Illinois

Pro se defendant held in contempt and gets 180 days for refusing to approach bench at trial

Defending himself at a suburban Chicago jury trial earlier this month on charges related to his alleged cultivation of 19 marijuana plants at home did not turn out well for Scott Hochstetter. When the 32-year-old refused to identify himself on July 15 and declined to approach the bench, as instructed,…

Jul 24, 2014 6:25 PM CDT

Online adoption service resolves suit by Illinois AG

An online adoption service that matches prospective parents with birth mothers has entered into a consent decree to resolve a suit by the Illinois Attorney General’s office that claimed the agency was not approved to place children in the state. The Adoption Network Law Center registered with the state after…

Jul 24, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

Official says Chicago will allow drivers to appeal 9,000 red-light tickets after usual deadline

Some 9,000 drivers who may have inappropriately been ticketed in Chicago for running a red light over issues with a controversial camera system will be able to fight their cases, even though the usual deadline for doing so has expired. Details of how that challenge process will work were not…

Jul 23, 2014 10:20 PM CDT

Longtime attorney becomes a therapist to help fellow lawyers deal with ‘spirit-killing’ profession

After 30 years in practice, Alan Levin was ready for a change. A divorce and therapy helped the Chicago lawyer take a new direction in life. Now 66 and remarried, he gave up his successful law practice, went back to school and set up a counseling shop along with another…

Jul 22, 2014 6:25 PM CDT

‘Love my dress’ Facebook selfie puts police on trail of shoplifting suspect

It didn’t take long for police in a small Illinois town to identify a suspect in a recent shoplifting case. After an eye-catching leopard-print dress with hot pink and lime green accents was stolen 10 days ago from Morties Boutique in West Frankfort, the store put up a Facebook post…

Jul 21, 2014 10:25 PM CDT

Winston & Strawn finds e-discovery a lucrative market niche; 400 lawyers vied for 10 recent openings

A practice group at Winston & Strawn that focuses on electronic discovery is carving out a lucrative market niche. While many major law firms look to outside contractors to help sort through the mass of email and other electronic documents that must be reviewed in corporate litigation, Winston is not…

Jul 21, 2014 9:50 PM CDT

Hailing cab in handcuffs points police to man who escaped custody en route to court hearing

A defendant in a domestic violence case who was found unfit for trial earlier this year escaped from custody Wednesday, en route to a court hearing in suburban Chicago, after the Illinois state vehicle in which he was being transported from a mental health facility stopped at a gas station.…

Jul 17, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

Man arrested after allegedly slapping, spitting on judge taking a cigarette break outside courthouse

A man was arrested Monday after authorities said he argued with, slapped and twice spit on an African-American judge taking a cigarette break outside a downtown Chicago courthouse. Prosecutors say Judge Arnette R. Hubbard followed the man and called for help when the assailant spit on her the first time,…

Jul 15, 2014 9:55 PM CDT

Man accidentally locked in jail visiting room for 30 hours sues county for damages

A visitor who was accidentally locked in a Chicago jail for some 30 hours earlier this month says he was initially handcuffed and questioned after he finally managed to alert authorities of his presence by breaking a sprinkler head. Now he is suing. Farad Polk, 51, says he lost track…

Jul 15, 2014 2:45 PM CDT

Illinois AG sues over claimed student-loan debt-settlement ‘scams’

Lawsuits filed Monday by the Illinois attorney general over what she described as student-loan debt-settlement “scams” are said to be the first such suits to be filed by any state. Lisa Madigan sued Broadsword Student Advantage in Champaign County Circuit Court and First American Tax Defense in Cook County Circuit…

Jul 14, 2014 8:45 PM CDT

Jail visitor is accidentally locked up for 30 hours, finally breaks sprinkler head to escape

A man visiting his son at the Cook County Jail in Chicago was accidentally locked up himself for nearly 30 hours over the weekend. Following directions to a visiting room, the man entered a door that had been left open by contractors and it closed behind him, executive director Cara…

Jul 9, 2014 2:25 PM CDT

Even a barbecue is dangerous in violence-prone neighborhoods

The shooting violence in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend is all too familiar for a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and a 16-year-old girl whose cousin was among those killed. The tally of the shooting deaths over Chicago’s Fourth of July weekend increased to 16 on Monday after two more…

Jul 9, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

Well-known law firm sues prominent clients over alleged unpaid bill of nearly $6.4M

A well-known Chicago-based law firm filed suit last week against members of a prominent family and their corporate entities, contending that they racked up an unpaid legal bill of nearly $6.4 million in a real estate matter. Ungaretti & Harris says former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ronald Gidwitz and other members…

Jul 7, 2014 8:55 PM CDT

Citizen’s arrest of park district board spurs change in open-meetings policy

After being placed under citizen’s arrest, a park district board in Illinois has adopted a new policy allowing up to 30 minutes of public comment at every meeting. At a meeting of the Clark County Park District Board in May, activist John Kraft said he was placing the board under…

Jul 7, 2014 1:56 PM CDT

DLA says it keeps a tight rein on partner who admits faking $69K in cab receipts at prior firm

A former Sidley Austin partner who admits faking $69,000 in cab receipts found a new home at DLA Piper in Chicago 17 months ago, but the firm tells disciplinary officials it is closely scrutinizing his billable hours and expense reports. The former partner, Lee Smolen, testified in his Illinois disciplinary…

Jul 2, 2014 1:18 PM CDT