Madison/St. Clair Record

East St. Louis Mayor Charles Powell III EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge has awarded a default judgment to two government workers who accused the city of illegally firing them in retaliation for allegedly revealing alleged misconduct in the housing authority. The judge said the default judgment was needed to punish East St. Louis' city government for what he said was a "repeated and willful disregard" of the court's orders in the case.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville softball batting cages EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge won’t let Southern Illinois University end a lawsuit from a woman who alleged gender discrimination after the school hired a man to coach the softball team at its Edwardsville campus.

Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court, Mount Vernon MOUNT VERNON — A state appeals panel won’t let a Southern Illinois car dealer use arbitration agreements to put the brakes on a class action alleging it misled customers about factory rebates. Five customers sued Ward Chrysler Center, along with owners Mark and Ron Ward, in November 2024 seeking financial compensation for alleged violations of the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Men’s Wearhouse store EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge refused to end a class action accusing Men’s Wearhouse of improperly adding “damage fees” to tuxedo rental bills.

EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge won’t let Sam’s Club take a lawsuit out of St. Clair County Circuit Court from a delivery driver who fell in the loading dock area of the chain’s O’Fallon store, as the judge didn't buy Sam's Club's contention the driver's lawyers had "fraudulently" added the store managers as defendants in an apparent tactic to keep the case in the Illinois state court. Christen Wesley said he slipped and fell in April 2024 as a result of standing water, debris and algae.

Illinois Fifth District Appellate Justice Barry Vaughan MOUNT VERNON — A state appeals panel has agreed a new trial is not in order for the estate of a woman whose family said asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talc products caused her fatal ovarian cancer.

Illinois Southern District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge has unplugged a class action regarding lithium-ion batteries used in consumer power tools, which allegedly overheated and caught fire. Anthony Desparrois sued Lowe’s Home Centers and Chervon North America, which makes SKIL-brand tools, over allegedly dangerous lawn tools. Desparrois filed the complaint in St. Clair County Circuit Court before Chervon removed it to federal court. In a Feb.

Illinois Fifth District Appellate Justice Mark Clarke MADISON COUNTY — A state appeals panel has revived a complaint from the wife of Rob Dorman, the former Madison County information technology director, as she allegedly seeks to obtain the documentary evidence county officials used when deciding to terminate his employment. The ruling is the latest in a series of legal developments dating to Rob Dorman’s 2020 termination.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Rochford SPRINGFIELD - A unanimous Illinois Supreme Court opinion denied a new medical malpractice trial, which had been sought in part on the grounds a juror hesitated and sighed before assenting to the verdict. The underlying legal dispute pits Robert Schilling against Dr. Kreg Love and his employer, Quincy Medical Group.

CHICAGO - A federal appeals panel has restarted part of a lawsuit from the family of a woman seeking to force lawn equipment maker Toro to pay for the loss of her lower leg in a riding lawnmower accident, which she has argued wouldn't have happened if Toro had designed the mower with more braking fail safes.