.plo-tp{–n:#000337;–g:#7a6325;–bg:#f4f6fb;–ln:#dde0ec;–mu:#4a5068;margin:28px 0;color:var(–n);line-height:1.5}
.plo-tp *{box-sizing:border-box}
.plo-tp-h{margin:0 0 12px;font-size:1.05rem;font-weight:700}
.plo-tp-cards{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:12px}
.plo-tp-card{background:var(–bg);border:1px solid var(–ln);border-radius:8px;padding:16px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:6px;min-width:0}
.plo-tp-num{font-size:1.9rem;line-height:1.1;font-weight:700;color:var(–n);font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}
.plo-tp-num small{font-size:.95rem;font-weight:600;color:var(–mu)}
.plo-tp-card span.t{font-size:.95rem}
.plo-tp-card a{font-size:.82rem;color:var(–g);text-decoration:underline;margin-top:auto}
.plo-tp-chart{margin-top:14px;background:#fff;border:1px solid var(–ln);border-radius:8px;padding:14px 16px}
.plo-tp-row{display:grid;grid-template-columns:150px 1fr;gap:10px;align-items:center;margin:8px 0;font-size:.92rem}
.plo-tp-track{background:var(–bg);border-radius:4px;height:26px;position:relative;overflow:hidden}
.plo-tp-bar{height:100%;background:var(–n);border-radius:4px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end;padding-right:8px;color:#fff;font-weight:600;font-size:.85rem;min-width:fit-content}
.plo-tp-bar.gold{background:var(–g)}
.plo-tp-bar.gap{background:repeating-linear-gradient(45deg,#b79a3f,#b79a3f 6px,#d9c27a 6px,#d9c27a 12px);color:var(–n)}
.plo-tp-note{margin:8px 0 0;font-size:.82rem;color:var(–mu)}
.plo-tp-note a{color:var(–g);text-decoration:underline}
.plo-tp-steps{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(4,1fr);gap:12px;counter-reset:s}
.plo-tp-steps li{background:var(–bg);border:1px solid var(–ln);border-radius:8px;padding:14px;counter-increment:s;display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:6px;min-width:0}
.plo-tp-steps li::before{content:counter(s);width:30px;height:30px;border-radius:50%;background:var(–n);color:#fff;font-weight:700;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}
.plo-tp-steps b{font-size:.98rem}
.plo-tp-steps span{font-size:.88rem;color:var(–mu)}
@media (max-width:760px){.plo-tp-cards{grid-template-columns:1fr}.plo-tp-steps{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}.plo-tp-row{grid-template-columns:1fr;gap:4px}}
@media (max-width:420px){.plo-tp-steps{grid-template-columns:1fr}}

Indoor trampoline parks are built for fun, and most visits end without a problem. When someone is hurt, the questions come fast. Was the court built and maintained properly? Was anyone watching? Does the waiver you signed matter? This guide explains what Illinois requires of these parks,…
Continue Reading Trampoline Park Injuries in Illinois: Safety Rules, Who Is Responsible, and Your Rights

On October 19, the Board of Immigration Appeals told immigration judges in the Ninth Circuit to stop following a rule that the Ninth Circuit had reaffirmed forty-five days earlier. The decision is Matter of J-E-D-C-, 30 I&N Dec. 162 (BIA … Continue reading →
Continue Reading The BIA Stops Following the Ninth Circuit: Matter of J-E-D-C- and an Agency That Overrules a Court

Once again, the founder of Ankin Law is getting in front of a microphone to talk about ways that people in Chicagoland and around the country can stay safe in a rideshare.

Attorney Howard Ankin joined “The Rideshare Zone Podcast” in October to talk about the ways in which people can protect themselves when using the transportation services. 

A lawyer in Illinois for 35 years, Howard discussed a few relevant legal topics when it comes to rideshares in Chicagoland and around the country with host Shawn Strain. 

Along with those, Howard also took some time discuss the origins of his…
Continue Reading Howard Ankin Gives His Legal Advice for Those Using Rideshares in Chicago

Two investigations and a civil lawsuit are now at the center of the Cornell fraternity rape allegations. The student who brought the lawsuit says she was sexually assaulted by multiple men inside Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. Her accusations have prompted a new criminal inquiry, questions about how evidence reached prosecutors, and an independent examination of Cornell’s response.
The proceedings have different purposes. University discipline concerns violations of school rules; criminal investigators decide whether evidence supports charges; and a civil court may be asked to determine whether individuals or organizations owe compensation for injuries. None of…
Continue Reading Cornell Fraternity Rape Allegations: Lawsuit and Investigation

Una denuncia de agresión sexual relacionada con la fraternidad Chi Phi de Cornell University ha provocado una controversia que involucra a estudiantes, autoridades judiciales y dirigentes universitarios. La mujer que presentó la demanda sostiene que varios integrantes de la fraternidad la violaron durante una reunión celebrada en octubre de 2024. Aunque inicialmente no se formularon cargos penales, los acontecimientos de septiembre y octubre de 2026 llevaron a las autoridades de Nueva York a examinar nuevamente el caso.
Las acusaciones de violación en Cornell también han puesto bajo escrutinio los procedimientos utilizados para investigar denuncias estudiantiles, el intercambio de información entre…
Continue Reading Acusaciones de Violación en una Fraternidad de Cornell: Demanda e Investigación

Buy the domain before you file the trademark application or announce the beverage brand. Otherwise, your competitor might acquire it, redirect visitors to its own website, and answer your request for its return with “We will offer it to you for $1 B” and a laughing emoji. That happened in the BuzzBallz–Big Sipz fight. The web addresses eventually changed hands for free; the embarrassment earned a permanent place in a federal court opinion. (Order, pp. 3–5.)

“$1 B ” — BuzzBallz’s joking response after Big Sipz discovered that its competitor had acquired its domain name. The exchange appears…
Continue Reading BuzzBallz v. Big Sipz: Buy the Domain Before Your Competitor Does

We have discussed previously whether disability related conduct is something that an employer can terminate for. The answer is complicated and it can turn on very fine distinctions. See here and here for example. The answer may also depend on the particular State a person is in. This week’s blog entry discusses a Supreme Court decision from Iowa decided on April 24, 2026, Hunter v. City of Des Moines, here.The unanimous decision remands for a new trial the disability discrimination claims  and throws out the failure to accommodate claim. The decision concerns Iowa law, but federal law was extremely…
Continue Reading Whether You Can Terminate an Employee for Disability Related Conduct is Complicated

Synopsis: IL Appellate Court, Workers’ Compensation Division gives Respondent hope for death claim denial on remand order, but we fear a re-instated award of death benefits is likely, based on the stated facts. Research and Writing by John P. Campbell, J.D. Editor’s Comment: To be clear, in Subway v. IWCC 2026 IL App (5th) 250429WC we are not necessarily thrilled with the initial outcome or what we expect to be the final outcome of this case. We fear application of the correct legal standard is unlikely to change the resulting award of benefits, as we explain below. …
Continue Reading October 2026; IL WC Appellate Court Sends a Death Claim Back for Reconsideration; Staffing Exposures in IL WC and more

What started as a simple idea in a small shop down the street from an iconic sports venue has now become a four-decade Chicago institution.

“Nuts on Clark” has a great reputation in the city for quality nuts, popcorn and candy. It’s a creation of the Kenney family – native Chicagoans who had the idea for a snack shop which they made a reality in 1979.

That’s when Estelle and Herbert Kenney opened “Nuts on Clark” in a building a few blocks north of Wrigley Field. Their children, Carla and Robert, immediately pitched in to get their nuts and popcorn…
Continue Reading Going ‘Nuts’ For Chicago: The story of “Nuts on Clark”

Trademark scams start before you file and continue after. Here’s how to vet filing services and attorneys, spot scam letters, and what to do if you’ve been hit.
The post Trademark Scams: How to Spot Fake Filing Services, Fake Lawyers, and Scam Letters appeared first on King Patent Law, PLLC.
Continue Reading Trademark Scams: How to Spot Fake Filing Services, Fake Lawyers, and Scam Letters

Beer Wolf looks like the eighties forgot to close their tab. The bandana. The women in bikinis. The unmistakable air of a creature who would explain your own drink to you, then ask whether your boyfriend was around. You can practically smell the tanning oil and the motel bar carpet. Bringing him back to sell T-shirts was a choice. Giving him a federal court docket really completed the comeback.

Why revive this guy? Let him run wild. Somewhere, a beach bar still has a wet T-shirt contest and a malfunctioning ice machine. First, a few exhibits from his advertising career.
Continue Reading Beer Wolf Trademark Lawsuit:A Licensing Deal Bites Back

As part of the divorce process in Illinois, the marital property of the two spouses is split in a way that is deemed to be equitable. Each side must identify and value its assets to determine the marital property that must be split. Diverse and high-value assets can make this process complicated, and some spouses may try to take advantage of that by hiding some of their assets or the value of those assets.
Besides being illegal, hiding assets during a divorce can result in an inequitable division of property. An experienced attorney can help you uncover hidden assets and…
Continue Reading How Your Spouse May Hide Assets During a Divorce

Montway LLC v. Nexus AT LLC, et al., No. 25 C 13100, consolidated with SGT Auto Transport Corp. v. Nexus AT LLC, No. 26 C 1056, (N.D. Ill. June 2, 2026) (Kennelly, J.).Judge Kennelly denied in part and granted in part defendants’ Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss in these two related lawsuits alleging a novel theory of Lanham Act liability: a “toxic backlink” SEO sabotage campaign. Plaintiffs Montway and SGT, competing auto-transport brokers with federally registered marks, alleged that defendant Nexus AT LLC (at the direction of its CEO Gokhan “George” Arkin) created toxic backlinks pointing…
Continue Reading Toxic Backlink SEO Sabotage Campaign States Claims for Lanham Act False Advertising, Trademark Infringement, and Dilution by Tarnishment

Question:
I am the founding and senior partner in our firm which is located in Tucson, Arizona. We have a total of ten lawyers in the firm, six of which are equity partners including myself, two are non-equity partners, and two are associates. We are a real estate and business boutique litigation firm.  I determine compensation for all the attorneys and staff in the firm. For partners I use a combination of working attorney fee collections and client fee originations and make a subjective determination regarding the other contributions a partner has made to the firm. I would like a…
Continue Reading Law Firm End of Year Partner Compensation – Determining Subjective Contributions