A product liability claim can survive a motion for summary judgment under three theories. For a plaintiff’s product liability negligence claim to proceed, the plaintiff must: (1) allege the product had a design defect, (2) allege there was a manufacturing defect, or (3) claim the product did not have proper warnings for consumers. When a plaintiff alleges a design defect, he or she must claim the product’s design made it unreasonably dangerous. If alleging a manufacturing defect, the plaintiff must claim the product manufactured was defective and different from the intended ...
In the Seventh Circuit it has long been acceptable to file a Motion to Dismiss in order to enforce a forum selection clause. See Auto. Mechanics Local 701 Welfare & Pension Funds v. Vanguard Car Rental USA, Inc., 502 F.3d 740, 746 (7th Cir. 2007).
But a just-published case out of the Northern District of Illinois reflects a different practice: that a forum-selection clause, if it permits federal jurisdiction, should now be enforced via a motion to transfer, not a motion to dismiss. The history of this change can help inform practitioners when deciding how to enforce forum selection ...
A recent decision could dramatically narrow the use of protected health information (“PHI”) that is disclosed to an insurer following the conclusion of litigation in Illinois. With this decision comes possible far-reaching implications facing insurers going forward by preventing the development of future medical fraud litigation and monetary recoveries.
In Haage v. Zavala, et al. 2020 IL App (2d) 190499 (March 17, 2020), Plaintiffs filed negligence suits for auto collisions, and moved for entry of qualified protective orders pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability ...
In Graham v. Lakeview Food Pantry, 2019 IL App (1st) 182003, the First District affirmed summary judgment for defendants, including the Catholic Bishop of Chicago (“the Archdiocese”), on plaintiff’s negligence complaint following a fall at defendant’s church. Ultimately, the court found that plaintiff’s claim against the Archdiocese was time-barred by the Illinois statute of repose for construction (735 ILCS 5/13-214(b) (West 2016) (“the statute”).
Case Summary
On January 17, 2015, plaintiff went to the Archdiocese’s church to accept food donations from ...
Most lawyers are keenly aware of Illinois’ Attorney Registration Commission’s (ARDC) role in the attorney registration, licensing, and continuing education processes. However, many are unaware of the processes involved in the investigation and prosecution of attorney discipline matters. Here are three tips (and a bonus!) for things you should consider if you are faced with a complaint to or Request for Investigation from the ARDC.
- Don’t delay, but don’t fire off an emotional response.
Rule 53 of the Rules of the ARDC requires lawyers practicing within the state of ...
From West Coast to East Coast, states have rushed to issue orders, rules, and regulations to address the new coronavirus pandemic, including, in part, the states’ determinations of what construction work/services are “essential.” Those definitions of “essential” construction activities vary greatly; some states adopted severe restrictions on construction (allowing only emergency repairs), while others issued few restrictions (leaving construction relatively unaffected).
Despite the states’ attempts to maintain “essential” construction ...
Clients who are new to asbestos litigation often ask why so many defendants are named in asbestos lawsuits. The person usually says to me, “it sounds like they just name every company which they believe used asbestos at some point and then they see what sticks. Isn’t this a huge cost on the system and a burden on companies that had no connection to the plaintiff?”
These questions and others were recently on the minds of Iowa legislators. The Iowa House and Senate passed a bill requiring that plaintiffs who are seeking damages relating to asbestos and silica exposures provide more ...
In general, Illinois law requires that a lawsuit be commenced “(1) in the county of residence of any defendant who is joined in good faith and with probable cause for the purpose of obtaining a judgment against him or her and not solely for the purpose of fixing venue in that county, or (2) in the county in which the transaction or some part thereof occurred out of which the cause of action arose.” 735 ILCS 5/2-101. For venue purposes, the residence of a corporation, such as a hospital, is in the county where it has any office or is doing business. 735 ILCS 5/2-102. Because hospitals ...
Cases decided by federal courts in Illinois and the Seventh Circuit have held that groundwater does not implicate the CWA, even if there exists a hydrological connection between groundwater and navigable waters. In Vill. of Oconomowoc Lake v. Dayton Hudson Corp., 24 F.3d 962, 965 (7th Cir. 1994), the Seventh Circuit opined that “we are confident that the statute Congress enacted excludes some waters, and groundwaters are a logical candidate.” In a more recent case involving seeps from unlined coal ash pits at a retired coal-fired power plant, which allegedly migrated through ...
On March 25, 2020, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) published on its website a draft memorandum entitled “Interpretation of ‘Begin Actual Construction’ Under the New Source Review Preconstruction Permitting Regulations” (“draft memorandum”). The draft memorandum announces that USEPA is adopting a revised interpretation of “begin actual construction” that will allow a source owner or operator to undertake significantly more physical on-site activities prior to obtaining a construction permit than previously allowed ...
