Category Archives: IL

Taking aim at college sex crimes

New coalition works to get abuses reported By Tabitha Hurley and Ashley Huntington One out of 4 undergraduate women will be sexually assaulted before they graduate, according to a 2010 Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) study. The study also found that 1 in every 6 American women will be sexually assaulted at some […]

Shipwreck Suit Filed In U.S.; Judge May Send It To Italy

In an apparent race to the courthouse, the first U.S. lawsuit has been filed based on the Jan. 13 disaster off the coast of Tuscany. Surprisingly, the named plaintiff is a crewmember, rather than a passenger, who is a resident of Lima, Peru, rather than of the United States. The case also seems oblivious to […]

Dante Autullo Shoots 3.5 Inch Nail Into His Head: Illinois Man Didn’t Notice Injury

A suburban Chicago man is recovering at a local hospital after accidentally shooting himself with a nail gun – and not noticing the 3 ½ inch nail lodged in his brain for more than 24 hours. Dante Autullo, 32, was working in his garage Tuesday when he fired a nail gun and one of the […]

Family of slain Beverly teen sues accused, family

The parents of a Chicago teenager who police said was killed after another Chicago teen punched him at an Indiana beach July 4 filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against the teen accused of throwing the punch, his sister and his mother. James Malecek, of Chicago, is charged in LaPorte County, Ind., with aggravated battery, […]

Corboy & Demetrio Secures $2 Million for Chicago Pedestrian Struck by Garbage Truck

CHICAGO, Jan 13, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Corboy & Demetrio has secured a $2 million settlement on behalf of a Chicago woman who was hit by a garbage truck in the city’s River North neighborhood. The truck was driven by Augustus Dortch, who along with his employer Lakeshore Waste Services, were defendants in the lawsuit. […]

IDOT unveils life-saving Yellow Dot program

CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Transportation today unveiled the Illinois Yellow Dot program, a life-saving, traffic safety initiative that provides first responders with critical information to improve emergency care for persons involved in vehicle crashes. IDOT along with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Department of Aging (IDOA) and county health departments […]

Two Pit Bulls Attack, Seriously Injure Chicago Lakeside Jogger

January 6, 2012 Nicole Howley Chicago, IL — The owner of two pit bulls is facing fines after his dogs attacked a lakefront jogger at Rainbow Beach Park, before the dogs were shot by a Chicago police officer on Monday, January 2, 2012, the Chicago Tribune reported. The owner of the dogs, Jimmy Johnson, 57, […]

Don’t Let Your Personal Injury Claim Slip and Fall This Winter

Winter slip and fall claims in Illinois could depend on whether the dangerous condition was naturally or unnaturally accumulated. December 30, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ — For the people of the Midwest, the change of seasons, from fall to winter, means the return of snow and outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, sledding and skiing. And, while snow […]

Damages Are Taxable, Even for “Political Discrimination” Says IRS

If you sue for physical injuries like a slip and fall or car accident, your damages are tax-free (except for punitive damages and interest). The tax-free treatment applies even if you sought lost wages because you couldn’t work after your injuries. Before 1996, “personal” damages were tax-free, including emotional distress, defamation, etc. But since 1996, […]

Psychiatric Drugs Used for Dementia Patients in Nursing Homes Cause Undue Risk

Says Briskman Briskman & Greenberg CHICAGO, IL, Dec 30, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Families with a loved one in a nursing home that has dementia should be vigilant about their care. Government inspectors from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently found that dementia residents are often being prescribed strong psychiatric […]

Ill. restaurant settles sexual harassment lawsuit

The Associated Press CHICAGO — A company that owns a KFC and Taco Bell restaurant in Mendota has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit. In a news release Thursday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says it filed a lawsuit that alleged a store manager harassed female employees for […]

Parents Sue After Teen Dies During Wisdom Tooth Surgery

By KATIE MOISSE | ABC News – Wed, Dec 14, 2011 The parents of a Maryland teen who died earlier this year during wisdom tooth surgery have sued the oral surgeon and the anesthetist for medical malpractice. Jenny Olenick, a 17-year-old junior at Marriotts Ridge High School in Woodstock, Md., died in April from complications […]

The dangers of concussion in the young

HOUSE CALL: The dangers of concussion in the young Dr. Hunt Batjer serves as chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. Posted December 12, 2011 at 9:28 p.m. SAN ANGELO, Texas — Concussions shouldn’t be taken lightly, particularly in youngsters. Unlike adults, children and adolescents are […]

Widower Says Texting Driver Killed His Wife

By GLYNIS FARRELL WOODSTOCK, Ill. (CN) – A lumber truck driver killed a woman by running a stop sign as he texted while driving, the woman’s husband says. Alexander Lumber Co. employee Kenneth Englert broadsided the late Patricia McNamara’s car on Sept. 30 “while using a telephone and/or texting,” McNamara’s husband says. Kevin McNamara sued […]

Cook County Jury Finds in Favor of Federal Signal Corporation in Trial of Eight Firefighter Hearing Loss Claims

By Federal Signal Corporation OAK BROOK, Ill., Nov. 22, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS), a leader in environmental, safety and transportation solutions, announced today that a Cook County, Illinois jury absolved the Company from any liability in lawsuits brought by eight Chicago firefighters and found that the Company’s siren products were […]

Will power tool makers’ liability change?

November 6, 2011 While the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s possible requirement for table saws to include flesh-sensing technology appears likely to be implemented, the extent to which product liability exposures will increase remains to be seen. “I don’t think it’s going to increase litigation,” said C. Barry Montgomery, partner at Williams Montgomery & John Ltd. […]

Facebook privacy faceoff: Court orders password swapping

Chicago, November 20, 2011— Oh, the possibilities! Imagine a world where your ex-spouse is ordered by a judge to give you his facebook password! There would be such great creative status updates to post, intriguing apps to download, and what was the name of that drug kingpin you read about yesterday? He definitely needs a […]

Governor Quinn Makes Executive Appointments

Inspectors General Denise Kane (DCFS) of Chicago has served as inspector general for the Department of Children and Family Services since 2003. She previously worked in the Public Guardian’s Office of Cook County, Juvenile Division and was a juvenile court probation officer. She holds a Ph.D. in social service administration from the University of Chicago. […]

Chicago Archdiocese to pay $3.2 million to settle sex abuse case, attorney says

November 15, 2011 By the CNN Wire Staff Protesters call for Cardinal Francis George to resign in 2006 after he failed to remove a priest charged with abusing minors. The Archdiocese of Chicago will pay $3.2 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged church leaders failed to remove a priest they knew had sexually abused […]

Lawyer for Cain accuser says witness will come forward today

The lawyer for a Chicago woman who has accused GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of inappropriate sexual conduct says a witness will go public today to support her claims. Attorney Gloria Allred said a previously unidentified former boyfriend of Sharon Bialek will share what Bialek told him about Cain making an unwanted sexual advance in […]

2 former state employees accused of giving fake road tests for bribes

Staff report 2:27 p.m. CST, November 14, 2011 Two people who administered road tests for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office were charged with giving passing marks to unqualified drivers or passing people who did not even take a road test in exchange for cash, federal officials said today. Christopher Wardlaw, 36, and Alanda Jackson, […]

High profile Chicago attorney takes on Mariah Yeater as client

11/8/2011 Deborah Kim Justin Bieber may have all the money in the world to hire the best legal team in town, but lawyers sure love an underdog. Fox News reported well-known Chicago lawyer Jeffrey Leving will head up Mariah Yeater’s case. Leving frequently makes appearances on news shows and is a paternity law expert whose […]

Cain accuser’s former boyfriend corroborates harassment claims

By Justin Sink – 11/14/11 03:08 PM ET A Chicago-area pediatrician who used to date Sharon Bialek, the woman who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment following a dinner in July 1997, said at a press conference Monday that Bialek told him after the alleged incident that Cain had “touched her in an inappropriate manner.” […]

Madigan convenes summit to address synthetic drugs

By RHYS SAUNDERS GateHouse News Service Posted Nov 09, 2011 @ 07:56 PM SPRINGFIELD — Synthetic drugs, a burgeoning problem in Illinois, are prompting Attorney General Lisa Madigan to convene an emergency summit today. Police, medical personnel and parents are among those who will discuss how to eradicate and educate people about the dangers of […]

Cain Denies Claim He Groped Woman Seeking Help in Job Hunt

By Lisa Lerer Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) — Herman Cain denied detailed claims of inappropriate sexual behavior made by a fourth woman yesterday, as the Republican presidential candidate seeks to control the scandal threatening to derail his campaign. “We are taking this head on,” he said in an interview on ABC television’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last […]

APNewsBreak: Doctor data back online in Illinois

By CARLA K. JOHNSON MORE FROM BUSINESSWEEK Consumers can now check up on thousands of doctors and chiropractors in Illinois, including accessing information about malpractice cases, thanks to a public database that went back online Wednesday. The Physician Profile is available on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s website, and allows patients to […]