The complaint usually arrives with a number attached, and the number is designed to take your breath away. A former employee, now a class representative, says your company scanned her fingerprint every time she punched the clock. Multiply one finger
Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
The Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog, published by Lubin Austermuehle, P.C., focuses on legal issues related to business and commercial litigation. It covers topics such as internal business disputes including conflicts among partners, directors, and family-owned businesses, as well as external disputes involving breach of contract, fraud, and enforcement of business agreements. The blog addresses strategies for resolving complex commercial conflicts, fiduciary duties, non-compete agreements, and the impact of litigation on business operations. It also discusses practical approaches to settlements, ethical considerations in litigation, and specialized areas like forensic accounting in business disputes.
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Illinois Has No Common Law “Duty to Safeguard Data,” and the Moorman Doctrine Closes the Door on Most Negligence Damages
Every data incident in 2026 produces the same playbook. A plaintiffs’ firm files a class action. The complaint pleads breach of contract. It pleads invasion of privacy. It pleads a federal statutory claim. And, almost always, it pleads negligence.
The…
When Your Own Website Becomes the “Wiretap”: Defending Illinois Businesses Against Pixel Tracking Class Actions Under the Federal Wiretap Act
A new wave of class action lawsuits is sweeping into the Northern District of Illinois. The defendants are not telecom companies. They are healthcare practices, retailers, fintech companies, telehealth platforms, employers running candidate portals, and any business with a website…
The Tracking Pixel Lawsuit Wave Hits Illinois: Why the “Crime or Tort” Exception Argument Is Splitting the Federal Courts
If you operate a healthcare practice, a telehealth platform, a behavioral health clinic, a fertility center, an addiction treatment facility, a dental or optometry chain, or any consumer facing business that handles sensitive information online, you have probably heard about…
After the Ink Dries: Post-Closing Buy-Sell Disputes That Drain Illinois Dealership Deals
The deal closed on a Friday. The selling dealer went to Naples. The buyer took the keys on Monday, and by Wednesday was staring at a floor plan audit showing twenty units short, a used-car inventory valued two hundred thousand…
When Your F&I Director Walks Out with the Customer List: Illinois Dealers, Non-Competes, and Trade Secret Theft After 2022
The phone call comes on a Sunday afternoon. The F&I director has resigned, effective immediately. On Monday, she starts at the crosstown competitor. By the following week, three F&I products the dealer offered her team are discounted next door, customers…
When the Factory Plays Favorites: Illinois Dealers and the Law of Stair-Step Incentives, Allocation Favoritism, and Sales Performance Games
The allocation spreadsheet arrives on a Monday morning. Two crosstown competitors received the inventory the dealer ordered months ago. The factory’s stair-step bonus program pays a per-unit kicker the dealer cannot possibly hit because the dealer cannot get the cars…
A Same-Line Store Around the Corner? Illinois Dealers Have a Real Protest Right
When a manufacturer announces a new point or a relocation, the first reaction inside most dealerships is frustration. The second is resignation. The factory says the market can support another store. The decision must already be made. There is no…
Chargeback Letter from the Factory? Illinois Dealers Should Not Treat It Like the Final Word.
The debit memo usually arrives after the money has already been booked. A warranty claim that looked closed suddenly comes back to life. An incentive payment from months ago is now being “reviewed.” The factory’s spreadsheet says the store owes…
Factory Image Program or Seven-Figure Renovation Demand? Illinois Dealers Should Not Assume They Have to Say Yes
A facility demand from the factory usually arrives dressed up as a business plan. The renderings look polished. The timeline looks urgent. The number looks painful. Sometimes the message is explicit. Rebuild the showroom. Replace the signs. Rework the service…