Illinois

More than Five Years After Reversed $10.1 Billion Judgment, Illinois Tobacco Case Is Revived

An Illinois appeals court helped revive a dismissed Illinois tobacco class action case that resulted in a $10.1 billion judgment in 2003. More than five years after the state supreme court dismissed Price v. Philip Morris Inc., the case was given another chance in the Fifth District Appellate Court of…

Mar 2, 2011 7:57 PM CST

Recruiter Got Zip, Sued for $100M, Is Awarded $365K re 12-Lawyer Leap to Lewis Brisbois

After being paid nothing for a 10-lawyer leap to Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, a legal recruiter sued the Los Angeles law firm for $100 million. A federal magistrate judge in Houston has now awarded $365,150 to Houston-based CB Legal Search, reports the Houston Business Journal. The recruiter contended its…

Mar 1, 2011 9:59 PM CST

Lawyer Seeks Hairdresser for Murder Defendant to Spruce Up ‘Crazy Woman’ Looks

A woman accused of killing the girlfriend of a former Chicago sports star needs a makeover before her trial begins, her lawyer asserts. Lawyer William Hedrick says his client, Marni Yang, is being denied the rights granted to male inmates, who are allowed biweekly haircuts, according to the Chicago Tribune…

Mar 1, 2011 2:57 PM CST

Chicago Lawyer Couple Charged with Fraud, Accused of Lying to Clients Facing Foreclosure

Corrected: A Chicago lawyer is charged with deceiving clients who paid him to help save their homes from foreclosure, federal prosecutors said. Investigators say Philip Igoe pursued clients in financial turmoil and took money from them, promising that the money would go toward mortgage payments or repayments under Chapter 13…

Feb 25, 2011 8:34 PM CST

Coroner Who Moonlighted Takes Plea, Losing Medical License But Avoiding Time

A suburban Chicago coroner pleaded guilty today to obstruction of justice and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and resigned from his job, one of the highest elected positions in Lake County. Richard Keller must surrender his physician’s license for five years as part of the plea deal, but will…

Feb 22, 2011 9:55 PM CST

Guilty Plea in Elderly Ex-Lawyer’s Murder Includes Promise to Testify Against Another Defendant

At first, authorities thought former Illinois attorney Carl Kuhn might have died of natural causes. However, his home was in disarray and an autopsy showed that the 82-year-old suburban Chicago resident had been smothered. Today, Keith Allen, 22, pleaded guilty to the 2009 murder and agreed to testify against a…

Feb 18, 2011 8:25 PM CST

Feds Raid Health Care Facilities, Arrest Over 100 Professionals in 9 Cities in Record Medicare Bust

Federal authorities have arrested 111 doctors, nurses and other professionals in nine cities in what is being billed as the biggest Medicare fraud bust ever. It allegedly involved fraudulent billing of the government for health care services that weren’t provided, according to ABC News and the Associated Press. The raids…

Feb 17, 2011 6:49 PM CST

Cook County Court Clerk Warns 170 of Layoffs, Another 125 Flagged for Layoffs in Prosecutor’s Office

Layoffs in the county that includes Chicago are affecting prosecutors and employees in the court clerk’s office. The Cook County circuit court clerk notified 170 employees of layoffs on Monday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald. The cuts are a response to a 16 percent budget reduction…

Feb 15, 2011 4:59 PM CST

Comp Hearing Scheduled ‘On the Sly’ for Texting Cop Who Caused Fatal Accident

A lawyer arbitrator tried to keep reporters out of a public hearing by scheduling a hearing date “on the sly,” her e-mails reveal. The Belleville News Democrat obtained the e-mails of Jennifer Teague, an arbitrator with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, through a freedom of information request. The hearing will…

Feb 10, 2011 4:22 PM CST

Help Wanted: US Judicial Vacancies Increasing; 2011 Retirements Average One Per Week

Six federal judges have announced their retirements in the last six weeks, contributing to a growing number of judicial vacancies that are taxing some courts and delaying some trials. Judicial vacancies have steadily increased since President Obama took office, the Washington Post reports. “Experts blame Republican delaying tactics, slow White…

Feb 8, 2011 1:04 PM CST

AG of Ill. Sues Over Pension Board’s OK of Benefits to Disgraced Police Commander

After a pension board’s OK last month of a $3,000-a-month pension to a former Chicago police commander accused of playing a leading role in alleged widespread torture of suspects by his officers decades ago, the state attorney general has stepped into the fray. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan sued today…

Feb 7, 2011 7:01 PM CST

Chicago Lawyer Died in Blizzard After Apparently Falling in to Lake Michigan

Among the people who died in last week’s blizzard was a Chicago lawyer who fell into Lake Michigan and drowned. Lawyer Peter Davis, 60, was a Harvard law graduate who lived about five blocks from the lake, the Chicago Tribune reports. His legal secretary, Karen Johnson, told the Tribune that…

Feb 7, 2011 1:09 PM CST

2-Lawyer Winston Team Leaps to Kaye Scholer; Vincent Sama to Chair Securities Litigation Group There

As the legal market for lateral hires continues to revive, the revolving door moves in both directions at Winston & Strawn. At the same time that the Chicago-based firm reportedly is seeking to bring in some 150 or more partners from Howrey, it is losing two to Kaye Scholer. Vincent…

Feb 3, 2011 9:55 PM CST

Accept Winston & Strawn Offers ASAP, Howrey Chairman Reportedly Urges Colleagues

Having reportedly made offers to about three-quarters of Howrey’s remaining 200 to 230 partners within the past week, Winston & Strawn is apparently eager to close the deal. In a meeting this week with Howrey partners, the firm’s chairman, Robert Ruyak, and Winston & Strawn’s managing partner, Thomas Fitzgerald, urged…

Feb 3, 2011 3:34 PM CST

Snow Holiday to Extend Through Thursday at Cook County Courts After Chicago Blizzard

A snow holiday today will extend through tomorrow at Cook County Circuit Court following a major blizzard in Chicago, announces a notice on the circuit’s website. “Due to inclement weather, by an order of Chief Judge Timothy Evans, the Circuit Court and the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit…

Feb 3, 2011 12:51 AM CST