The Chicago Tribune has recently reported on two lawsuits arising out of the bankruptcy of the franchisor for the Giordano’s pizza chain. In one suit the bankruptcy trustee has sued franchisee for failing to use the the required pizza dough thus allegedly harming the quality and uniformity of Giordano’s pizzas.…
Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
CNN reports: Designer Loses First Round of Trademark Lawsuit on Red Soled High Heels — Lawyer Vows to Continue the Fight on Appeal and Lambasts Judge’s Decision
CNN reports that French Shoe Designer Christian Louboutin lost the first round of a trademark lawsuit seeking to protect his iconic red soled high heels. Louboutin’s lawyer blasted the Court’s decision and vowed he would fight on in an appeal. The story explains that many designers want to use…
SEC Opens New Whistle Blower Office
The New York Times reports that the SEC has now opened for business its new whistblower office as required by the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. The office will respond to consumer tips regarding securities fraud. If a consumer tip leads to a successful prosecution and recovery, the consumer and…
Northern District of Illinois Federal Court Grants Conditional Class Certification for Lawsuit for Unpaid Overtime
One of the most important issues at the outset of every class-action lawsuit is determining the size of the class itself. In some instances, making such a determination can be accomplished through preliminary investigations by the named plaintiff in the suit. However, the true size and scope of the class…
Directors Are Not Liable for the Torts of Employees Unless Personally Involved, but Should Still Keep a Close Watch Over What Corporate Officers are Doing
There are hundreds of new cases filed in Illinois courts every day, and many of those cases involve business disputes. At Lubin Austermuehle DiTommaso, we pride ourselves on staying on top of new court filings so that we know of changes in the law as they happen. Our Waukegan business…
Federal District Court Exercises Supplemental Jurisdiction Over Counterclaims Regarding Ownership of Employee-Created Farm Equipment Patents
Most companies encourage their employees to innovate and come up with ways to improve the processes, products, and service of the business. Such improvements may be patentable inventions, and it is important for business owners to establish who owns that intellectual property and protect any IP that accrues to the…
Northern District of Illinois Federal Court Grants Motion to Strike Putative Overtime Class-Action
Class-action lawsuits are common in unpaid overtime cases because the misclassification of employees or miscalculation of overtime usually happens on a large scale because major companies have such sizable work forces. Because such lawsuits can prove to be quite costly, defendant employers will do whatever they can to dispose of…
This American Life Reports: “When Patents Attack”
This American Life reports in an excellent piece on how a billioinaire inventor who founded a company to aggregate patents and to sue for infringement. This practice may in fact be hindering innovation and the economy the story reports: Nathan Myhrvold is a genius and a polymath. He made hundreds…
Video on Internet Fraud
Our Chicago consumer rights private law firm handles individual and class action unfair debt collection and other consumer fraud cases that government agencies and public interest law firms such as the Illinois Attorney General may not pursue. Class action lawsuits our law firm has been involved in or spear-headed have…
Fraud Magazine Reports: “In the Wake of Significant Legislative Changes, the Civil False Claims Act Hauls in $3 Billion in Fiscal Year 2010”
Fraud Magazine reports on the new changes in federal false claims act. The article states: A 123-year-old law now has new teeth to better fight today’s tricky fraudsters. Enacted in 1863, the U.S. federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 (FCA), was designed to fight unscrupulous contractors during…