, 2024
Biz Defends $525M Data Storage Patent Win Against Amazon
Efforts by Amazon to dislodge a $525 million jury verdict are too late and amount to sour grapes, a small Chicago software company that won the amount has told an Illinois federal court.
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June 10, 2024
Bankrupt UpHealth Warned Of Criminal Charges In India
A court in India said it has received a criminal charge sheet issued by an investigative governmental agency in Calcutta against bankrupt American healthcare company UpHealth, targeting it and executives over accusations that they conspired to defraud a local healthcare system.
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June 10, 2024
Ill. Judge Hangs Gain False Labeling Claims Out To Dry
An Illinois consumer who washes clothes with Gain detergent cannot pursue fraud claims targeting a bottle's purported load capacity because she hasn't shown that reasonable customers believe the label refers to large rather than medium loads, a federal judge said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
SoCal Workers Want Class Cert. In Union Healthcare Fee Suit
A group of union-represented Southern California hospitality workers who say they're getting charged much higher health insurance rates than their counterparts in Las Vegas are seeking class certification in their lawsuit challenging the rates, according to a filing in Illinois federal court.
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June 10, 2024
Pink Floyd Secures TRO Against Site In Counterfeit Merch Suit
Pink Floyd secured an emergency order on Monday blocking a website from using the band's name on apparel and other products, days after suing the website for allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise and using offshore bank accounts to evade detection.
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June 10, 2024
Ill. Tool Maker Must Face Retirement Mismanagement Claims
An Illinois tool manufacturer must answer to accusations that it mishandled billions in employee retirement savings by allowing their plan to take on unreasonable recordkeeping fees and retaining underperforming funds, a federal judge said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Calif. Cannabis Co. Stiiizy Wants Delta-8 Product Suit Tossed
A California cannabis company urged an Illinois federal judge to toss a consumer-led false advertising lawsuit alleging it put higher levels of THC in its vape pens than federally allowed, saying the buyers didn't even purchase the one product that was allegedly tested.
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June 10, 2024
Paul Hastings Restructuring Pro Rejoins Arnold & Porter
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP announced on Monday the hiring of a former Paul Hastings LLP of counsel as a partner in its bankruptcy and restructuring practice out of Chicago.
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June 10, 2024
Citgo Retirees Secure Amended Class Cert. In ERISA Suit
An Illinois federal judge greenlighted class status to retired Citgo employees who accused the company of shortchanging them by using outdated metrics to calculate early retirement payouts, saying the former employees properly winnowed down the class definition.
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June 10, 2024
Ventilator Co. Vyaire Hits Ch. 11 As COVID Demand Wanes
Vyaire Medical Inc., a company that makes breathing ventilators and other respiratory treatment and diagnosis products, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware after demand for its products waned following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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June 10, 2024
Pharmacy Biz Files Ch. 11 With More Than $235M In Debt
Illinois-based specialty pharmacy Optio Rx has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with more than $235 million in debt and an agreement with creditors for a partial debt-for-equity swap.
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June 10, 2024
Justices Skip Kroger's TM Feud With Grubhub Over Logo
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a Seventh Circuit finding that Grubhub Inc.'s fork-and-knife logo does not infringe a similar emblem used by Kroger's meal-kit delivery service Home Chef.
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June 07, 2024
Ill. Panel Revives Contribution Claim Over Tainted Cilantro
An Illinois state appellate panel has revived a bid by a distributor of contaminated cilantro to have wholesalers contribute to any liability in litigation over the tainted product, saying the distributor did not have to comply with pre-suit notice requirements that would otherwise have applied to the case.
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June 07, 2024
Terraform Funder Must Face Class Claims In Illinois
Terraform Labs' financial backer Jump Trading LLC cannot consolidate a pair of proposed class actions accusing it of propping up the failing crypto platform, with a federal judge ruling that purchasers of a massively devalued crypto token can keep their lawsuit against the high-speed trading firm in Illinois.
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June 07, 2024
Chicago-Area Man Charged With $60M COVID Test Fraud
A suburban Chicago man is facing healthcare fraud and money laundering charges over more than $60 million in Medicare reimbursement claims for over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits that were allegedly never provided, including thousands of tests for dead people.
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June 07, 2024
Exotic Dancers Win Class Status For State Law Wage Claims
An Illinois federal judge has certified a class of exotic dancers who claim they were misclassified as independent contractors and compensated only in tips from customers and not in wages as employees, in violation of federal and state labor laws.
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June 07, 2024
'Deceit On Deceit': 7th Circ. OKs Atty's Asset-Hiding Sentence
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Chicago-area lawyer's three-year sentence for hiding over $350,000 in her brother's bankruptcy, finding two sentence enhancements were properly applied since she "layered deceit upon deceit" to try to conceal assets and cover her tracks.
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June 07, 2024
John Deere Pays $1.1M To End DOL Hiring Bias Probe
John Deere has agreed to pay $1.1 million to the U.S. Department of Labor to shutter an investigation alleging the agricultural manufacturing company declined to employ nearly 300 Black and Hispanic workers through systemic hiring discrimination, the agency announced.
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June 06, 2024
FTC Says Kroger Hasn't Turned Over Promised Documents
The Federal Trade Commission urged an administrative law judge on Tuesday to require Kroger to fork over documents related to negotiations for its divestiture plan amid the commission's in-house challenge to the grocer's merger with Albertsons, saying Kroger's prior representations that it would produce the materials "have proven false."
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June 06, 2024
In 13-Year Trademark Fight, Chicago Judge Says No More
A Chicago federal judge brought to a close a trademark fight between two vaping companies surrounding the phrase "21st Century Smoking" that has stretched on for over a decade and led to millions of dollars in sanctions over thousands of deleted emails and long-hidden documents.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Ill. Banking Brief: All The Notable Compliance Updates In Q3
The third quarter of 2023 saw Illinois lawmakers and the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation focus their attention on expanding access to financial institutions' services and resources, including with increased eligibility for credit union membership and a new data collection regime for licensees, say Mark Svalina and James Morrissey at Vedder Price.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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AGs' Distaste For Food Bill May Signal Other State Issues
States' recent opposition to a proposed federal law that would block them from regulating out-of-state agricultural production could affect issues beyond this narrow debate, such as the balance of state and federal regulatory power, reproductive rights post-Dobbs, and energy production and water use, say Christopher Allen and Stephen Cobb at Cozen O'Connor.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Insurance Rulings Continue Expansion Of Appraisal's Ambit
Two recent Illinois insurance cases allowing property damage appraisers to determine causation — Wysoczan v. Cambridge in federal court and Shelter v. Morrow in state appellate court — perpetuate a judicial trend that will result in a slower, more expensive and cumbersome appraisal process that resembles litigation, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.
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2nd Circ. OT Ruling Guides On Pay For Off-The-Clock Work
While the Second Circuit’s recent holding in Perry v. City of New York reiterated that the Fair Labor Standards Act obligates employers to pay overtime for off-the-clock work, it recognized circumstances, such as an employee’s failure to report, that allow an employer to disclaim the knowledge element that triggers this obligation, say Robert Whitman and Kyle Winnick at Seyfarth.
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Autonomous Vehicles Must Navigate Patchwork Of State Regs
With only modest action by the federal government on the autonomous vehicle regulatory front in 2023, states and localities remain the predominant source of new regulations affecting AVs — but the result is a mix of rules that both help and hinder AV development and adoption, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Federal Policies Keeping Autonomous Vehicles In Slow Lane
In the first installment of this two-part article, attorneys at Faegre Drinker examine recent federal regulations and programs related to autonomous vehicles — and how the federal government's failure to implement a more comprehensive AV regulatory scheme may be slowing the progress of the industry.
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The Case For Culture Assessments In Sports Programs
As hazing allegations against collegiate sports teams and subsequent lawsuits become more prevalent, culture assessments can be implemented as a critical tool to mitigate risks including hazing, lack of gender equity and racism in athletic programs, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Greenwashing And 'Greenhushing': Lessons For Fashion Cos.
While fashion companies continue to pursue improvements in the environmental impacts of the clothing they produce, they might be wise to note how businesses in other industries have attracted litigation over alleged greenwashing, and consider playing down environmental claims — a phenomenon known as "greenhushing," says Christopher Cole at Katten.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Why There's No End In Sight For BIPA Litigation
As the law governing the Biometric Information Privacy Act remains underdeveloped, courts have struggled with applying BIPA consistently, and have suggested the Illinois Legislature must make the effort to provide guidance, though there seems to be no appetite to do so from the state body, say Joseph Kish and Erica Bury at Segal McCambridge.