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Illinois
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June 21, 2024
Ex-Chicago Alderman Burke Can't Delay Sentencing
Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke can't postpone his Monday sentencing on charges of racketeering, extortion and bribery to await a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the scope of federal bribery law, an Illinois federal judge ruled Friday, saying that decision will have "little or no impact" on Burke's fate.
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June 21, 2024
Settlement Ends Amazon Warehouse Construction Fight
A settlement has resolved a dispute between an electric subcontractor and a construction company over the delayed building of an Amazon warehouse in south Georgia, according to a joint motion to dismiss filed Thursday in federal court.
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June 21, 2024
Justices Strengthen Jury Trial Rights For Stiffer Sentences
The constitutional rights to due process and trial by jury extend to a pivotal prong of a prominent sentencing enhancement for recidivism, the U.S. Supreme Court held in a Friday decision that casts doubt on many incarcerations and promises to reshape future trials.
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June 20, 2024
Robertshaw Broke Invesco Loan, But Deal Lives, Judge Says
A Texas bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday that transactions executed in December by Robertshaw breached its existing loan from an Invesco subsidiary, but otherwise sided with the appliance parts maker on the remainder of its hard-fought litigation that spotlights so-called lender-on-lender violence in private credit agreements.
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June 20, 2024
7th Circ. Won't Dig Excavator Out Of Kickback Conviction
The Seventh Circuit ruled a former Illinois excavation company employee who was sentenced to five years in prison for paying a former commissioner kickbacks in exchange for inflated invoice payments was not prejudiced by the government's belated disclosure of notes from a cooperating witness.
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June 20, 2024
$13B Antitrust Suit Is Class Cert 'Antithesis,' Delta Dental Says
The nation's largest dental insurance system and its members have blasted service providers' bid for class treatment in multidistrict litigation targeting an alleged $13 billion antitrust scheme, telling an Illinois federal judge that the providers' case "is the very antithesis of a proper class action."
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June 20, 2024
19 Dem AGs Urge Law Group, Others To Ignore DEI Detractors
A coalition of 19 Democratic state attorneys general issued a letter Thursday rebutting criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the American Bar Association, Fortune 100 corporations and law firms.
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June 20, 2024
Ill. Panel Says Insurer Off Hook For 23 Carbon Monoxide Suits
An insurer doesn't need to defend a design firm against 23 allegations that its negligent work led numerous children and others to suffer injuries from carbon monoxide exposure, an Illinois appeals court panel found, affirming a lower court's ruling.
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June 18, 2024
RR Donnelley Pays $2.1M To Settle SEC Claims Over Hack
Marketing and communications giant R.R. Donnelley & Sons has reached a deal with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission to pay over $2.1 million to settle claims over a 2021 cybersecurity incident that stemmed from poor internal controls and disclosure failures, the agency announced Tuesday.
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June 18, 2024
AIG Unit Says Exclusions Bar Pet Supply Co.'s BIPA Claims
An AIG unit has told a Michigan federal court a pet supply store isn't owed defense for an underlying class action brought by employees alleging the store violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, maintaining that a "recording and distribution" exclusion and "employment-related practices exclusion" were triggered.
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June 18, 2024
7th Circ. Brings Back Cruise Worker's OT Suit
The Seventh Circuit revived a proposed collective action Tuesday accusing a steamboat cruise company of depriving workers of overtime wages, finding Indiana arbitration law states that the pact the worker and company signed is governed by, and is invalid under, the Federal Arbitration Act.
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June 18, 2024
Blue States And Enviro Groups Back DOE Furnace Rule
Several blue states and environmental and consumer groups have thrown their support behind the U.S. Department of Energy's tighter energy efficiency standards for furnaces and water heaters, telling the D.C. Circuit that challenges to the new rules are meritless.
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June 18, 2024
Chicago Cubs Will Pay $1.2 Million To End TCPA Suit
An Illinois federal judge granted final approval Monday to a $1.2 million settlement that resolves litigation accusing the Chicago Cubs of sending persistent marketing text messages that violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
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June 18, 2024
BDO's $2.25M Deal Ending 401(k) Suit Gets Final OK
An Illinois federal judge on Monday gave his final sign-off to a $2.25 million settlement accounting firm BDO agreed to pay to resolve a suit alleging the company failed to verify that retirement plan funds in an employee 401(k) were evaluated properly.
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June 17, 2024
BNSF's $75M BIPA Deal With Truckers Nears Final OK
A $75 million biometric privacy settlement between BNSF Railway Co. and a class of truck drivers who challenged the railroad's gate-access practices neared final approval Monday, resolving litigation that had been pending in Illinois' state and federal courts.
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June 17, 2024
9th Circ. Says Facebook 'Face Signatures' Not Subject To BIPA
The Ninth Circuit sided with Meta Platforms on Monday by declining to revive an Illinois resident's proposed class action accusing Facebook of breaking the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act, ruling that the "face signature" at issue isn't protected by the law because it cannot be used to identify someone.
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June 17, 2024
DOJ Wants 15 Years For Outcome CEO's $1B Fraud
Federal prosecutors said former Outcome Health CEO Rishi Shah should serve 15 years in prison while Outcome's co-founder and ex-financial chief each serve 10 years following their convictions for running a $1 billion fraud that affected lenders, investors and clients.
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June 17, 2024
Amazon Fired Worker For Flagging Sex Harassment, Suit Says
A former Amazon employee who described himself as "not heterosexual" filed a suit in Illinois federal court claiming the company allowed a co-worker to use homophobic slurs and harass him, then fired him after he complained.
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June 17, 2024
Justices To Decide If False Claims Act Applies To E-Rate
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review whether reimbursement requests made to the Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program for schools and libraries are "claims" under the False Claims Act.
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June 14, 2024
Novel Ill. Swipe Fee Law Sparks New Banks V. Retailers Battle
Illinois lawmakers have passed first-of-their-kind restrictions on swipe fees that represent a major, multimillion-dollar victory for retailers, but they could also set up a legal clash with bankers, who warn that the state risks turning into a national payments pariah.
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June 14, 2024
Amazon Slams Co.'s Bid For $180M Interest On $525M IP Win
Amazon urged an Illinois federal judge Thursday to reject software company Kove IO Inc.'s demand for $180 million in interest and fees on top of a $525 million infringement verdict relating to cloud data storage patents, arguing Kove delayed bringing its case for years since it sought to start a business venture with Amazon.
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June 14, 2024
Real Estate Recap: Special Servicers, 'Dirty' Money, Alt Energy
Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including recent litigation targeting special servicers, a 700% increase in brownfield funding, and one BigLaw real estate leader's take on alternative energy as interest rates hold steady.
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June 14, 2024
X Dodges Porn Filter BIPA Suit For Now
An Illinois federal judge has thrown out a proposed class action accusing X Corp. of violating the state's biometric privacy law through its use of software to police pornographic images, saying the lead plaintiff failed to allege that the tool can be used to identify specific individuals.
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June 14, 2024
Feds Lob New Charges Over $430M Dark Web Market
Two owners of an online marketplace known as Empire Market were hit Thursday with additional charges alleging that over a period of years they allowed users worldwide to buy and sell $430 million worth of illegal goods and services.
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June 14, 2024
Burford Bound To Sysco And Pilgrim's Unsigned Chicken Deal
An Illinois federal judge on Friday rejected a Burford subsidiary's bid to block a global protein price-fixing settlement that Pilgrim's Pride and Sysco memorialized through email but never signed on paper, saying it's clear the parties reached a material agreement.
Expert Analysis
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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The Key To Defending Multistate Collective FLSA Claims
Federal circuit courts are split on the reach of a court's jurisdiction over out-of-state employers in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, but until the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review the question, multistate employers should be aware of a potential case-changing defense, say Matthew Disbrow and Michael Dauphinais at Honigman.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks
Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Ill. Temp Labor Rules: No Clear Road Map For Compliance
While the delay of a particularly thorny provision of the Illinois temporary worker law will provide some short-term relief, staffing agencies and their clients will still need to scramble to plan compliance with the myriad vague requirements imposed by the other amendments to the act, say Alexis Dominguez and Alissa Griffin at Neal Gerber.
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Series
Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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An Overview Of Circuit Courts' Interlocutory Motion Standards
The Federal Arbitration Act allows litigants to file an immediate appeal from an order declining to enforce an arbitration agreement, but the circuit courts differ on the specific requirements for the underlying order as well as which motion must be filed, as demonstrated in several 2023 decisions, says Kristen Mueller at Mueller Law.
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3 Rulings Illustrate Infringement Hurdles For Hip-Hop Plaintiffs
Three district court decisions dismissing hip-hop copyright claims recently came down in quick succession, indicating that plaintiffs face significant hurdles when they premise claims on the use of words, phrases and themes that are common in the genre, say Benjamin Halperin and Shiara Robinson at Cowan DeBaets.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.