Balough
December 30, 2014
Revenge porn will be illegal in Illinois as a result of a bill signed into law by out-going Governor Pat Quinn. Revenge porn occurs when one person posts or otherwise disseminates intimate images of a former partner without the other partner’s consent. The new law, which takes effect on June 1, 2015, makes it a […]
Balough
December 16, 2014
How and from whom a reporter obtained information, including police and toxicology reports, is not relevant to a murder trial, so it was error for the trial court to require that the sources be disclosed, an Illinois Appellate Court found. Joseph Hosey was a reporter for the Joliet Patch. The news website ran several stories describing […]
Balough
December 13, 2014
In a reversal of previous practice, employees may use their employer’s email system for labor organizing, the National Labor Relations Board ruled. The new case involved the right of employees to “communicate with one another regarding self-organization at the jobsite” under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. In 2007 the NLRB had found […]
Balough
December 11, 2014
There’s no replay—instant or several weeks later—in Oklahoma high school football, an Oklahoma district court judge ruled. The judge was asked to order the replay of the last 1:04 of a quarterfinal playoff game or order a replay of the entire game because the referees erred by disallowing a last-minute touchdown. Oklahoma City Frederick A. […]
Balough
November 19, 2014
TRUSTe, Inc.’s online certifications are not always trustworthy according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC found, and TRUSTe agreed, that the company misled consumers in two respects. First, TRUSTe failed to conduct annual recertifications of websites holding TRUSTe Certified Privacy Seals. Second TRUSTe failed to monitor references in its seals, which falsely stated […]
Balough
November 12, 2014
Americans overwhelmingly have no confidence that they have control over their personal information, regardless of whether the information is collected by the government or corporations, a new Pew Research Center report found. The Pew Report also found that a majority of respondents said they are willing to share some personal data in exchange for access to […]
Balough
November 10, 2014
A satellite radio provider cannot force arbitration of a dispute over unsolicited telephone calls because a buyer of a new vehicle cannot be expected to understand that purchasing a new vehicle would bind him to the radio provider’s contract, the Ninth Circuit found. The case involves a three-month free trial of Sirius XM satellite radio, […]
Balough
November 6, 2014
A patent troll company, its sole owner, and its law firm agreed that they engaged in deceptive practices according to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after they sent out to thousands of small businesses threatening letters, some with draft complaints attached, with no intent to file any patent infringement lawsuits. The complaint […]
Balough
November 4, 2014
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) may seize unauthorized merchandise sold around its live events without giving to the court in advance the names of those making the illicit sales. Whether the seizures may actually be made by the WWE’s “Enforcement Officials” or law enforcement officers will be up to the trial court, the Fifth Circuit […]
Balough
October 31, 2014
The president of a community college’s adjunct faculty union, who was fired after she sent a letter critical of the college, stated a cause of action for retaliatory discharge, the Seventh Circuit found. Robin Meade sent a letter to the League for Innovation in the Community College, in which she criticized the treatment of adjunct […]
