Illinois

  • October 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Presses Inventor On SAWS Bias Challenge

    Federal Circuit judges appeared skeptical of an inventor's argument that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's controversial and now discontinued "sensitive" patent applications program derailed his application for a patent on a type of internal combustion engine in violation of his constitutional rights.

  • October 07, 2026

    Dark Web Marketplace Co-Founder Gets 40 Years In Prison

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday handed down a 40-year prison sentence for the co-creator of Empire Market, a $430 million darkweb digital marketplace that provided a platform for people to buy and sell controlled substances, stolen credit card information, and counterfeit currency following the takedown of AlphaBay in 2017.

  • October 07, 2026

    States Urge Justices To Fix Prediction Markets' Legal 'Chaos'

    A coalition of 39 states and the District of Columbia urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to resolve a circuit split over the regulation of prediction markets like Kalshi, saying the industry's "aggressive theory of preemption" threatens states' sovereignty and ability to protect their residents. 

  • October 07, 2026

    Ill. Widow Sues Over Fatal 'Projectile' Whipped Cream

    Walmart, Sam's Club and an Illinois container company are facing Illinois state wrongful death claims from a widow who claims they sold whipped cream in a defective cannister that exploded after falling from her fridge and contributed to her husband's premature death.

  • October 07, 2026

    JPML Consolidates Nevro, Abbott Spinal Cord Device Suits

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has created separate MDLs over purportedly defective spinal cord stimulators manufactured by Nevro LLC and Abbott Laboratories, rejecting the manufacturers' arguments that the cases' plaintiffs do not share enough common factual questions to warrant consolidation.

  • October 07, 2026

    Crypto Founder Indicted Over $9M Crypto Rug Pull

    Cryptocurrency founder Alexander Sisemore has been indicted in Illinois federal court for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that netted him about $9 million, with prosecutors alleging he concealed tokens he had allocated himself for free and surreptitiously sold them while misleading investors about the project's ownership.

  • October 07, 2026

    BMW Beats X5 Transmission Defect Suit, For Now

    BMW has defeated for now a proposed class action alleging it knew about a transmission component defect causing some of its cars to jerk and shudder but refused to cover repair costs, with a New Jersey federal judge saying Wednesday the allegations are insufficient to infer BMW knew about any defect.

  • October 07, 2026

    States Say DHS Is Tying Grants To Immigration Agenda, Again

    A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia told a Rhode Island federal court Wednesday that the Trump administration is still unlawfully tying certain grant funding to their assistance with immigration enforcement efforts, in violation of the court's permanent injunction rulings.

  • October 06, 2026

    Kraft Heinz's Global GC To Step Down After Two Years

    The Kraft Heinz Co.'s global general counsel and corporate affairs officer, Angel S. Willis, who has served in her role for two years, plans to leave the company later this month to pursue other opportunities, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

  • October 06, 2026

    Sprout Social Must Face Suit Over Troubled Acquisition

    An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday denied a bid from Sprout Social Inc. to dismiss a proposed investor class action alleging the social media management company missed its financial guidance and struggled to integrate an influencer marketing platform it acquired, finding the suit's challenged statements are actionable and that the claims suggest the defendants knowingly committed fraud. 

  • October 06, 2026

    Tesla Defect Sparked Garage Fire, Insurer Says

    Tesla Inc. has been hit with product liability claims in Illinois state court by an insurer looking to recoup the money it paid a policyholder whose Model X was deemed a total loss after an electrical defect caused the vehicle to catch file while charging.

  • October 06, 2026

    Approach The Bench: Judge Panter On Mediating Vs. Judging

    When attorneys come before retired Judge Michael Panter, a former circuit court judge in Cook County, Illinois, they sometimes forget that he is not there to decide their cases, but to resolve them.

  • October 06, 2026

    7th Circ. Told Boeing Investors Fail 'Comcast' Cert. Test

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is among those backing Boeing's call to the Seventh Circuit to overturn class certification in a case accusing the aerospace firm of misleading investors about the safety of its 737 Max fleet, arguing that the certification is dependent on a damages model that the U.S. Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit have rejected.

  • October 06, 2026

    GM Faces Class Claims Over SUV Brake Systems

    Certain 2025 Chevrolet, GMC and Buick vehicles have defective master brake cylinder assemblies that can fail suddenly, causing severe safety hazards, according to a proposed class action brought against General Motors LLC in Pennsylvania federal court Tuesday.

  • October 06, 2026

    Chicago Woman Sues Over Shooting By Border Patrol Agent

    A Chicago woman who was shot five times by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation last year sued the federal government Monday, alleging that the agent deliberately struck her car and shot her without justification while she was alerting her neighbors to the officers' presence.

  • October 06, 2026

    Dentists Can't Avoid Delta Dental MDL

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation held that dentists pursuing five new lawsuits against Delta Dental and its network cannot avoid the Illinois federal court MDL accusing the insurance giant of anticompetitively carving up markets and driving down reimbursements.

  • October 06, 2026

    7th Circ. Judge Hints Precedent Dooms Worker's Vax Fight

    A Seventh Circuit judge appeared disinclined Tuesday to restart a religious discrimination suit brought by a hospital pharmacy technician who was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, emphasizing that the same employer's recent win in a similar appeal is "binding authority."

  • October 05, 2026

    PVC Pipe Price-Fixing Settlements Get Final OKs

    An Illinois federal judge has given her final blessing to more than $200 million in settlements consumers have struck in their antitrust suit accusing major polyvinyl chloride pipe producers of participating in an illegal price-fixing conspiracy, teeing the rest of the case up for the evidence-gathering phase of litigation.

  • October 05, 2026

    Verogen Genealogy Website Can't Escape DNA Privacy Suit

    A California federal judge has preserved a proposed class action against the owner-operator of a genetic genealogy website, finding that the plaintiffs sufficiently showed that a technical loophole wrongly let law enforcement circumvent user opt-out privacy settings.

  • October 05, 2026

    Illinois' Curbs On Kalshi Sports Contracts Blocked For Now

    An Illinois federal judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its gambling license requirements against Kalshi and Coinbase on Friday, saying that the companies' core sports betting contracts are likely federally regulated swaps.

  • October 05, 2026

    McDonald's Accused Of Using AI To Hike Menu Prices

    A potential class action filed in Illinois federal court Friday accuses McDonald's of flouting federal and state antitrust laws by using artificial intelligence to coordinate prices among independently owned restaurants, causing customers to overpay and average menu prices to rise by roughly 40% in a five-year period.

  • October 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Rejects Ex-Club Prez's Claim Of Fake Canceled Debt

    The Seventh Circuit upheld the dismissal of a former country club president's claim that the club filed a fraudulent information return with the IRS reporting a canceled debt, saying he failed to make a case for overturning precedent that limited taxpayers' ability to seek damages for fraudulent return filings.

  • October 05, 2026

    Groups Sue For Cook County, Ill., Judge Assignment Records

    Two public interest groups and a legal news outlet sued the chief judge of Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois, the circuit clerk and the state's court administration director, alleging they withheld records showing when judges were authorized to handle other judges' cases, potentially concealing unauthorized rulings.

  • October 05, 2026

    High Court Won't Hear Chicago Workers' Vaccine Appeal

    The U.S. Supreme Court again refused Monday to weigh in on a challenge to COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements for Chicago city workers, declining to take up the case after the Seventh Circuit refused to revive their lawsuit in December.

  • October 05, 2026

    High Court Won't Review United Challenge To Vax Bias Class

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review class certification in a religious bias lawsuit over United Airlines' COVID-19 vaccine mandate, leaving in place a Fifth Circuit ruling that found no issue with the trial court's decision.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

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    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • NC Dental Review Change Counters Tougher National Trend

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    North Carolina’s elimination of its prior review requirement for dental management agreements departs sharply from the national trend toward expanded corporate practice of medicine oversight, but stakeholders should not view this regulatory shift as a relaxation of compliance expectations, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Costco Chicken Case Highlights Food Labeling Lessons

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    Recent litigation over allegedly deceptive food labels, including the ongoing proposed class action in a California federal court over Costco's rotisserie chicken, shows that plaintiffs rarely focus on single label statements in isolation — so product claims that comply with regulations could still incur litigation risk, says Brandy Alonzo-Mayland at Michelman & Robinson.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    After 2026's second quarter, there is more authority rejecting class certification on total loss valuation theories from courts at the federal circuit, federal district and state appellate level — along with a resolution of a novel issue of depreciation on a wildfire claim, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling May Reduce Litigation Risk For Text Marketers

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    The recent Seventh Circuit holding in Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services that unwanted marketing text messages are not telephone calls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act may strengthen companies' responses to presuit demand letters and early-stage litigation claims premised on do-not-call text theories, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Going To Hardcore Shows Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While government contracts law and the hardcore scene may seem entirely unrelated, in my experience, both are about community, focus, being prepared for the unexpected and managing chaos, says Isaac Natter at Fluet.

  • Opinion

    Birthright Citizenship Dissents Belie Originalist Interpretation

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    The three dissents in the U.S. Supreme Court's recent birthright citizenship decision clashed with originalist readings of the Constitution, applying the 14th Amendment more narrowly than its drafters, and by applying contemporary and living document approaches to constitutional interpretation, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • FTC-Deere Deal Tells Cautionary Tale On Repair Access Limits

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    A recent proposed Federal Trade Commission antitrust settlement in Illinois federal court requires Deere & Co. to provide access to repair services previously available only to authorized dealers, and companies that limit access to aftermarket resources should ensure they can substantiate the reasoning behind any restrictions, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    Being A Sommelier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a sommelier has quietly shaped how I practice law by changing the way I think, communicate and connect with people, and offers a constant reminder that expertise is about making your knowledge useful and accessible to others, says Kara Du at Sheppard.

  • Why A Class Was Certified In Financial Aid Info-Sharing Case

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    The recent Illinois federal court decision in Corzo v. Brown University offers key guidance for defendants confronting class certification in antitrust matters, highlighting how typicality can be satisfied despite class members attending different universities, receiving different aid awards and being affected across different time periods, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Workplace Menopause Laws Demand New HR Playbooks

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    A recent wave of state and local legislation that makes menopause an expressly protected condition in the workplace creates new compliance obligations amid an already ambiguous federal framework, and demands a workplace culture where employees feel safe asking for support, says Elliot Griffin at Ballard Spahr.

  • How State Actions Are Reshaping Surveillance Pricing Risk

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    Amid heightened state enforcement activity and expanding legislative action to curb surveillance pricing concerns related to transparency, fairness and discrimination, businesses should closely examine how consumer data is used in pricing decisions, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Defense Tips For Execs In DOJ's Tariff Fraud Crosshairs

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    As the Justice Department begins to criminally prosecute individual executives for tariff evasion, every importer of goods subject to elevated duties should understand how these cases are being built and which institutional decisions can shape their outcome, says Ashwin Ram at Buchalter.

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