Our Chicago auto fraud firm filed an amicus brief in the Illinois Supreme Court on the side of an RV purchaser who wanted to revoke acceptance due to a leaky roof and the inability to use the RV all summer even though it is a summer product. The lower court…
Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
Sports Drink Manufacturer Fairly Used Trademarked Phrase to Describe Its Products
A sports nutrition and wellness consulting firm sued a major manufacturer of sports drinks, arguing that the manufacturer had violated the consulting firm’s trademark when it referred to itself as “The Sports Fuel Company.” The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the manufacturer. The appellate panel affirmed, finding…
Trading Firm Unable to Sue Regulator For Defamation
A foreign currency trading firm was implicated in misconduct when a separate company it had traded with was investigated by a regulatory authority. The second company settled the investigation with the regulator, and the regulator published documents relating to the investigation and settlement on its website. The documents named the…
New Law Prohibits Illinois Employers from Asking about Current or Past Salary History
On July 31, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law HB834, which amends the Illinois Equal Pay Act by restricting employers’ ability to inqure about or use pay history in hiring and compensation decisions. Illinois becomes the eleventh state to enact legislation prohibiting salary history inquiries by private employers.…
Tax Lien Purchaser Loses $1 Million Breach of Contract Suit against the Law Bulletin
A company that purchases tax liens in order to obtain tax deeds to properties sued Law Bulletin for breach of contract over a misprinted hearing date in a Take Notice, which the company alleged cost it $1 million when the circuit court denied the company’s tax deed application due to…
Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Class Action Lawsuit against Facebook Can Proceed Federal Appellate Court Rules
In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Facebook users in Illinois can move forward with a class-action lawsuit challenging the company’s use of facial recognition technology. Facebook had argued that the court should not let the plaintiffs proceed on a class basis…
New Hampshire Supreme Court Slaps Down Patent Troll’s Defamation Lawsuit
Automated Transactions LLC (“ATL”), a small patent assertion entity, has collected millions enforcing a portfolio of patents relating to automated teller machines. After being labeled a “patent troll” by a number of critics of ATL’s enforcement practices, ATL filed a defamation suit in New Hampshire state court against 12 individuals…
Discovery Responses Doom Mechanic’s Lien Claim Appellate Court Rules
The First District Appellate Court of Illinois recently affirmed the entry of summary judgment against the plaintiff in a commercial breach of contract and mechanic’s lien dispute. In upholding the grant of summary judgment, the Court found that the plaintiff’s discovery responses doomed its mechanic’s lien claim, providing yet another…
Business Owner Can’t Sue For Libel After Angry Customer Updates Old Internet Post
An angry customer of a luxury car rental service posted comments on an internet message board alleging that the service defrauded him out of payments it owed him for the rental of his Lamborghini. The customer posted several times over a period of years, and then went quiet. Four years…
Reseller of Athletic Wear Denied Ability to Sue Retailer After Contract Expired
A reseller of athletic apparel entered into a contract with a large retailer to resell aged and customer-returned athletic wear products. The agreement contained a right of refusal and other provisions, including an automatic extension provision. The agreement was extended several times over a period of 14 years. The parties…