Illinois

$4.1 Million Settlement with Shackled, Pregnant Jail Detainees Wins Preliminary Approval

A federal judge gave preliminary approval to a $4.1 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the Cook County (Ill.) Jail on behalf of a group of female inmates who say they were shackled while pregnant and in labor. Unless objections are raised, the Chicago Tribune reports, roughly 80 former…

May 23, 2012 6:16 PM CDT

Ethics Complaint Against Ex-PD Includes Allegation She Used the S-Word in Court

An ethics complaint against a former assistant public defender in Cook County includes allegations that she yelled and said the S-word in court. Therese Cesar Garza is accused of failing to communicate plea offers and disclosing confidential information about her clients to the judge, the Legal Profession Blog reports. In…

May 8, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Ex-Comptroller of Small Illinois Town Pleads Not Guilty in $53M Theft Case

Originally accused of embezzling $30 million from a small Illinois town over the past six years or so, former comptroller Rita Crundwell is now accused of stealing $53 million from Dixon over a period of more than 20 years. The 59-year-old pleaded not guilty in federal court in Rockford on…

May 7, 2012 6:09 PM CDT

Lawyer Faces Wire Fraud Case; Feds Say He Used Client Funds to Cover Law Firm and Personal Expenses

An Indianapolis lawyer is facing a federal wire fraud charge after allegedly misappropriating $2.5 million in client funds by operating his construction liability practice in a manner akin to a Ponzi scheme over an 11-year period. William F. Conour, 64, is accused of keeping a majority of the settlement money…

May 1, 2012 7:06 PM CDT

Partner’s Exit of IP Boutique for Own Firm Leads to $58K Sanction and Ethics Case re Documents

A then-partner’s exit from an intellectual property boutique in Chicago proved to be expensive, when an Illinois judge sanctioned him nearly $60,000 for destroying documents he had taken from Ladas & Perry. And, in addition to being ordered to pay $58,819.74 to Ladas & Perry, Woochoon William Park is also…

Apr 27, 2012 7:17 PM CDT

Worker’s Suit Claims His Boss Took over His Computer and Placed the F-Word on It

A fired worker and his one-time boss are trading accusations of bad workplace etiquette after the employee filed suit partly over an obscenity. The suit filed by Miaoguang Jin alleges that his boss, Jianqing Zhao, drew a big “F— you” on Jin’s computer and then invited other employees to take…

Apr 25, 2012 3:19 PM CDT

Longtime Comptroller Is Accused of Stealing $30M From Small Illinois Town in 6 Years

To major cities, $30 million might not seem like quite as much money. But for Dixon, Ill., with a population of about 15,000, it amounts to a little more than three times the city’s annual budget. That’s why it was such a shock for officials to discover that a longtime…

Apr 18, 2012 4:41 PM CDT

Given 2 Years in Gun Case, Defendant Flees, Is Chased Down in Court Hall and Tackled by Prosecutor

Seth Uphoff’s experience as a former defensive back for the Eureka College football team came in handy on Thursday when a convicted defendant was sentenced to two years in a gun case Uphoff prosecuted in Peoria, Ill. Apparently hoping for probation, because he legally owned the assault rifle he shot…

Apr 13, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Divorce Lawyer Takes Plea, Admits Contract Hit Plot re Ex-Boyfriend of Ex-Client He Was Dating

A young divorce lawyer with a once-thriving practice in the Chicago suburbs has taken a plea in a federal case in which he was charged with plotting a murder for hire targeting the jealous ex-boyfriend of a former client the attorney was dating. Overwhelmed by months of harassment by his…

Apr 13, 2012 12:19 PM CDT

Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Will Be Deposed re 1980s Police Torture Scandal

Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who served as Cook County’s top prosecutor before moving on to the city’s number-one job, will be questioned under oath about his knowledge, if any, of a police torture scandal from the 1980s. Lawyers for both Daley and one of the alleged victims of…

Apr 10, 2012 5:03 PM CDT

Stolen GPS Items Lead Police to Suspect in Store Robbery

A 20-year-old Chicago man is being held in lieu of $350,000 bond after prosecutors say he stole some $17,000 worth of merchandise from a Radio Shack in the city’s Beverly neighborhood as well as tied up some individuals in the store and taking their cellphones. Prosecutors say police caught up…

Apr 9, 2012 5:57 PM CDT

Federal Judge Who Officiated Law Student-to-Be’s Wedding Also Sentenced His Dad, Back in the Day

Donald Brown Jr. was 9 years old when his father was sent to prison by a federal judge after a conviction in a drug case. It would be more than a decade before the dad saw his son outside again. But a blow that could have pushed many youngsters off…

Apr 9, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Court to Monitor Reporter Tweets to Enforce Twitter Ban in Murder Trial re Jennifer Hudson’s Family

To prevent distractions, the judge overseeing the Chicago trial of a man accused of murdering three family members of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson has banned reporters from posting on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter while they are in court. And Judge Charles Burns isn’t taking any…

Apr 5, 2012 7:26 PM CDT

Divided Wis. Supreme Court OKs Brief Suspensions as Reciprocal Discipline

Saying that it was following the lead of another state, as it routinely does in reciprocal attorney discipline cases, a majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed brief suspensions on two lawyers who were accused in 2005 of raping a woman they met on the dance floor at…

Apr 5, 2012 4:54 PM CDT

Inmates Will Get $153K, Lawyers Have Earned Nearly $1.6M as 9-Year-Old Chicago Jail Suit Settles

After nine years of legal battle, the Cook County Board has agreed to settle for $1 million a lawsuit over a since-amended weekend lockdown policy at its Chicago jail. The bulk of the money, $850,000, will go to the lawyer who represented four female inmates in the suit, which they…

Apr 4, 2012 5:56 PM CDT