Employers' liability for employees' loose tonguesBy Helen W. GunnarssonJuly 2006Lawpulse, Page 338The Illinois Supreme Court will review an appellate court's ruling that a hospital employee has a "continuing off-shift duty" to keep confidential information about patients confidential.
Insureds must give reasonable notice of claims or suits to insurersBy Helen W. GunnarssonJuly 2006Lawpulse, Page 338The supreme court holds that insurers may refuse to indemnify insureds who don't give timely notice of a claim, even if the insurer isn't prejudiced by the delay.
The limited lockstep doctrineBy Helen W. GunnarssonJuly 2006Lawpulse, Page 338In a dog-sniff case, the Illinois Supreme Court wrote that it will interpret state constitutional provisions more expansively than their federal counterparts only under limited circumstances.
Background checks for jurors?By Helen W. GunnarssonJune 2006Lawpulse, Page 278A federal judge and some state's attorneys offer their varying viewpoints about how far to go to determine whether prospective jurors are coming clean.
The General Assembly rewrites eminent domain lawBy Helen W. GunnarssonJune 2006Lawpulse, Page 278The bill, now on the governor's desk, specifies that property can be condemned only for a "qualified public use."
Separate but equal grooming standards okayedBy Helen W. GunnarssonJune 2006Lawpulse, Page 278Requiring female but not male bartenders to wear makeup does not violate Title VII, the ninth circuit rules.
What's crude talk among Friends?By Helen W. GunnarssonJune 2006Lawpulse, Page 278Sexually charged talk in the workplace doesn't always equal sexual harassment, the California Supreme Court says.
Blogging and legal ethicsBy Helen W. GunnarssonMay 2006Lawpulse, Page 222Go forth and blog, experts say, but not without educating yourself about relevant ethical issues.
A higher bar for landlords in eviction casesBy Helen W. GunnarssonMay 2006Lawpulse, Page 222A new ruling from the first district makes it harder for landlords to use constructive service as a basis for evicting nonpaying tenants.
MCLE for judgesBy Helen W. GunnarssonMay 2006Lawpulse, Page 222Judges, too, are on the hook for mandatory CLE, the Illinois Supreme Court announced last month.
Playing the Rule 68 cardBy Helen W. GunnarssonMay 2006Lawpulse, Page 222FRCP 68 can encourage settlement, but it also confronts counsel for plaintiffs and defendants with some high-stakes challenges.
Section of the Illinois Election Code is unconstitutionalMay 2006Illinois Law Update, Page 230On March 6, 2006, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, and affirmed the decision of the Circuit Court of Cook County, holding unconstitutional section 7A-1 of the Illinois Election Code (10 ILCS 5/7A-1).
Bohner redux: insured properly denied coverage for "illegal" act, 7CA rulesBy Helen W. GunnarssonApril 2006Lawpulse, Page 166Like the Illinois Appellate Court, the federal seventh circuit ruled recently that an insurance company properly denied coverage to an under-the-influence driver based on the policy's exclusion for "illegal" acts.
Goodbye to the affidavit of intent to appealBy Helen W. GunnarssonApril 2006Lawpulse, Page 166Effective July 1, a supreme court rule change will remove a trap that's especially dangerous for the occasional appellate lawyer.
Must employers try to stop employees' "unauthorized activity"?By Helen W. GunnarssonApril 2006Lawpulse, Page 166Yes, a New Jersey court says, at least if the activity is accessing child porn on company computers and the employer is on notice about it.
New rules expedite custody casesBy Helen W. GunnarssonApril 2006Lawpulse, Page 166On February 10, 2006, the Illinois Supreme Court issued new rules that will dramatically change procedures in child custody cases. The rules are contained in new Article IX of the Supreme Court Rules and are effective July 1, 2006.
Criminal-acts exclusion bars insurance recovery to DUI driverBy Helen W. GunnarssonMarch 2006Lawpulse, Page 110The court said a lesser traffic offense wouldn't trigger the auto-gap-policy exclusion. But will the ruling's logic be applied to other insurance policies with similar language?
Danger lurks in p.i. confidentiality clausesBy Helen W. GunnarssonMarch 2006Lawpulse, Page 110A recent case – involving none other than Dennis Rodman – holds that plaintiffs must pay tax on the portion of a settlement award deemed payment to a p.i. client for his or her silence.
Sour notesBy Helen W. GunnarssonMarch 2006Lawpulse, Page 110The destructive, expensive breakup of a string quartet leads to the obvious question: what advance legal planning might have kept things from getting out of control? And what can you do for your musician clients?
A big win for Big TobaccoBy Helen W. GunnarssonFebruary 2006Lawpulse, Page 62The Illinois Supreme Court barred plaintiffs' class action claim and overturned a $10-plus billion award against Philip Morris. But experts doubt the case will have much precedential power outside Illinois.
In mandatory arbitration, every minute countsBy Helen W. GunnarssonFebruary 2006Lawpulse, Page 62A plaintiff must go to the Illinois Appellate Court to overturn arbitrators' finding against him for arriving minutes late for his arbitration hearing.
Maintenance: be careful what you ask - and don't ask - forBy Helen W. GunnarssonFebruary 2006Lawpulse, Page 62In two separate cases, the fourth district upheld maintenance awards 1) even after one recipient's remarriage and 2) despite another's request that the court "deny maintenance to the Petitioner and Respondent."
Rule 222 -the high cost of noncomplianceBy Helen W. GunnarssonFebruary 2006Lawpulse, Page 62Plaintiffs who fail to heed the disclosure rule, which governs specified cases implicating $50,000 or less in damages, face the extinguishment of their claim.
Bankruptcy practice after bankruptcy reformBy Helen W. GunnarssonJanuary 2006Lawpulse, Page 10Dire predictions notwithstanding, serious consumer bankruptcy practitioners appear still to be in business. Costs have gone up, though, and let the dabbler beware.
