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The now vacant Ruth’s Chris Steak House at 431 N. Dearborn St. in Chicago. A federal judge denied a motion by the steakhouse for judgment on the pleadings in a lawsuit accusing it of breach of contract for failing to pay its rent. – Jordyn Reiland/Chicago Daily Law Bulletin

Steakhouse fails to get rent suit tossed

A dispute over the decision by Ruth’s Chris Steak House to shut down its Chicago location permanently will continue to be fought out in federal court.
By Patricia Manson
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Supreme Court rejects lingering 2020 election challenge case

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday said it will not hear a case out of Pennsylvania related to the 2020 election, a dispute that had lingered while similar election challenges had already been rejected by the justices.
By The Associated Press
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High court to hear tribe COVID relief case

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that will determine who is eligible to receive more than $530 million in federal virus relief funding set aside for tribes more than a year ago.
By Felicia Fonseca
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Attorneys bring Ali into new digital arena

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”
By Jessie M. Molloy
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Judge: Consumer fraud suit against Whole Foods didn’t hold water

A federal judge dismissed a consumer fraud suit against Whole Foods on Friday, finding the plaintiffs didn’t show how the grocery chain mislead Illinois consumers on a premium brand of water.
By Jessie M. Molloy

Generation ESQ

Bond Fund staff attorney adapts to evolving role

Less than two years after graduating from Harvard Law School Jianing Xie is putting her legal skills to the test in a rapidly evolving sector of the state’s legal system: securing bond for low-income defendants.
By Jessie M. Molloy

SCOTUS shifts away from leniency for minors

WASHINGTON — After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices on Thursday moved the other way.
By Jessica Gresko

1st District: Pedestrian injured in police pursuit can proceed with suit

A 1st District appeals panel reversed a decision which granted qualified immunity to Sauk Village and Crete police officers who engaged in a high-speed chase with a fleeing suspect.
By Jessie M. Molloy

Attorneys advise employers to review hiring, compensation practices with new regulations

A series of new state employment regulations have attorneys advising clients to review their hiring and compensation practices.
By Jessie M. Molloy

Lake Co. sheriff’s official faces defamation claim

A former Lake County Sheriff’s Office recruit got the go-ahead to pursue his defamation case.
By Patricia Manson

Courts & Cases

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Contributors

Trial Notebook

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Yes on default; no on default judgment

Jamila Smith failed to file an answer when Christina Lattner pursued a pro se adversary complaint in Smith’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. Lattner objected to the discharge of a $4,270 tort judgment that remained unpaid because Smith — who also owed $3,196 on two student loans — didn’t have auto insurance. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55, Lattner scored a default. The “more difficult question” for Bankruptcy Judge Jack B. Schmetterer in stage two of the Rule 55 procedure was whether Lattner was also entitled to a default judgment. Reviewing the standards for dismissing or converting a Chapter 7 case for bad faith or abuse under Section 707(b) of the Bankruptcy Code — and noting that judges have discretion when considering whether to enter a default judgment — Schmetterer concluded that Lattner “failed to establish sufficient grounds for the entry of a default judgment.” Lattner v. Smith, No. 20-00328 (Feb. 9).
By Steven P. Garmisa

Margo's Master Plan

Current business trends to keep an eye on in the age of COVID-19

As the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines accelerates around the country, there is reason for optimism in 2021. As more of the population receives these vaccines, a life that resembles what we know as “normal” will return, albeit at a slower pace.
By Margo Wolf O’Donnell, Sarah Hesse and Sara Shanti

Realty Check

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Strategies for dealing with the appraisal meeting contract price

Because of the low inventory, real estate purchase offers are exceeding the contract price by tens of thousands of dollars. Even with an agreement on the purchase price, buyers still need their lenders to appraise properties.
By Erica Minchella

For the Defense

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One day, the 2nd District, three disputes with lawyers

It does not seem that assignment dates for oral argument is entirely random. Maybe it is, but April 15, when Justices George Bridges, Kathryn Zenoff, and Joseph Birkett heard three similar disputes, would belie such a contention.
By Donald P. Eckler

Opening Statement

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Crouch’s work shines online at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

I have seen two productions of playwright Tim Crouch at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier and found them both extraordinary.
By Julian J. Frazin

Opening Statement

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A special rendition of a well-known story in ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

In 1797, the famous German author, philosopher and poet Johan Wolfgang von Goethe wrote the poem “Der Zauberlehrling,” known in English as “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”
By Julian J. Frazin

Lex Sportiva

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Sports betting app targeted for unfair, deceptive trade practices

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which ultimately prohibited sports gambling in the United States, was unconstitutional. Murphy v. NCAA, 138 S. Ct. 146 (2018). SCOTUS held that PAPSA violated the anti-commandeering doctrine because PAPSA essentially dictated what state legislatures could and could not do. In the few years since Murphy, sports gambling has already been legalized by several states nationwide.
By Timothy Liam Epstein

Opening Statement

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‘Duchess!’ gives room to discuss increased pressure on women

Although Vivian J.O. Barnes is still finishing graduate school in playwriting her show “Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!” was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre and is available online until Aug. 31.
By Julian J. Frazin

Opening Statement

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With new ownership, Second City ready to resume performances

As the first year of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, which darkened theaters throughout the country draws to a close, there are about to be brighter days ahead.
By Julian J. Frazin
All Contributors

Social Scene

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Appellate advocates talk diversity

From top left: Assistant Appellate Defender Beverly Jones; Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Associate Dean of Inclusion & Engagement Shannon P. Bartlett; Perkins Coie Associate Sopen Shah; Northwestern Clinical Assistant Professor of Law David M. Shapiro; Jones Day Of Counsel and former 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ann Claire Williams; Appellate Project founder Juvaria Khan; and O’Melveny & Myers Partner Brad Garcia discuss the importance of diversifying the appellate bar. Photo courtesy of Peggy Li of the American Constitution Society.
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CBA panel on Justice Stevens

From top left: Cook County Circuit Court Judge William H. Hooks, Chicago Bar Association President Maryam Ahmad, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge William J. Bauer and 1st District Appellate Court Justice Michael B. Hyman (bottom) discuss the life and judicial career of late U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Justice Stevens was a Chicago native whose tenure on the high court has been viewed as one of the most important in modern history. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Bar Association
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Greek flag raising

Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois members gathered at the Daley Center March 25 for its annual Greek flag raising ceremony. Pictured from left to right: Associate Judge Peggy Chiampas; Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas; Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois Vice President Eleni Katsoulis; Circuit Judge Anthony C. Kyriakopoulos; Hellenic American Leadership Council Executive Director Endy Zemenides; and Circuit Judge Anna Demacopoulos.
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LAGBAC hosts chat with transgender judges

LAGBAC hosted a panel on Thursday with all four transgender judges in the U.S.: Cook County Circuit Judge Jill Rose Quinn, Alameda County, Calif., judge Victoria Kolakowski; Maricopa County, Ariz., judge Tracy Nadzieja, and Houston, Texas municipal court judge Phyllis Frye. Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Jannusch moderated the discussion.

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Salute! Women in Law

Salute! Women in Law

The inaugural class for Salute! Women in Law

Meet the exceptional women in law recognized in our first Salute! awards.
40 Under Forty 2020

40 Under Forty 2020

Law Bulletin Media announces the Class of 2020

Success at any age is impressive. But to achieve it at an early age is even more of a feat. Congratulations to 40 Under Forty honorees for 2020.
JVR Trial Lawyer Excellence Awards

JVR Trial Lawyer Excellence Awards

Celebrating 60 years

Over 300 trial attorneys and Illinois judges were in attendance last October as the Jury Verdict Reporter, a division of Law Bulletin Media, hosted its annual reception and awards for Trial Lawyer Excellence. Fifty-four professionals from both sides of the trial bar received individual Trial Lawyer Excellence awards in one of 17 categories. Please click through and enjoy this review of the Trial Lawyer Excellence Awards.
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Photo gallery with Top Stories

The now vacant Ruth’s Chris Steak House at 431 N. Dearborn St. in Chicago. A federal judge denied a motion by the steakhouse for judgment on the pleadings in a lawsuit accusing it of breach of contract for failing to pay its rent.
Apr
22
Thu

Steakhouse fails to get rent suit tossed
In this Nov. 6, 2020, file photo the Supreme Court is seen at sundown in Washington. The Supreme Court says it will not hear a case out of Pennsylvania related to the 2020 election, a case that had lingered while similar election challenges had already been rejected by the justices. The high court directed a lower court to dismiss the case as moot.
Apr
20
Tue

Supreme Court rejects lingering 2020 election challenge case
In this file photo from May 2015, a vehicle drives on a pier to be loaded onto an Alaska state ferry while people fish underneath the pier in Homer, Alaska. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that will determine who is eligible to receive more than $530 million in federal virus relief funding set aside for tribes more than a year ago. More than a dozen Native American tribes sued the U.S. Treasury Department to keep the money out of the hands of Alaska Native corporations, which provide services to Alaska Natives but do not have a government-to-government relationship with the United States.
Apr
19
Mon

High court to hear tribe COVID relief case
Attorney John W. Chwarzynski Jr., Jamillah Ali, and attorney Mike Joyce stand in front of a Richard Slone painting of Jamillah’s father and Joyce’s father-in-law, boxing legend Muhammed Ali. The painting has been made into a nonfungible token to be auctioned off to the highest bidder via online platform SuperRare. The money from the auction will be split between Joyce’s Celtic Boxing Club, the boxing program Leo High School, and a currently undecided charity supporting Parkinson’s Disease research.
Apr
13
Tue

Attorneys bring Ali into new digital arena
Bottles of Starkey Spring Water at the Whole Foods in Vernon Hills. Last week a federal judge tossed a consumer fraud lawsuit against grocery company and its marketing subsidiary that alleged it misled Illinois customers on the premium brand of water, saying it contains high levels of arsenic.
Apr
07
Wed

Judge: Consumer fraud suit against Whole Foods didn’t hold water
A May 2020 file photo of a Southwest Airlines airplane. On Wednesday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit of a Southwest ramp supervisor out of Midway International Airport. The court agreed with the plaintiff, Latrice Saxon’s, argument that as a baggage handler she’s considered a transportation worker.
Apr
01
Thu

Southwest employee exempt from arbitration