X
Menu
COVID-19 Updates Court closures and announcements – with interactive charts and maps
Bayer-6-5-20,ph03
Bayer Corp. successfully appealed a class-action case over its Essure contraceptive device. The Illinois Supreme Court held Illinois courts lack personal jurisdiction where most of the plaintiffs don’t live in the state and didn’t have the contraceptive implanted in Illinois. – Photo from Bayer AG

No jurisdiction for Essure class-action in Illinois

A class of more than 100 women lack jurisdiction to sue Bayer Corp. in Illinois court, the state’s high court ruled unanimously on Thursday.
By Sarah Mansur
kidnap-6-4-20,ph01

Hostage taker’s excessive force suit tossed

A detainee who took a prison caseworker hostage at knifepoint does not have a claim of excessive force against an officer who helped rescue the victim, a federal judge held.
By Patricia Manson
pavalon-5-29-20,ph03

Pavalon was leader in plaintiff’s bar

Eugene I. Pavalon, a founder of plaintiff’s firm Pavalon & Gifford, died May 26 at age 87.
By Marc Karlinsky

Springfield Dispatch

Comptroller’s new top attorney spent time at various state posts

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza hired Debjani D. Desai earlier this month as her office’s general counsel.
By Sarah Mansur

Springfield Dispatch

With law courses complete, Deputy Gov. Mitchell looks ahead

Earning a J.D. was an early goal for Illinois Deputy Gov. Christian L. Mitchell, who completed law school last month.
By Sarah Mansur

City settles impounding suit for $5M

The city of Chicago agreed to pay nearly $5 million to resolve claims that police violated the due process rights of car owners whose vehicles were impounded for purported drug offenses.
By Patricia Manson

Judge dismisses challenge to child porn law

A federal judge threw out a lawsuit alleging an Illinois law barring possession of child pornography runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution.
By Patricia Manson

Decree monitor to issue report on CPD response to protests

The independent monitor overseeing the Chicago police consent decree vowed Friday to prepare a report on the city’s response to widespread protesting and looting over the last week.
By Timothy Eggert

Juvenile sentencing factors don’t apply for intellectually disabled offender

SPRINGFIELD — Sentencing guidelines for juveniles shouldn’t be considered when sentencing an intellectually disabled sex offender, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday.
By Timothy Eggert

Courts & Cases

All Courts & Cases
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Be in the know. These must-read insider briefings will keep you
email envelope icon
informed of the latest legal developments in Chicago. Sign up today!

Contributors

Trial Notebook

TNB-6-5-20,ph01

Officer owed heightened duty to corporation

After ruling that Mark Oliver did not owe a fiduciary duty to a limited liability company (Combined Group LLC, or Combined) merely because he was one of the three equal shareholders in the corporation (Combined Holding Group Inc., or CHG) that was the LLC’s managing member, the Illinois Appellate Court considered whether Oliver’s status as an employee of Combined — and his role as an officer of CHG — supported a judgment against him in a breach of fiduciary duty case filed by Combined and CHG.
By Steven P. Garmisa

Legal History

tdilh-6-4-20,ph01

June 4

See if you know what happened on this date in Legal History with Karen Conti.
By Karen Conti

Aging Matters

Kerry-Peck-no-contest-clauses-6-4-20,ph01

Looking into no-contest clauses: What do they actually mean?

Suppose Adam and Barbara, residents of Chicago, have two children: Cathy and David. Adam and Barbara both pass, and in their joint will they leave 80% of their estate to Cathy and 20% of their estate to David. David is shocked by this and he is sure that Cathy played a part in this.
By Kerry R. Peck

Stress Points

Michael_and_Marla_Craven_col

Are we in a Zoom meeting or a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch?

Michael heard me yell out “come here quickly” and he ran the few steps from his home office into my home office. There on my computer screen were live pictures of Amy’s toilet, Robert flossing his teeth, and several other people upside down and right-side up.
By Michael C. Craven and Marla Levie Craven

Opening Statement

frazin-6-5-20,ph01

Rewatching ‘Do the Right Thing’

Disturbances like the ones over George Floyd's death and others through the years, were on the mind of the multitalented, prolific Spike Lee when he wrote, directed, produced and starred in his 1989 film “Do the Right Thing.”
By Julian J. Frazin

Non-Billable Hours

ford-nbh-5-29-20,ph01

Detoured to Netflix, ‘Lovebirds’ flaunts its predictability

If you’ve been trapped indoors with your significant other for what seems like an eternity, your secret schadenfreudian self may take some satisfaction in “The Lovebirds.”
By Rebecca L. Ford

Opening Statement

frazin-5-29-20,ph01

Knowing the territory

With the pandemic blackout, local theaters (and theater critics) have had to come up with all kinds of alternatives to attract and keep their audiences.
By Julian J. Frazin

Sports Marketing Playbook

Masters-Rose-sports-trademarks-5-26-20,ph01

Protecting iconic sports trademarks benefits organizations, fans

When the International Olympic Committee made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it also decided to keep the name of the event intact — “Tokyo 2020.”
By Douglas N. Masters and Seth A. Rose

Opening Statement

frazin-nbh-5-22-20,ph01

New York troupe’s ‘Molly Sweeney’ is worth a watch

This past week, I watched New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre and its streaming production of Brian Friel’s excellent play “Molly Sweeney,” which happily assured me that despite the country’s long shutdown and the blackout of Broadway, live theater will not only survive but continue to thrive during and after the coronavirus pandemic is history.
By Julian J. Frazin
All Contributors

Social Scene

PC1-5-26-20,ph01

CLG virtual meeting

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke (bottom row, second left) swears in Jenner & Block LLP associate Kevin J. Murphy as president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild in a virtual meeting on May 20, making him the youngest leader in the organization’s history. Screenshot provided by the Catholic Lawyers Guild
PC1-5-21-20,ph01

Salvi runs virtual 10K

Salvi Schostok & Pritchard P.C. partner Brian L. Salvi ran a “virtual 10K” in the South Loop on Saturday to raise funds for the Concussion Legacy Foundation, where he serves on the advisory board. The run was real, but the race was moved to a virtual program in place of the 2020 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon canceled by COVID-19 pandemic. Photo provided by Salvi Schostok & Pritchard P.C.
PC1-5-12-20,ph01

Burke swears-in new lawyers online

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke conducts a virtual swearing-in ceremony on Thursday for 336 newly admitted attorneys. In normal circumstances, the court holds ceremonies in each of the state’s five judicial circuits. Photo provided by the Illinois Supreme Court
PC1-4-21-20,ph01

Arbitration goes virtual during stay-at-home order

From his home webcam, BatesCarey partner Robert J. Bates Jr. presents closing arguments to an international arbitration panel from Europe, Canada and the U.S. Under public officials’ orders to stay at home, the firm developed a COVID-19 team to keep insurance industry clients informed of the pandemic’s legal implications.

Special Publications

Law Day 2020

Law Day 2020

Your Vote Our Democracy

Features on women before the U.S. Supreme Court, personal stories of gender bias, Illinois' legal bills and more.
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.
Women in Law - December 2019

Women in Law - December 2019

Chicago Lawyer applauds women in law

This special supplement from December lists some of the top women lawyers in the city.
See all special publications

Career Center

Career Center Job Listings

Photo gallery with Top Stories

Bayer Corp. successfully appealed a class-action case over its Essure contraceptive device. The Illinois Supreme Court held Illinois courts lack personal jurisdiction where most of the plaintiffs don’t live in the state and didn’t have the contraceptive implanted in Illinois.
Jun
05
Fri

No jurisdiction for Essure class-action in Illinois
The Metropolitan Correctional Center in July 2019. A federal judge dismissed a detainee’s excessive force lawsuit against a prison official after finding the officer’s actions at the South Loop facility were an appropriate response to a knifepoint hostage situation.
Jun
04
Thu

Hostage taker’s excessive force suit tossed
Eugene I. Pavalon addresses guests at the 2012 Jury Verdict Reporter Trial Lawyer Excellence Awards, where he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the plaintiff attorney category. Pavalon, an injury lawyer since the 1960s who lead statewide and national bar groups in efforts to protect medical patients and consumers, died May 26 at age 87.
Jun
04
Thu

Pavalon was leader in plaintiff’s bar
A photo from a federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday against Timothy O’Donnell shows a man in a clown mask setting a Chicago police vehicle on fire along the 200 block of North State Street during protests on Saturday. O’Donnell admitted to investigators after his arrest Tuesday that he was the person photographed. He faces federal arson charges.
Jun
03
Wed

Feds charge five in downtown Chicago riots
Protesters gather outside the Illinois Capitol in Springfield Monday to protest police brutality following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Jun
03
Wed

Pritzker: ‘Structural change’ will come from peaceful protests
Don Henley performing in Nashville, Tenn., in 2017. Henley is urging Congress to “Take It to the Limit” to protect artists against online pirating. He’s wading into a copyright fight pitting Hollywood and the recording industry against big tech platforms like Google’s YouTube.
Jun
03
Wed

Eagles’ Don Henley asks Congress to change copyright law