Based upon the oral argument during the recently-concluded January term, it is not clear what the Illinois Supreme Court is likely to decide in Nelson v. The Office of the Kendall County State’s Attorney. Nelson raises a deceptively simple issue: are the States’ Attorneys’ offices subject to the state Freedom of Information Act? Our detailed summary of … Continue Reading
We begin our previews of the civil cases which the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to review at the conclusion of its January term with Bruns v. The City of Centralia, Illinois. Bruns – which arises from the Fifth District – offers the Court an opportunity to discuss the breadth of the so-called "distraction" exception to the … Continue Reading
In our detailed summary of the underlying facts and lower court opinions in In re Marriage of Tiballi, we wrote that the question presented was whether a parent who voluntarily dismisses a custody petition can be hit with the full amount of the fees of a court-appointed child psychologist. Based upon the lively oral argument before … Continue Reading
In the recently concluded January term of the Illinois Supreme Court, the court heard arguments in five civil cases. Our reports begin with BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP v. Mitchell. In BAC, an apparently skeptical Court heard arguments on whether a party’s waiver of his or her objection to personal jurisdiction could be limited to events … Continue Reading
Note: The following post was originally posted on Law360.com on October 31, 2013. On Friday, Oct. 25, Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride ended a three-year term as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, resuming his seat as an associate justice. The following Monday marked the installation of new Chief Justice Rita B. Garman, the … Continue Reading
On Friday afternoon, in an opinion by Justice Robert R. Thomas, a unanimous Illinois Supreme Court held that fraud-based claims against architects are subject to a five-year statute of limitations. In Gillespie Community Unit School District No. 7 v. Wight & Company, the Court rejected the plaintiff school district’s argument that such claims were subject to … Continue Reading
The civil portion of the Illinois Supreme Court’s argument docket for the January term begins tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. in the Court’s temporary courtroom on the 18th floor of the Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago. The cases, with questions presented, are: Call Wednesday, January 22, 2014: Home Star Bank and Financial … Continue Reading
This morning, a six-justice majority of the Illinois Supreme Court has reversed the Fourth District of the Appellate Court, holding in The Venture-Newberg-Perini, Stone & Webster v. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission that temporarily relocating for a distant job did not transform an employee’s commute into part of his or her employment for purposes of … Continue Reading
In the final announced opinion day of 2013, the Supreme Court has filed its opinion in Hooker v. The Retirement Board of the Firemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, holding that the plaintiffs – widows of two deceased firefighters – are not entitled to the inclusion of “duty availability pay” in their survivors’ annuities. Our … Continue Reading
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that it expects to file opinions tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Central time in three civil cases. They are: Hooker v. Retirement Board of the Firemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, No. 114811 – Do survivors’ pensions under the state Pension Act increase when the salary for decedent’s position … Continue Reading
Our previews of the newly allowed petitions for leave to appeal from the closing days of the November term continue with In re Marriage of Turk, which poses a potentially ground-breaking question of domestic relations law: can a court order a custodial parent to pay child support to the non-custodial parent? The mother in Turk … Continue Reading
In the closing days of the recently concluded November term, the Illinois Supreme Court allowed petitions for leave to appeal from three new civil cases. Our first-look previews of those cases begin today with People ex rel. Madigan v. Illinois Commerce Commission. Madigan is an interesting grant for the Court. On the face of the Appellate Court’s … Continue Reading
November was a relatively light month for the Illinois Supreme Court on the civil docket, with only one civil case on for argument. Today, we report on the oral argument in Gillespie Community Unit School Dist. No. 7 v. Wight & Co. In Gillespie, most of the Justices seemed somewhat skeptical of plaintiff’s claim that no statute … Continue Reading
In its sixth and final unanimous civil decision of the morning, the Illinois Supreme Court adopted a narrow construction of the exemption for public utilities provided under the Prevailing Wage Act. Reversing a decision of the Fourth District in The People of the State of Illinois ex rel. Illinois Department of Labor v. E.R.H. Enterprises, Inc., … Continue Reading
This morning, a unanimous Illinois Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Schultz v. Performance Lighting, Inc. Schultz presented a question relating to domestic relations and child support cases: is a notice to withhold salary under the Income Withholding for Support Act invalid if it substantially – but not strictly – complies with the requirements of … Continue Reading
This morning, the Illinois Supreme Court filed its opinion in Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. McCluskey, holding that once a motion to confirm a judicial sale in a foreclosure action has been filed, the generous grounds set forth in the Code of Civil Procedure for setting aside a default no longer apply, and the Foreclosure … Continue Reading
In yet another unanimous decision handed down this morning, the Illinois Supreme Court has streamlined procedures to certify pollution control facilities by barring certain third party appeals. Our detailed summary of the facts and lower court opinion in The Board of Education of Roxana Community School District No. 1 v. The Pollution Control Board is here. Our report … Continue Reading
This morning, a unanimous Illinois Supreme Court handed the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund a win, reversing the Appellate Court’s decision in Rogers v. Imeri. Rogers posed the question of how the Fund’s offset for prior settlements is calculated – and therefore, what is the Fund’s maximum possible liability – in a Dramshop Act case. Our detailed summary … Continue Reading
This morning, the Illinois Supreme Court handed down its highly anticipated decision in Hartney Fuel Oil Co. v. Hamer. Hartney Fuel Oil raises an important question of Illinois business and tax law: how does one determine which local jurisdiction is entitled to collect sales tax on a transaction? Our detailed summary of the facts and lower court … Continue Reading
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that it will hand down decisions tomorrow morning in six civil cases argued during the September term of the Court (exactly half the docket from that term). The cases are: People ex rel. The Department of Labor v. E.R.H. Enterprises, No. 115106 – How is a “public utility” defined for … Continue Reading
Our previews of the latest additions to the Illinois Supreme Court’s civil docket continue with Goldfine v. Barack, Ferrazzano, Kirschbaum and Perlman, a case from the First District Appellate Court. Goldfine poses a number of questions about malpractice actions arising from lawsuits under the Illinois Securities Law, most prominently: are interest and attorneys’ fees available as … Continue Reading
Our previews of the latest additions to the Illinois Supreme Court’s civil docket continue with BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP v. Mitchell. BAC Home Loans presents the following question: does waiver of a personal jurisdiction objection operate retroactively, validating everything which has already happened in the proceeding, or only prospectively? The plaintiff in BAC filed a … Continue Reading
Our previews of the latest additions to the Illinois Supreme Court’s civil docket continue with In re Marriage of Tiballi. Tiballi poses the following issue: when a parent voluntarily dismisses a petition to change custody, can he or she be hit with the fees of a court-appointed child psychologist as costs? The parties in Tiballi divorced … Continue Reading
Our previews of the latest additions to the Illinois Supreme Court’s civil docket continue with WISAM 1, d/b/a Sheridan Liquors v. Illinois Liquor Control Commission, an unpublished decision from the Third District Appellate Court. WISAM involves a due process challenge to the revocation of the plaintiff’s liquor license. First, a bit of background. Federal law requires that … Continue Reading
