In a case that involved thousands of toxic tort liability cases, the Illinois Appellate Court has ruled that an industrial manufacturer must turn over documents it alleged were privileged to a company indemnifying it. In March 1999, automotive systems manufacturer BorgWarner Inc. acquired Kuhlman Corp. and its subsidiaries, including Kuhlman…
In a commodities fraud case, it was contended by the plaintiff, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), that previous versions of a defendant expert’s report should be produced and not be privileged because of communications between the lawyer and this expert witness. In 2010, the work-product privilege provided by Federal…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago has reversed the decision of a U.S. District Court judge wherein an agreement between the parties, Hennessy Industries Inc. and National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, required arbitration of any dispute that mandated an interpretation of the agreement.…
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has affirmed the dismissal of a fraud case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Patrick Camasta filed a lawsuit against Joseph A. Bank Clothiers Inc. claiming that prior to making purchases at the company’s far north suburban…
In 1952, the owner of a parcel of land in Illinois granted a pipeline operator an easement for two pipelines to cross his land. The first pipeline was built immediately. The easements specified that the second pipeline, if constructed, was required to be built within ten feet of the first…
Fortunee Massuda was an investor in a group of Panda Express restaurants in Chicago. The restaurants were owned by a joint venture, RC Partnership, made up of Panda Express Inc. and Rezko Concessions Inc. Massuda invested $4 million in the joint venture in exchange for an ownership interest of 11%…
The Illinois Appellate Court has reversed and remanded a decision by a Cook County Circuit Judge relating to a sale agreement for a condominium purchase. In November 2010, the Habitat Co., the Gautreaux Development Manager for the Chicago Housing Authority, signed a purchase and sale agreement with Tera Healy to…
Shuffle Tech made automatic card-shuffling equipment for the consumer market and particularly for casinos. In 2010, Shuffle Tech and Wolff Gaming, a distributor of the equipment, signed a letter of intent that expressed their mutual commitment to proceed with a draft agreement regarding product development and distribution. The agreement laid…
According to the Illinois Appellate Court, a corporate condominium association that was dissolved is in a legal standing the same as that of a dead natural person such as found in the case of Markus v. Chicago Title & Trust, 373 Ill.557 (1940). Under Illinois §12.80 of the Business Corporation…
In a case involving a default judgment in the amount of $421,582 against an Illinois corporation, Mama Gramm’s Bakery requested that a Cook County judge pierce the corporate veil of Silver Fox Pastry and put the liability on Haitham Abuzir. Abuzir was never a director, officer, shareholder or employee of…