A client list and information on clients’ computer networks do not qualify as trade secrets under the Illinois Trade Secrets Act, the Fifth District Court of Appeal decided April 13 in a business trade secrets lawsuit. In System Development Services v. Haarman, No. 04-CH-30 (Ill. 5th 2009), System Development…
Lubin Austermuehle’s Illinois breach of contract litigation attorneys were pleased to see a split Illinois Third District Court of Appeal decision clarifying the circumstances under which a post-employment restrictive covenant is valid. The decision came in Brown & Brown v. Patrick Mudron, No. 03-CH-1363 (Ill. 3rd March 11, 2008),…
In a case based on the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, the Seventh Circuit has ruled that a victim of a bait-and-switch scheme for title insurance may sue his lender. Doss v. Clearwater Title Co., No. 07-2400 (7th Cir.…
The Federal Reserve Board has prepared an excellent summary of consumer rights available under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) in an online handbook on the FDCPA. You can view the handbook by clicking here. Our consumer rights private law firm handles individual and class action unfair debt…
A legal malpractice plaintiff who is also the executor of an estate may issue new creditor notices to avoid having his case dismissed, the First District Court of Appeal decided March 31. In Jaason v. Sullivan, No. 1-08-1254 (Ill. 1st Dist. March 31, 2009), the executor, Erik Jaason, filed…
In a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act class action, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a bill collector’s failure to correctly break down a bill into principal and interest does not violate that Act. Wahl v. Midland Credit Management, No. 08-1517 (7th Cir. Feb. 23,…
A private security company’s agreement with a competitor does not foreclose insurance coverage in lawsuits filed against the first company alone, the First District Court of Appeal has ruled. Clarendon America Insurance Company v. B.G.K. Security Services, Inc., No. 1-07-2994 (Ill. 1st Dec. 19, 2008), arises out of a…
In a proposed class-action insurance fraud lawsuit, the Illinois Third District Court of Appeal has ruled that a chiropractor may not sue a workers’ compensation insurer. In Martis v. Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, No. 3-08-0004 (Ill. 3rd March 27, 2009), chiropractor Richard Martis sued Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company after…
As Illinois consumer attorneys we were pleased to see that the Illinois Attorney General has a very informative website highlighting the protections provided by Illinois and Federal Law against abusive debt collection practices. You can link to the website here. The Attorney General’s website describes how the Fair Debt…
A very informative brochure just published by the Federal Trade Commission contains the following very useful questions and answers regarding the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: What debts are covered? Personal, family, and household debts are covered under the Act. This includes money owed for the purchase of an automobile,…