When the Americans With Disabilities Act passed in 1990, the World Wide Web was only a year old and was not even a commonly used term yet, much less a commonly used medium. Although the ADA is most commonly associated with the inclusion of wheelchair ramps, elevators and handrails in…
Chicago Business Attorney Blog
Six Flags Biometrics Suit Should Raise Red Flags for Businesses
After a teenage boy was fingerprinted without written consent when he purchased a season pass to Great America, his mother sued Six Flags for violation of the Illinois Biometrics Act. In January the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously found that plaintiffs can bring a private cause of action for violations of…
The End of “Wholly Groundless Exception” in Arbitration Agreements
An arbitration agreement is a contract, in which two or more parties agree to settle a dispute outside of court. Usually, an arbitration agreement is a clause in a larger contract. The arbitration clauses are often subjects to hotly disputed litigation, stemming from the vague verbiage and possible inconsistencies with…
Employee Expense Reimbursement Now Mandatory in Illinois
Employee expense reimbursement is now required by law in Illinois, at least under certain circumstances, making the Land of Lincoln the ninth U.S. jurisdiction to statutorily impose such a requirement. In doing so, Illinois joins the company of other states with similar rules. Employers of all shapes and sizes should…
Should Gun Carrying Customers Be Welcomed – or Banned?
Can a business ban guns from the business and workplace? If a customer walked into your Chicago area retail business or professional office carrying a gun, would you be comfortable with that, or would it feel a little too much like the O.K. Corral? What if they were carrying their…
Estate Planning for your Digital Assets
Estate plans should account for the disbursal of all assets, lest they become marooned in probate purgatory. People are forgetting that they have digital assets that need to be accounted for. Protecting Your Digital Assets Digital assets like cryptocurrency, social media accounts, e-commerce and online accounts need to be cared…
Eat (well), Drink (responsibly) and be (reasonably) Merry!
A Legal Guide to Holiday Parties Alas, the holiday season is upon us! It’s time to celebrate the successes of the prior year with a festive holiday party, where employees can let off steam, socialize and spread cheer. So, who should you contact first? A caterer… or a DJ… or…
Facebook Security Breach – Warning and Opportunity
In late September, the social media behemoth Facebook told the World Wide Web that about 50 million accounts had suffered a security breach. Hackers had stolen password tokens for signing into Spotify, Instagram, Yelp and thousands of other third-party applications. Facebook Security Breach Facebook automatically logged out the 50 million…
Dismissal of Stormy’s Defamation Suit Shifts Libel Law
Few would argue that President Trump engages in what could be described colloquially as “rhetorical hyperbole” when logged on to his Twitter account. But a recent court finding that dismissed a defamation suit filed against Trump by porn star Stormy Daniels, on the grounds that a tweet by the president…
Independent Contractor or Employee?
Workers Classification – Employees or Independent Contractors Independent Contractor or Employee? As a business owner or an employer, when you hire a new worker, you will be reintroduced to the question – should you classify the worker as an employee or an independent contractor? In order to make this huge…