Unfit to stand trial for telephone harassment, Leslie H. was admitted to the Elgin Mental Health Center. Her psychiatrist petitioned to involuntarily administer psychotropic medication to her. A public defender represented her on the petition to administer the drugs. Leslie’s attorney in the criminal defense matter was not given notice…
This one falls into the category of “I guess they just wanted to.” It impresses the power of an appellate court to do as it pleases, and for no particular reason. Jeffrey Hicks brought a class-action lawsuit against Airborne Express, claiming that Airborne did not deliver packages at guaranteed times.…
A consulting firm got a default judgment in Maryland against an Illinois law firm. The consulting firm then petitioned to register the judgment in Illinois. The law firm moved to dismiss based on lack of jurisdiction of the Maryland court. The Illinois trial court denied the motion and ruled that…
In a procedurally complicated case running its way through the appellate court a second time, the Illinois First District Court of Appeals ruled that an insurer did not waive an argument that the first appellate ruling was palpably erroneous. After the first appeal and remand, the insurer did not argue…
A sex offender, who was committed as a sexually violent person, petitioned for release. Three rulings bear upon appellate practice: • Whether expert testimony that relied on a penile plethysmograph (“PPG”) was admissible under the Frye standard did not require an objection at trial; the motion in limine to exclude…
A third party drove a car through a wall at a Burger King and killed a customer. The customer’s estate sued Burger King. Burger King won a motion to dismiss in the trial court because, the court ruled, there was no legal duty to the customer. The customer’s estate appealed,…
In another grandparent visitation case, the Illinois Second District ruled that a due process argument was not waived even though it had not been raised in the trial court. The trial court ordered the parents not to talk to their daughter about the case. The parents argued that the order…
An Illinois First District opinion recently ruled that citation to just one case did not prevent waiver of an argument of unjust enrichment. The court stated there was a failure to discuss the relevancy of the case. The failure to cite relevant authority was a violation of Illinois SCR 341,…
A legal malpractice action spawned a dispute over whether a law firm waived crucial arguments concerning due process and damages. The firm did not include those points in its petition for leave to appeal. The Illinois Supreme Court has already ruled that failure to raise an issue in the PLA…