The Illinois Supreme Court announced that the centerpiece of its civil docket for 2015, the State’s appeal from the Circuit Court’s order striking down public pension reform, will be heard on a “rocket docket” schedule. The State’s opening brief will be due January 12. The appellees’ brief is due February 16, and the State’s reply brief will … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide The Board of Education of the City of Chicago v. The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. Board of Education presents the following issue: did the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board err in finding that the Chicago Board of Education was … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to review a decision from Division 5 of the First District with potentially significant implications for developers: Henderson Square Condominium Association v. LAB Townhomes. Henderson Square poses several related questions about the marketing of condominium units and the breadth of a developer’s … Continue Reading
The Illinois Supreme Court just announced that on Thursday morning, it will hand down decisions in two civil cases: Bettis v. Marsaglia, No. 117050 – “Does a plaintiff’s failure to name the Electoral Board as a party defendant and separately serve the Board with her petition for review in the Circuit Court deprive the Circuit … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide whether a pension board’s finding that an officer is disabled for pension purposes is preclusive of the employer’s liability for health insurance premiums under the Public Safety Employees Act. In The Village of Vernon Hills v. Heelan, the Second District … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide an issue of potentially enormous consequence to a major Illinois utility, agreeing to review an order of the Illinois Commerce Commission requiring a major utility to enter into sourcing agreements with FutureGen 2.0, a non-profit corporation organized to create … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide an issue of potential importance to the medical malpractice bar: what kinds of documents are privileged from disclosure in a negligent credentialing claim in a medical malpractice case? The question arises in a decision from the Fifth District, Klaine v. … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide an issue of considerable importance for Illinois’ car rental industry: can a self-insured car rental company be held liable without limitation for its customers’ accidents if the customer defaults? In Nelson v. Artley, Division Two of the First District … Continue Reading
The basic Illinois statute of limitations for personal injury actions is two years. But the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS 10/1-101) provides that for actions against a “local public entity,” the limitations period is one year. In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to … Continue Reading
In the final days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court allowed a petition for leave to appeal in McVey v. M.L.K. Enterprises, LLC. McVey, a case from the Fifth District, presents the following question: must attorneys’ fees and costs be deducted from a tort settlement before a lien under the Health Care Services … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its November term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide a simple issue with potential implications across a wide variety of civil litigation: is a trial court’s order granting or denying sanctions under Supreme Court Rule 137 per se reversible error when it fails to include reasons for the … Continue Reading
On Thursday morning, the Illinois Supreme Court resolved a confused issue in utilities law, holding unanimously in The People of the State of Illinois ex rel. Madigan v. Illinois Commerce Commission that the 35-day period provided by the Public Utilities Act (220 ILCS 5/10-201(a)) to appeal from orders of the Illinois Commerce Commission trumped … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide a question of potentially great import for Illinois first responders: do public entities and their employees owe a tort duty of care to callers to 911 emergency lines? In Coleman v. East Joliet Fire Protection District, the Third District held … Continue Reading
What happens when the City doesn’t properly serve a notice of building code violations? In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide that issue in Stone Street Partners, LLC v. City of Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings, a decision from the First District of Division One. In 1999, … Continue Reading
In Turcios v. The DeBruler Company, a case from the Second District, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide a simply stated question: can a plaintiff state a claim for wrongful death as a result of a suicide? Plaintiff and her husband lived in an apartment with their three children. Plaintiff is a Honduran immigrant … Continue Reading
During its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide an issue of importance to property and banking practitioners: is the statutory right to rescind a reverse mortgage limited to the original property owner? The Court granted leave to appeal from a decision of Division 6 of the First District, Financial Freedom Acquisition, LLC … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide an issue of potential importance to the domestic relations bar: how are Social Security benefits treated in a property settlement during a divorce? The Court allowed a petition for leave to appeal in In re Marriage of Mueller, a Rule … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide a question relating to the operation of Section 2-1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure: under what circumstances is the apparent lack of diligence of the party itself sufficient to justify denying the motion? In Warren County Soil & Water Conservation … Continue Reading
During its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to decide a novel question presented by a case arising from the Fifth District: does a prisoner have an implied right of action against the circuit clerk and county sheriff for failing to accurately calculate the credit he or she is due against a prison … Continue Reading
Not infrequently, the law calls upon a court to decide what another court would do with a particular issue or case. In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to take up Price v. Philip Morris, Inc. in order to answer one of the more interesting dilemmas in that category … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to return once again to what surely must be the most controversial subject at the moment in all of Illinois’ civil law: public pensions. Matthews v. Chicago Transit Authority is a putative class action raising various challenges to recent reforms to the … Continue Reading
Our previews of the newest additions to the Illinois Supreme Court’s civil docket continue with Hadley v. Subscriber Doe. Hadley is a defamation case arising from an anonymous internet posting, but that issue comes wrapped in a couple of interesting procedural problems. The plaintiff was a candidate for political office. At the end of an online newspaper … Continue Reading
In the closing days of its September term, the Illinois Supreme Court allowed a petition for leave to appeal in Brunton v. Kruger. Brunton involves the scope of the accountant-client privilege – more specifically, what happens to that privilege after the client dies, and how the privilege can be waived. In Brunton, an accounting firm assisted … Continue Reading
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that opinions in two cases addressing public employee pensions, Kanerva v. Weems and People ex rel. Madigan v. Burge, will be filed tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. With the Governor having signed a comprehensive state pension reform act only eight months ago, the opinions – Kanerva in particular – might provide … Continue Reading
