Cook County
R Kelly Accuser Wins Default Judgment in Civil Case
R&B star R. Kelly lost one of his many court battles Tuesday, with a Cook County judge granting a default judgment in a civil sexual assault case against him.
Read moreSmollett Pleads Not Guilty to New Disorderly Conduct Charges
Former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Monday to new criminal charges over what police say was a staged hate crime against himself.
Read moreR Kelly to Plead the Fifth in Civil Sex-Assault Case
Singer R. Kelly will invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a civil lawsuit filed against him in Illinois, while also facing criminal sexual-abuse charges in three different states.
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R. Kelly Must Face Civil Sexual Abuse Case
There is a difference between knowing you had sexual contact and knowing that you were injured by that contact, a Cook County judge told R. Kelly’s attorneys Tuesday before denying the R&B singer’s motion to dismiss a pending civil sexual abuse case against him.
Read moreJudge Keeps Bid for Probe of Smollett Case in Chicago
A Cook County judge declined Friday to transfer to another Illinois county a petition seeking a special prosecutor to investigate a state attorney’s handling of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett’s hate-crime case, inching the decision forward after several setbacks.
Read moreClass Status Denied in Suit Over Chicago-Area Bail Policy
A federal judge declined Wednesday to certify a class of pretrial detainees challenging the Cook County sheriff’s policy delaying the release of jail detainees, pending his personal review, even though they have already posted bail.
Read moreInvasion of Privacy
A class action filed in Chicago federal court claims the clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court did not redact personal information from motor vehicle records that can be accessed by anyone at courthouse computer terminals.
Read moreCook County Must Face Claims Over Inmates’ Lewd Behavior
A federal judge refused to dismiss lawsuits from female public defenders and correctional officers who claim Cook County, Illinois, inmates have been exposing themselves and masturbating in front of them, a problem they say was exacerbated by a program rewarding detainees with pizza for not engaging in such behavior.
Read moreCook County Accused of Misusing Infrastructure Funds
A coalition of Illinois contractors and construction groups claims Cook County is illegally diverting money earmarked to fix its roads, bridges and public transit systems to other priorities like law enforcement, courts and jails.
Read moreChicago Sheriff Faces Class Action Over Bond Review Policy
A class claims Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart’s new policy unconstitutionally delays the release of jail detainees, pending his personal review, even though they have already posted bail.
Read moreChicago Judge Cries Foul Over Cook County Budget Cuts
A Cook County, Illinois, judge sued county leaders Thursday in an effort to prevent a recently passed budget from being enforced.
Read moreIllinois County Blamed for Murder Attempt Ending in Suicide
An Illinois woman claims in court that the Cook County Department of Corrections never should have hired her ex-girlfriend, who tried to murder the woman and her father before turning her work-issued handgun on herself.
Read moreFox May Be Liable for ‘Empire’ Filming at Illinois Juvie Center
A federal judge ruled Monday that Fox must face claims it was unjustly enriched by striking a deal with county officials to use a Chicago juvenile detention center as a set for the hit show “Empire,” forcing kids to sit in chairs for days at a time.
Read moreConsumers Accuse Chains of Misapplying Illinois Soda Tax
Illinois consumers took their outrage over Cook County’s new sweetened-beverage tax to court just a week after it took effect, accusing McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and Walgreens of applying the tax to unsweetened drinks and overtaxing sodas.
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Illinois Gun Owners Revive Challenge to Assault-Weapon Ban
Cook County gun owners refiled their decade-old Second Amendment challenge to the county’s assault-weapon ban in a case that went all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court and back.
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