Legislation News
Legislation
IL lawmakers OK revised law allowing prejudgment interest in personal injury cases; Biz groups still fear huge costs
The measure establishes 6% prejudgment interest in personal injury lawsuits, and was still opposed by Illinois doctors, manufacturers and others who fear it will hammer businesses with inflated costs from lawsuits.
Legislation
Courts faced with deciding ‘absurd’ damages under BIPA, while lawmakers ponder the cure
CHICAGO – The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals must decide whether years of failure to protect privacy of biometric data should count as a violation of Illinois law worth $1,000 or many violations that could add up to $1 million.
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Legislation
Illinois House passes bill increasing pre-judgment interest for personal injury plaintiffs
House Bill 3360, sponsored by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) and Rep. Marcus Evans, Jr. (D-Chicago), would lengthen the pre-judgment interest accrual period to when an alleged wrongdoer has notice of the injury versus when a plaintiff files suit.
Legislation
Air monitoring for five Illinois cities to be considered by lawmakers at JCAR hearing
Illinois lawmakers will consider a requirement that ambient air in or around five cities be monitored for ethylene oxide levels during a meeting of the the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) Tuesday morning.
Legislation
Senate Democrats push link between coronavirus and favored political cause
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Democrats in the U.S. Senate are attempting to link one of their pet projects to the COVID-19 pandemic in the days leading to a vote on a liability-expanding measure they tried to force through last year and failed.
Legislation
Pritzker's Health Dept. retracts controversial emergency rule to criminalize business owners who reopen early
Public furor enveloped lawmakers over the new rule, which could have resulted in fines and jail time for business owners who opened 'nonessential' businesses earlier than Pritzker believed proper under his COVID rules.
Legislation
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP: Privacy Regulations: The New Litigation Battleground
Foley & Lardner LLP and Exterro invite you to explore the latest in privacy regulations and the new litigation battleground at one of two events in the Chicagoland area – Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at Foley’s office in downtown Chicago and Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Oak Brook, IL.
Legislation
Minimum-wage increase could cost IL businesses more than just higher wages, warn advocates, attorney
Business leaders and defense attorneys are warning of serious problems facing IL business owners, from the state's minimum wage laws, as the state already struggles economically compared to the rest of the country.
Legislation
'We should not have a system mostly beneficial to lawyers:' IL manufacturer decries workers' compensation system
As the Illinois legislature prepares to begin its new session later this month, manufacturers are once again calling for reform of the workers' compensation system amid claims it continues to benefit lawyers most of all.
Legislation
Two Republicans file PFAS amendment while others in GOP see no hope for bill
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The EPA would have six months to declare certain chemicals as hazardous under the federal Superfund law – a measure rejected late last year by Senate Republicans – if an amendment is adopted to a bill that will be the next battleground over the regulation of PFAS.
Legislation
Growing trend to restrict non-competes may particularly impact fast-food franchises, attorney says
Laws restricting the use of non-compete clauses could have an impact on the operation of fast-food franchises, according to an attorney with expertise in the field.
Legislation
Attorneys: Illinois likely to follow California, introduce stricter rules for independent contractors
Attorneys representing businesses believe Illinois will follow California and attempt to introduce legislation to tighten the rules over who can be classified as an independent contractor.
Legislation
IL ethylene oxide ban advances, over warnings of 'ripple effect' fueling medical device shortages, 'true health care crisis'
Brushing aside warnings of shortages of properly sterilized health care tools, Illinois lawmakers are moving forward with new legislation to all but force the state’s medical device sterilization plants to close, over concerns emissions from the plants may be linked to an increased risk of cancer in those living nearby.
Legislation
Madigan, IL Dems hold cards on gerrymandering after SCOTUS ruling; Reformers vow to keep fighting
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has set the stage for a political battle over political gerrymandering and control of the redistricting process. But the decision has left Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his fellow Democrats holding the cards.
Legislation
Is Congress' rush to regulate PFAS part of 'hysteria' fed by plaintiffs lawyers?
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – They have a catchy, sinister-sounding nickname and have caught the attention of lawyers and politicians. But what these “forever chemicals” don’t have is a known toxicity level.
Legislation
'This doesn't help': Law profs say influential group's take on Internet agreements is based on faulty analysis
PHILADELPHIA - One of the latest projects from a legal group that influences judges relies upon a faulty analysis of case law to support its conclusion that courts have developed new ways to interpret “clickwrap,” “browsewrap” and other standardized consumer agreements, some law professors say in a pair of recent articles.
Legislation
Trump DOJ acts on threat to trial lawyers who sue on behalf of the government
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - The Department of Justice's recent effort to toss lawsuits it says it wasted hundreds of hours investigating is emblematic of a strategy under President Donald Trump to rein in trial lawyers who are using a federal whistleblower law to seek millions of dollars.