The story of a Backpage.com-hosted listing of a minor available for sex that led to her death at the hands of a male solicitor is a horrific reminder of the human cost of online sex trafficking. Backpage.com was more than a website; it became a breeding ground for exploitation and facilitated the abuse of countless victims.

Once a basic website for classified ads, essentially a Craigslist clone, it evolved into a dark hub for human trafficking, including the sexual exploitation of individuals. The friendly classifieds façade hid a brutal underworld that ruined countless lives. Sex ...

Being sick or injured is an intimidating experience, and placing your life in the hands of doctors is not only scary, it can be dangerous. Medical doctors in specialty training (residents) routinely work 80-hour weeks. Now, there are efforts to unionize these residents to improve working conditions. Will it lead to better patient outcomes, as well?

As a medical malpractice attorney, I see troubling errors by doctors who move too quickly and don’t read the patient’s chart carefully (or at all) or who are spread too thin and don’t take the time to truly listen to their patients… or ...

The ownership of a hospital should not impact a patient’s potential outcomes after admittance. However, a study of 51 hospitals’ data shows private equity investment has corresponded with a significant increase in adverse events during treatment at those facilities for Medicare patients.

According to research by Dr. Zirui Song from Harvard and Joseph Dov Bruch from the University of Chicago, hospitals owned by private equity firms between 2009 and 2019 experienced the following outcomes:

• a 25% increase in surgical infections and bed sores;
• 38% more central line infections;

Guns were made to kill. And now, we are learning that they are killing children with greater regularity. A recent New York Times article highlighted a study published last week, which found “firearm fatalities among children under 18 increased by 87 percent from 2011 through 2021 in the United States,” making firearm injuries “the leading cause of death among Americans under 20[.]” Even more disturbing is the lack of modifications to these weapons to include safety features such as trigger locks and fingerprint identification. The firearms industry has yet to take steps ...

Plaintiffs Can Now Obtain Punitive Damages

On Friday, August 11, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed HB0219, which amends the Illinois Wrongful Death Act and allows Plaintiffs to pursue punitive damages in most wrongful death cases. Prior to this amendment, only injured Plaintiffs who were alive had the opportunity for punitive damages. The changes found in HB0219 now provide an opportunity for the estates of those who have died to pursue punitive damages for wrongful conduct.  

This new law will no longer give a corporation or individual who wrongfully killed someone a discount on ...

The revelation this week of a six-month-long investigation at Northwestern University into allegations of hazing and sexual abuse within the football program is troubling and sadly not a surprise. The dynamics of this type of aggression and hazing veiled as “tradition” has been prevalent in sports programs for many years and persists despite growing public awareness and pressure to end it. Despite this advocacy, these practices survive because the pressure to win at all costs for sports programs is greater than their attention to the student-athletes’ wellbeing.

Our law ...

A year ago on the Fourth of July, like many of us, I was happily sitting at a parade in my hometown of Highland Park, Illinois with my family, including two of my young sons, watching the procession begin. What I thought was fireworks turned out to be a maelstrom of bullets from an AR-15 assault weapon, fired by a 21-year-old on a rooftop above. I was shot twice. The bullets ripped through my skin, and I could feel them burning. I was fortunate to survive one of the worst shootings in Illinois history — but seven others lost their lives.

A year has passed — and I still think about the shooting ...

A year after the tragic mass shooting at the 2022 Highland Park 4th of July parade, the state of Illinois has decided to address some of the vulnerabilities faced in securing the safety of large public gatherings at parades and events.

An amendment to 725 ILCS 167, also known as the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, now allows law enforcement agencies to utilize drones as a way to oversee the well-being of Illinois residents and their friends and families, as well as tourists and other visitors at events. With public notice, police can now fly drones to monitor any potential breaches to ...

La Administración de Salud y Seguridad Ocupacional (“OSHA”) y el Departamento de Trabajo federal ampliaron recientemente las protecciones para los trabajadores indocumentados que denuncian malas condiciones de trabajo, lesiones en el lugar de trabajo, e infracciones reglamentarias. La Legislatura de Illinois también está considerando la “Ley de Trabajo sin Miedo,” que brinda más protecciones a los trabajadores indocumentados que presentan quejas laborales.

¿Qué derechos tienen los trabajadores cuando se lesionan en el trabajo?

• Todo trabajador ...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the federal Department of Labor recently expanded protections for undocumented workers who whistleblow on working conditions, workplace injuries, and regulatory violations. The Illinois Legislature is also considering The Work Without Fear Act, which gives more protections to undocumented workers filing complaints. 

What rights do workers have when injured on the job?

• Every worker, regardless of their residency or citizenship status, has the right to work in a safe environment that does not cause illnesses or ...