http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-19T15:06:44-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/defendant_at_mortgage_foreclosure_hearing_didnt_realize_he_held_a_winning/ On Feb. 12, Ricardo Cerezo was in an Illinois courtroom for a hearing in the mortgage foreclosure case on his Geneva home. The judge gave the management consultant and his wife a few more months to find another place to live. Since then, their fortunes have improved and it appears… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Thu, 16 May 2013 11:50:19 -0500 44219.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_jailed_for_10th_dui_is_convicted_in_murder_plot_against_judge_prosecuto/ Corrected: Sentenced to an additional 16-year prison term after being convicted–for the 10th time–of driving under the influence, Gordon Vanderark allegedly tried to get back at the Illinois prosecutor and judge who put him there. He tried to arrange with a fellow inmate for them to be killed, along with… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Thu, 16 May 2013 11:20:20 -0500 44216.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/after_settling_theft_suit_with_office_manager_law_firm_discovers_additional/ In 2012, a suburban Chicago lawyer sued his former office manager, contending that she had stolen about $138,000 in 2012. The lawsuit was settled later that year by attorney J. Brick Van Der Snick and his ex-employee, Jordan Terry, on undisclosed terms, the Aurora Beacon News… Criminal Justice, States, Illinois Fri, 03 May 2013 16:29:34 -0500 44031.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/Cheap_bus_ticket_included_a_costly_trip_to_small-claims_court_for_over_100_/ A 50-cent bus fare purchased by a University of Illinois student for a November 2011 trip to visit a friend at Illinois State University got a lot more expensive when, more than a year later, the bus company sent him a demand letter by Federal Express. It said Ryan Tompkins… Consumer Law, Contracts, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Fri, 03 May 2013 11:15:50 -0500 44009.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/bizarre_plot_to_kidnap_lawyer_for_ransom_nets_20-year_sentence_for_illinois/ An Illinois man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in an alleged plot to kidnap a lawyer for ransom. Brett Nash, 46, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty in December to solicitation of a crime of violence, report the St.… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, States, Illinois Fri, 03 May 2013 07:11:18 -0500 44024.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/secret_court_files/ Five state and federal judges, as well as a number of lawyers, were among dozens of "well-off and well-connected" individuals who have had cases–often concerning domestic relations matters–either sealed by Chicago area judges or allowed to be filed using only the initials of the parties. Although the reasons routinely cited–financial… Family Law, Judiciary, Privacy Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Illinois Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:30:11 -0500 43948.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_learns_the_hard_way_about_limits_of_bank_safe-deposit_box_protection/ The fine print in contracts for renting a bank safe-deposit box explain that valuables placed in them by customers, unlike ordinary checking and savings accounts, aren't covered by the FDIC insurance. But a lot of people may not understand that. Among those who learned this information the hard way was… Banking Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Insurance Law, Personal Lives, States, Illinois Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:35:55 -0500 43935.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_boots_both_bickering_attorneys_from_civil_case_sends_copy_of_order_to/ For months, attorneys Joel Brodsky and Michael Meschino just couldn't seem to get along as they litigated a civil matter over a failed business deal. So on Wednesday a Chicago judge booted them both off the case, finding that their "deplorable behavior"—which continued despite warnings and the use of courthouse… Corporate Law, Judiciary, Court Security, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:30:11 -0500 43926.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/in_court_for_probation_violation_case_man_is_accused_of_taking_judges_photo/ A defendant who apparently didn't get the memo about not using cellphones in court was taken into custody Wednesday at a suburban Chicago courthouse after allegedly snapping photos of the judge. Already in court to defend a probation violation case, Calvin Woods, 25, told deputies that he was bored and… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, States, Illinois Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:10:09 -0500 43811.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/company_sues_former_law_firm_says_failure_to_detect_issues_before_ipo_cost_/ A Florida-based company that sells health products over the Internet has sued its former law firm, contending that it lost millions because Shefsky & Froehlich failed to detect and inform its leaders, prior to going forward with an initial public offering, of corporate governance and capital structure issues. In the… Corporate Law, Law Firms, Midsize Firm, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida, Illinois Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:35:48 -0500 43746.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/courthouse_screeners_enforce_ban_on_cellphones_..._and_a_pet_duck/ In Chicago on Monday, security guards at the criminal courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue, billed as the nation's busiest, were implementing a new policy against cellphones and other electronic devices. The ban was imposed because of concerns that individuals taking cellphone photos were intimidating witnesses, according to the… Animal Law, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Hawaii, Illinois Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:27:07 -0500 43734.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/special_prosecutor_to_probe_claims_of_chicago_police_torture_years_ago_by/ Finding that the Chicago prosecutor's office has a conflict of interest, the top criminal judge in Cook County, Ill., said on Thursday that he will appoint a special prosecutor to review the cases of at least five jailed men, and perhaps dozens of others, who say they were tortured into… Appellate Practice, Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Criminal Procedure, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:57:15 -0500 43712.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/break-up_sparks_legal_battle_over_105k_in_parking_tickets_a_record_high_amo/ When Jennifer Fitzgerald and Brandon Preveau split up, he kept the 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo he had purchased for $600. But the car was in her name, as were the parking tickets Preveau allegedly racked up by abandoning it for nearly three years in a United Airlines employees-only parking lot… Administrative Law, Family Law, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Illinois Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:35:37 -0500 43692.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_accused_of_facebook_threats_of_columbine_shooting_at_illinois_courthous/ A little over a month ago, Daniel McDade was facing only a driving-under-the-influence case in suburban Chicago. Now he is being held in Denver for extradition to Illinois, charged with two new felonies over posts the DuPage County Sheriff's Office says he put on Facebook threatening a "Columbine"-style shooting at… Criminal Justice, Internet Law, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Colorado, Illinois Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:10:52 -0500 43655.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/caregiver_used_legal_documents_to_siphon_350k_from_elderly_mans_assets_pros/ Carmelita Pasamba met Marshall Davies, who was then 90 years old, in 2007, while working as a nursing assistant at an Illinois hospital at which he was a patient. Now Pasamba, 62, is facing a criminal case for allegedly siphoning off over $350,000 of his assets. She is charged with… Criminal Justice, Elder Law, Trusts & Estates, States, Illinois Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:35:14 -0500 43652.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/disbarred_lawyer_gets_180_days_for_misappropriating_225k_from_clients_estat/ A longtime Illinois lawyer who admittedly misappropriated $225,000 from a client's estate was sentenced Friday to 180 days in jail after turning over a $150,000 check to the court. Earl Wilcek, 59, must also repay another $75,000 over a 30-month period of probation, once he serves his time in the… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Legal Ethics, Trusts & Estates, States, Illinois Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:30:18 -0500 43649.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/convicted_in_murder_of_ex-client_and_her_10-month-old_baby_family_law_attor/ An Illinois family law attorney was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in the murders of his former client, Nova Henry, and her 10-month-old daughter. The government said Fredrick Goings, who had represented Henry in a child-support case against a professional basketball player, shot her in January 2009 at her… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Family Law, States, Illinois Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:10:54 -0500 43594.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/put_on_probation_in_earlier_case_man_is_now_charged_with_making_telephone_t/ Sentenced in 2011 to 18 months of probation for making telephone threats to a corporation, a suburban Chicago man is facing new charges for allegedly making new telephone threats—this time to the judge who presided over the case. Alexander Wood, 25, left a message March 7 on the work telephone… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Illinois Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:20:19 -0500 43545.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/law_firm_sues_ex-partner_says_he_took_over_1m_in_unauthorized_compensation/ A suburban Chicago law firm has sued a former name partner, contending that he took over $1 million in unauthorized compensation and made personal use of Dommermuth, Cobine, West, Gensler, Philipchuck, Corrigan & Bernhard credit cards to pay gambling and vacation expenses. Ex-partner Bill Brestal, 71, has been in practice… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Illinois Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:20:03 -0500 43479.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/chicago_lawyer_owns_popefrancis.com_domain_name_hopes_to_donate_it_to_churc/ Updated: A Chicago lawyer had hoped that the Roman Catholic Church might someday appoint a pope who would take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, known for his humility and service to the poor. But Chris Connors, 39, says he never believed that was likely to… Personal Lives, States, Illinois Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:05:55 -0500 43290.abajournal.com