One facility’s record of alleged violence

Chicago police responded to 34 reports alleging battery, assault or sexual violence from 2009 to 2011 at Rainbow Beach Care Center, while health inspectors cited other violence. “The facility vehemently denies any allegations of wrongdoing and is aggressively defending against” the state citations, said facility attorney Holly Turner. March 2009 to January 2010: An “extremely […]

More CEOs resign amid controversy

MARK HURD, EX-CEO OF HEWLETT-PACKARD In late June 2010, lawyer Gloria Allred, on behalf of former marketing contractor Jodie Fisher, sent a letter accusing Hurd and HP of sexual harassment. A company investigation found no merit to her claims. Through the course of the investigation, though, HP said it discovered that Hurd had falsified some […]

Report finds many girls and LGBTQ students feel unsafe in Chicago public schools

by Lacy Schley April 12, 2012 Sexual harassment strikes nearly half of Chicago public middle and high school students, according to a report released Wednesday evening by Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE). And nearly 65 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer and questioning students feel unsafe, according to the same […]

Class Claims AT&T Aids & Abets Cellphone Thieves, for the Profit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) – AT&T has aided and abetted cellphone thieves for years by reactivating stolen phones, particularly iPhones, and fraudulently telling customers that it “cannot” block calls to and from the stolen phones – so customers will have to buy new ones – a class action claims in Superior Court. The class claims AT&T […]

Report on Botched Surgery Is Privileged

CHICAGO (CN) – A federal judge refused to order the release of a peer-reviewed report on a surgery in which doctors cut a woman’s bowel, spilling its contents into her abdomen and causing an infection that killed her five days later. Maria Quintana underwent an October 2008 elective total hysterectomy at the Mount Sinai Hospital […]

NFL wants suit moved to federal court

CHICAGO (AP) – An attorney for relatives of the late Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson says the NFL wants to have a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the league moved from Cook County court to federal court. Thomas Demetrio says he’ll fight the effort because he doesn’t want the case lumped in with lawsuits filed around […]

AAJ Members Alerting the Public to the Dangers of Distracted Driving

Posted by: Michelle Widmann April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Distracted Driving occurs when drivers take their full attention away from the road and instead attempt to either multi-task or focus on texting, talking on a cell phone, grooming, adjusting a radio, or attempting other activities. Distracted Driving is an all too common occurrence […]

Rekia Boyd Lawsuit: Family Of Unarmed Woman Killed By Off-Duty Chicago Cop Sues City

It was an unseasonably warm March night when 22-year-old Rekia Boyd was gunned down by an off-duty police officer in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood. Boyd was with a group of friends around 1 a.m. near 15th Place and Albany Avenue when off-duty Chicago Police Det. Dante Servin pulled up in an unmarked vehicle and told the […]

Sexual assault allegations against Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro

The Chicago Police Department said Thursday the investigation into sexual assault allegations against Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is ongoing, and Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said he hopes the matter is resolved “shortly.” “I really can’t comment on any of Starlin’s stuff,” Ricketts said Thursday on “The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show” on ESPN 1000. […]

Man Forgives Dog That Bit Off His Nose

Small business owner says he doesn’t have insurance A northwest side Chicago man faces a mountain of bills and a long road to recovery after a pit bull bit off a portion of his face over the weekend. Bill Lesinski was visiting his downstairs neighbor at their home near O’Hare International Airport on Friday when […]

Lawsuit: Daughter Fell From ‘Thrilling’ Slide, Broke Arm

CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago couple is suing a playground equipment manufacturer, claiming a faulty slide sent their daughter from the playground to the hospital. As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, Mark and Linda Jacobs of Chicago addressed reporters at their attorney’s office Monday, about a slide they say was not properly made and caused […]

Teacher’s aide fired for refusing to hand over Facebook password

By Emil Protalinski | April 1, 2012, 1:15am PDT Summary: Kimberly Hester, a teacher’s aide at an elementary school, was fired last year for refusing to give her Facebook password to her supervisors. She is now fighting a legal battle with the school district. You can add this one to the short but growing list […]

Violent sexual attacks on female soldiers surge…

The Army is pushing more women closer to the front lines and in closer contact with men even as the number of sexual attacks on female soldiers has surged during the past six years. Army figures show that reports of violent sex crimes have nearly doubled, from 665 in 2006 to 1,313 last year. Nearly […]

Ex-partner in Big Law blogs it all

By Ameet Sachdev Chicago Tribune reporter March 31, 2012 Steven Harper had a long and successful career as a trial lawyer. He was a partner at Chicago-based Kirkland & Ellis, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms, and made enough money to leave the practice in 2008 at the age of 54. […]

Ex-city worker given 9 years for on-duty DUI crash that injured 7

Man worked for Chicago Streets and Sanitation at time (Chicago Police Department HANDOU) March 29, 2012|By Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune reporter A former city of Chicago employee was sentenced to nine years in prison Wednesday for driving drunk on duty and crashing into a crowd of people on a Gold Coast sidewalk in May. Judge […]

Shipping giant FedEx to pay $3 million to settle charges of hiring discrimination brought by US Department of Labor

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Shipping giant FedEx to pay $3 million to settle charges of hiring discrimination brought by US Department of Labor Company will pay back wages and interest to more than 21,000 applicants rejected for jobs at 23 facilities in 15 states; reform hiring practices The U.S. Department of […]

Mark Rypien is lead plaintiff in lawsuit against NFL over head injuries

By Nathan Fenno The Washington Times Former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien has sued the NFL over “repeated traumatic injuries to his head” sustained during his 11-season career. Rypien is the lead plaintiff in a mass-tort suit filed March 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. One hundred twenty-six former […]

Senators want ruling on whether Facebook password requests are illegal

By Jon Brodkin | Published a day ago Two US Senators asked the Department of Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to start an investigation into whether employers asking job applicants for usernames and passwords violates federal law. The issue has come under scrutiny in the past week, after the Associated Press and others reported […]

83-Year-Old Woman Sues APPLE Store After Smashing Her Face Into Glass Door

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) – A Queens woman is suing Apple for $1,000,000 after smashing her face on a glass door at a Long Island Apple Store. Evelyn Paswall, 83, claims that the glass doors at the front of Apple Stores pose a risk to the elderly. Paswall’s attorney Derek T. Smith told the Post that,“Apple wants […]

Lawsuit claims jail inmate died due to beating

An investigation by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office found no evidence that anyone at the jail willfully or intentionally harmed Gruber. However, the lawsuit claims Gruber was pepper sprayed and beaten by sheriff’s officers during processing at the jail, and that his subsequent requests for medical assistance were denied, despite the presence of contract […]

How to wrangle in docs gone wild

A physician who threatened to use an AK-47, a sexually harassing doctor who looked at porn on work computers and a specialist who used to cause nurses to draw straws with the loser having to interact with her. These were some of the horror stories about disruptive provider behavior that Dean White, a Texas-based consultant […]

Law Firm’s Organizational Form, Insolvency Affect Extent of Members’ Personal Liability

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct™ By Joan C. Rogers CHICAGO—Law firms’ switch to limited liability entities can give lawyers a false sense of security about their vicarious liability for claims arising from colleagues’ conduct, according to a panel discussion March 2 at the 11th Annual Legal Malpractice & Risk […]

$450M AIG workers comp class action settlement receives formal approval

CHICAGO—A $450 million settlement of a class action suit brought against American International Group Inc. for its alleged underreporting of workers compensation premiums has been formally approved. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Gettleman approved the settlement in an order and memorandum on Feb. 28. The money is to be paid by New York-based AIG to […]

Lawsuit: Nursing home failed to protect patient from resident with `violent criminal record’

By Bridget Doyle TribLocal reporter March 8 The family of an Alzheimer’s patient who died after a physical altercation with another patient at Oak Park Healthcare is suing the west suburban nursing home for wrongful death, according to a press release issued Thursday by the family’s lawyers. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by Chicago-based Levin and […]

Hal Leonard to Pay $150,000 to Class of Females Who Endured Physical and Verbal Sexual Harassment

Hal Leonard Publishing Company, a music print publishing company founded in Winona, Minn., has agreed to pay $150,000 to a class of female employees to settle a sexual harassment charge brought against the company by a former employee, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced Wednesday. An investigation by the EEOC’s Minneapolis […]

City of Park Ridge found liable in boy’s death, ordered to pay $5M

By JENNIFER JOHNSON jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com March 13, 2012 1:36PM The city of Park Ridge has been ordered to pay $5.18 million to the estate of a 15-year-old Park Ridge boy following last week’s verdict in a wrongful-death lawsuit stretching back seven years. A jury on March 8 found the city liable in the death of Maine […]

Suit filed in death of woman killed while walking along Eisenhower Expressway

By Clifford Ward Special to the Tribune 3:26 p.m. CDT, March 15, 2012 The family of a woman struck and killed by a pickup truck while walking along the Eisenhower Expressway after a DUI arrest filed a lawsuit today, saying a state trooper negligently allowed the woman to go free even though she was still […]

Railroad will pay $6 million to family of Chicago woman killed at University Park crossing

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS First Posted: March 14, 2012 – 4:02 am CHICAGO — The family of a woman killed at a University Park railroad crossing two years ago will receive $6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.. Dance instructor Katie Ann Lunn of Chicago was killed in April 2010 when her vehicle was hit by […]

Whistleblowing Hebert nurse out of work and license in jeopardy

I followed the law and it didn’t work.’ By GERRY GOLDSTEIN, Valley Breeze & Observer Correspondent SMITHFIELD – Psychiatric nurse Jeannine Peterson, a rock-climber when she’s not in uniform, is accustomed to scaling barriers, but she hasn’t been able to get past the fallout from her latest role in life: whistleblower. It was a phone […]

Stonewalling The Public

Dark clouds hanging over Sunshine Week cast a shadow on the First Amendment What’s worrying to journalists is, after years of sitting largely idle on the books, the Illinois eavesdropping law is starting to produce arrests. A Chicago woman was charged under the law after recording police officers whom she thought were preventing her from […]