A west suburban man alleged in a lawsuit Tuesday that Metra tickets fit the state's definition of for "gift certificates" and are thus protected under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act. That would mean Metra tickets could not legally expire sooner than five years after purchase. more ›

Five months after filing suit against Kanye West and Jay-Z for copyright infringement of his 1967 hit "Different Strokes, soul legend Syl Johnson might be just weeks away from a resolution. more ›

The case may hinge once again on the finer points of municipal real estate law, but it’s the “disproportionately favorable terms” of the Daley-era agreement, as the Emanuel administration's lawsuit put it, that are really on trial. more ›

According to an email received by Chicagoist on Wednesday afternoon, the founder and owner of the popular local online food resource LTHForum, Gary Wiviott, may be forced to sell his interest in the site as part of a bankruptcy proceeding. Wiviott told us that LTH has never made any money and that he has run the site out of his personal funds. more ›

• GrubHub is being sued by a law firm for violating consumer-fraud statutes because some restaurants charge higher prices to customers without disclosing it. [Crain's]
• A Calumet Park policeman has been charged with roughing up a teen, then filing a false police report about it. [Sun-Times]
• A Canadian man who said he was beaten up by two men for his Oprah tickets later told police he made the story up so his wife wouldn't be disappointed that they didn't have tickets. [Chicago Breaking News]

Looks like the "Jon Burge gets to keep his pension" saga isn't over just yet. Rev. Jesse Jackson announced Saturday that he plans on filing a lawsuit to have Burge's pension revoked. Last Thursday the police pension board deadlocked on whether Burge's pension should be revoked. The four who voted to let Burge keep his pension were all current or former cops elected to the pension board by the Police Department and said that Burge's conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice was not related to the allegations of police torture with which Burge has become synonymous. more ›

Earlier in the week, an Alabama law firm announced that it was suing Taco Bell for not having enough beef in its beef. The story quickly went viral, running around the interwebs faster than the Taco Bell chihuahua chasing after a blond girl. Taco Bell issued a response (more of a denial) which we posted. Today, Taco Bell has responded in force, taking out full page ads in major newspapers all over America. The ads read "Thank you for Suing Us" and deny that there is any problem. more ›

A hiring settlement between the Cook County Forest Preserve and job seekers who said they were passed over for less-qualified, politically connected hires will cost taxpayers $555,772. more ›

On the list of worst jobs, working the drive-thru window at McDonald's during the graveyard shift has to be one step below being asked to do the "chocolate shake" dance at Wiener's Circle. Or being Jackee Harry's personal shopper. more ›

Congressman Bobby Rush is not only being sued by New City Bank in an attempt to recover more than $600,000 in mortgage loans, he has a delinquent property tax bill with the County Treasurer's office. more ›

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis must be counting down the days until his contract is up, so he can get the hell out of Dodge. Two of the cops he suspended in connection to an alleged police brutality incident earlier this month are now suing Weis for defamation of character. more ›

• Ald. Bernie Stone (50th) is in no hurry to retire and announced he'll seek reelection next year.
• A bomb threat created a bit of havoc in the Loop this morning but no explosive devices were found.
• Citing a long list of issues, the Art Institute of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against Ove Arup & Partners International for what they claim is shoddy work on the Modern Wing.

• A woman has filed a lawsuit against the CTA claiming she was dragged by a bus back in April.
• More trouble for Fast Eddie.
• FEMA has approved around $150 million in aid money stemming from this summer's floods.

While the city came to a standstill over a certain mayoral announcement yesterday, the wheels of justice kept (slowly) turning in the ongoing Asian Carp saga. Yesterday was the first day of testimony in the lawsuit against the state of Illinois to stop the spread of the destructive species. The states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania are plaintiffs in the suit which calls for the closing of two locks in local waterways to prevent the spread of fish into Lake Michigan. more ›

We first heard about the mysterious medical condition known as "popcorn lung" almost exactly three years ago to the date, and now it seems the disease has struck again. Gerardo Solis, 45, a South Elgin factory worker, has been suffering from "popcorn lung" for several years. Since 1987, Solis worked for various popcorn and popcorn-flavoring plants in the Chicago area. Over time, he developed bronchiolitis obliterans--better known as "popcorn lung"--a disease that has destroyed 75 percent of his lungs. Last month, Solis was awarded $30.4 million against BASF, a supplier of a chemical called diacetyl that is found in butter-flavored microwave popcorn and gives butter its flavor. more ›

• The Blago jury requested and received a transcript of the testimony of former deputy governor Bradley Tusk.
• Authorities in Dolton are seeking a driver who killed a bike-riding teen in a hit-and-run accident as the driver fled police.
• Another lawsuit has been filed against the City's new handgun laws.

Rob Sherman, an atheist from Buffalo Grove, has made good on a threat to take legal action over state funds directed towards a religious icon. Earlier this year, Sherman asked that Friends of Bald Knob Cross of Peace return the grant because it was unconstitutional. But after they refused, he's taken the next step: filing a lawsuit. Both Gov. Quinn and former governor Rod Blagojevich are named as defendants in the lawsuit. Not that the FOBKC are standing pat. From ChuffPo: more ›

And, lo, the fight over the Asian Carp invasion continued... Five states - Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania - filed a lawsuit against the federal government today, demanding tougher restrictions and more action to prevent the spread of the destructive fish into the Great Lakes. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who spear-headed a fight over the fish that went all the way to the Supreme Court (who opted not to tackle it), said in a statement, "Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life. We cannot afford more bureaucratic delays -- every action must be taken to protect the Great Lakes." Not on the list is Indiana, who has already started their own experiment at rebuffing the fish. The ongoing carp saga has only increased as one was discovered in Lake Calumet last month and a recent fish kill in Garfield Park didn't go over as popular as hoped. more ›

We've had our share of surly airplane seat mates as well as the fun, friendly type. But this beats any experience we've had by an airline mile. An area man has sued Southwest Airlines claiming that on a 2008 Chicago-to-Orlando flight, attendants failed to help out his then-14-year-old son who was offered drugs and sexual advances by his seat mate, described as an "older female passenger." For most teenage boys, getting hit on by an older woman to join the mile-high club would be a hormone-fueled dream come true (even if it is, you know, illegal). But not for this one. From the Tribune: more ›

The city's new hand gun restrictions - the one the City Council passed 24 hours after seeing it for the first time because Mayor Daley wanted to cram it through quick and dirty after that SCOTUS ruling - is already facing its first legal challenge less than a week after its approval. A group of people has filed the lawsuit in federal court saying the new laws infringe upon their rights. According to WLS: more ›

Remember Samantha Tumpach? She was the young woman arrested and charged with trying to bootleg Twilight: New Moon at a Rosemont movie theater last winter. Tumpach claimed she was actually filming a birthday party and didn't catch much - if any - of the film, hardly worthy on an arrest. The film's director came to her defense and charges were eventually (and rightfully) dropped. Now, perfectly timed for the release of the next Twilight film, Tumpach has filed a lawsuit against the theater. Per the Tribune: more ›

Jim DeRogatis has broke the news over at Vocalo that state attorney general Lisa Madigan is looking in to anti-trust issues connected with mega-music fest Lollapalooza for its radius clause which limits the ability of bands to perform within a 300-mile radius for a period of time before and after the annual fest. Sayeth DeRo: more ›

Another week of testimony kicked off in the corruption trial of the Brothers Blagojevich yesterday with talk about Patti's hair (no, really), saw several people take the stand, had plenty of talk of Rahm Emanuel, and wrapped with a big witness just starting what is expected to be several days of testimony. Just another day in Blago Court. Cross-examination of Ali Ata, which was the focus at the end of last week, concluded quickly and then the prosecution called Michael Horst who they allege was nominated for the same job as Ata - head the Illinois Finance Authority - as a cover and that the job was going to Ata all along. After Horst was horsetrack owner John Johnston who was an alleged extortion victim of Blago's. In 2008, a 2006 law requiring casinos to share a piece of their profits to subsidize the tracks was up for renewal. Once the state legislator passed the law, however, then-governor Blagojevich let the bill sit, meaning Johnston missed out on as much as $9,000 per day. Johnston, who had previously contributed to Blago but had no plans to do so in late 2008, alleged that Lon Monk pressured him at a December 2008 meeting to make a contribution to Blago, alluding to the unsigned bill. During cross-examination, Team Blago attorney Sam Adam, Sr. tried to put the onus of the pressure on Monk, separating the ex-gov from the alleged shakedown on Johnston. more ›

Bulls legend Scottie Pippen testified yesterday in an $8 million malpractice lawsuit he's filed against law firm Pedersen & Houpt who Pippen for bad business deals which amounted to the loss of millions of dollars. Pippen alleges the firm failed to monitor the deals suggested by former financial adviser Robert Lunn who Pippen has already sued. An attorney for the firm said Pippen was simply playing a "blame game." Pippen said he wasn't notified when terms of a deal involving money he invested in a Gulfstream jet changed but also admitted that while playing basketball, he didn't always follow these financial deals, saying, “When we’re playing, we tend not to keep up." The trial is expected to last three weeks. more ›

The family of Anthony Kyser, the shoplifting suspect who was strangled to death by an employee last weekend, has filed a lawsuit against the company and the employee. more ›

The Chicago White Sox are making some negative headlines today and it has nothing to do with last night's extra-inning loss to Cleveland. more ›

A pair of men are suing the Chicago Police Department for what they claim was an unprovoked beating by plainclothes police officers outside a Bucktown restaurant in early February. Matthew Clark and University of Chicago lecturer Gregory Malandrucco have filed the lawsuit over the attack during which they claim they both suffered broken noses and concussions. The incident allegedly began inside Arturo's, a Mexican restaurant at the corner of Armitage and Western. CBS 2 has surveillance footage of the beatings. Per the Tribune: more ›

The Big O will dodge a big trial as it was announced late yesterday that she's reached a settlement with Nomvuyo Mzamane, the former headmistress of Oprah's all-girls school in South Africa. Attorneys for the two women released a statement saying, "The two parties met woman to woman without their lawyers and are happy that they could resolve this dispute peacefully to their mutual satisfaction." The lawsuit was filed over comments Winfrey made about Mzamane after dorm matron Tiny Virginia Makopo was charged with sexual abuse of students at the school. After the charges were revealed, Oprah said that she had "lost confidence" in Mzamane and she was "cleaning house from top to bottom." According to the Associated Press, court papers indicate Mzamane is still employed at the school. more ›

After twice denying the state of Michigan's request to close a pair of shipping locks in Chicago-area waterways so as to prevent the alleged spread of Asian Carp into Lake Michigan, the Supreme Court of the United States has set one more date in the battle of Asian Carp: April 16. On that date, the SCOTUS will consider whether or not to grant Michigan's request to reopen a 1922 lawsuit over the creation of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, linking the Mississippi River with the Great Lakes and thereby opening a path for the Asian Carp to make their way to the Lakes. Michigan has been joined by the other Great Lakes states - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York - as well as the Canadian province of Ontario in this fight. more ›

For the second time this year, the Supreme Court has rejected a request by the State of Michigan to shut down a pair of shipping locks in Chicago-area waterways, something Michigan says will prevent the spread of Asian Carp into Lake Michigan. Both the State of Illinois and the Obama administration had asked the SCOTUS to refuse the request on the grounds that they are already working on ways to prevent the spread of the potentially damaging fish. The first request was dismissed in January. Still open to the high court is the request by the State of Michigan to reopen a 1922 lawsuit over the creation of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, linking the Mississippi River with the Great Lakes and thereby opening a path for the Asian Carp to make their way to the Lakes. Michigan has been joined by the other Great Lakes states - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York - as well as the Canadian province of Ontario in this fight. more ›