Most people who remember the National Collegiate Athletic Association concussion litigation know it for one thing: a 2019 settlement that created a $70 million medical monitoring fund for former college athletes. What far fewer people realize is that the underlying case, In re: National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Concussion Injury Litigation (MDL No. 2492), never actually closed. It is still active in Chicago’s federal court, before U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah, with 558 pending individual actions as of September 2026, per the official U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation case report.

The 2019 Settlement Didn’t Resolve Everything
The 2019…
Continue Reading NCAA Concussion Lawsuit: Why Individual Injury Claims Are Still Active in Chicago’s Federal Court

A bellwether trial is scheduled to begin September 28, 2026, in Chicago’s federal courthouse, one of the first real tests of how a jury will view the growing body of lawsuits alleging that the thyroid eye disease drug Tepezza caused permanent hearing loss and tinnitus in patients who took it. As of this month, 272 lawsuits are pending before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin in the Northern District of Illinois as part of In re: Tepezza Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3079).

What Is Tepezza, and What Are Patients Alleging?
Tepezza (teprotumumab) is an infusion…
Continue Reading Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit: Illinois Litigation Status and What Patients Should Know

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay $670 million to resolve lawsuits alleging its cow’s-milk-based infant formulas, including Similac products designed for premature babies, increased the risk of a life-threatening bowel disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The August 2026 settlement resolves claims involving roughly 2,000 infants, but for Illinois families, it is important to understand what this settlement does, and does not, mean for a new or pending claim.

What the Settlement Covers, and What It Doesn’t
The $670 million settlement is a compromise of disputed claims, and Abbott has not admitted liability or wrongdoing as part of the deal. Just…
Continue Reading Abbott’s $670 Million NEC Settlement: What It Means for Illinois Families With Pending or New Claims

A large federal court case is moving through Chicago that could affect thousands of women across Illinois and the country: the Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, known as MDL No. 3060. As of September 2026, the case consolidates 12,129 pending lawsuits (per the official U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation case count) before U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois, making it one of the largest active mass tort cases in the country, and one being decided just blocks from the Loop.

If you or a family member used chemical hair…
Continue Reading Hair Relaxer Lawsuit: What Illinois Women Need to Know About the Uterine Cancer Litigation

A woman is facing DUI and other charges after a rollover crash on Interstate 57 in Harvey that killed a 6-month-old baby and injured four toddlers over Labor Day Weekend.

According to Illinois State Police, the crash happened around 5:46 p.m. Sunday on northbound I-57, just north of 147th Street in Harvey. Six-month-old Dakari Lomax of Chicago died as a result of the crash, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Police identified the driver as 33-year-old Latasha M. Hope of Hazel Crest. She was driving a red Ford SUV carrying a female passenger, four toddlers and baby…
Continue Reading Woman Facing DUI Charges in I-57 Crash That Killed Baby, Injured 4 Toddlers in Harvey, IL

Accident News | Frankfort, Ill

A 6-year-old girl was struck and killed by a school bus in Frankfort, Illinois, Tuesday shortly after she arrived home from school. Her mother said a different school bus driver was behind the wheel when the tragedy occurred.

The child, identified as Jenna Menias, was a first-grade student at Grand Prairie Elementary School. According to her mother, Jenna had just gotten off the bus near the family’s home in the Prestwick neighborhood when she was hit by the same bus.

The crash happened in the 500 block of Aberdeen Road near Harlem Road. Witnesses immediately…
Continue Reading Different School Bus Driver Was at Wheel When 6-Year-Old Girl Was Hit, Killed in Frankfort, IL

Bus Accident News | JO DAVIESS COUNTY, Illinois

One adult and three children were injured in a rollover school bus crash in northwest Illinois on Monday afternoon. According to the Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, the bus was operated by the Benton School District, which works cooperatively with the Scales Mound, Illinois, and Schullsburg, Wisconsin, school districts.

Authorities said all students on the bus were accounted for and no serious injuries had been reported. Parents and guardians picking up their children were directed to the Stockton Fire Department, while the public was urged to avoid the crash area as emergency…
Continue Reading 1 Adult, 3 Children Hurt in Northwest Illinois School Bus Crash

Car Crash News | Chicago

A car carrying five people crashed into the Little Calumet River in Chicago early Tuesday morning, leaving one person seriously injured and a woman missing.

According to Chicago police, the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. in the 13000 block of South Indiana Avenue. Police said the vehicle lost control, struck a barrier and plunged into the river.

Chicago Fire Department marine unit crews rescued at least one person from the vehicle and transported them to an area hospital in serious condition. Three other occupants managed to escape the vehicle and reach the shore safely.

However,…
Continue Reading A Car Carrying 5 Loses Control and Crashes Into Water in Chicago, Leaving 1 Hurt, Woman Missing

About 1.5 million OCOOPA rechargeable hand warmers were recalled on July 30, 2026 after the company received 1,480 reports of the devices overheating — resulting in 15 fires, 350 burn injuries, and one reported death. With Chicago heading into another winter, these are exactly the devices that go into coat pockets, gloves and work jackets from October onward.

If you or a family member was burned by a hand warmer, power bank or other lithium-ion device, call Phillips Law Offices at (312) 346-4262 for a free, confidential consultation.

What Was Recalled

According to CPSC recall 26659, the recall covers OCOOPA-branded…
Continue Reading 1.5 Million Hand Warmers Recalled After 350 Burn Injuries and One Death

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a wave of adult portable bed rail recalls in 2026, and one of them — Vive Health’s recall of about 122,000 bed rails — followed two reported entrapment deaths, including a 97-year-old man at an assisted living facility. For Illinois families with a parent in a nursing home, the recall raises a question the CPSC notice does not answer: if a facility was using one of these rails, who is responsible?

If your family member was injured or died in a bed rail entrapment at an Illinois nursing home or assisted living…
Continue Reading Recalled Bed Rails and Illinois Nursing Homes: Who Is Responsible?

Accident News | Chicago

A crash on Chicago’s Northwest Side Friday night left a 62-year-old man dead and another person seriously injured, according to police. The collision happened around 8:43 p.m. in the 1700 block of N. Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.

According to the Chicago Police Department, a silver SUV was traveling northwest on Milwaukee Avenue at a high rate of speed when its driver lost control and struck a black sedan heading southeast. The sedan was being driven by the 62-year-old man.

The SUV driver suffered injuries of unknown severity and was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital…
Continue Reading Crash on Chicago’s NW Side Leaves Man, 62, Dead; 1 Other Hurt

A child was critically injured after being struck by a vehicle Thursday afternoon in North Chicago, according to fire officials. The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of 20th Street and Honore Avenue in the north suburb. Emergency responders initially requested a medical helicopter because of the severity of the child’s injuries, but the flight was later canceled. The child was instead transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances of the crash.

Source: ABC7 Chicago

At Phillips Law Offices, we extend our best wishes to…
Continue Reading Child Critically Injured After Being Hit by Vehicle in North Chicago

Accident News | Chicago

A crash involving a CTA bus left seven people injured, including one person who was seriously hurt, Monday morning in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood. According to Chicago Fire Department officials, the collision happened around 10:45 a.m. near the intersection of South Kostner Avenue and West Congress Parkway, close to Interstate 290.

Video from the scene showed a black sedan with significant damage to its front end. Emergency crews transported all seven injured people to area hospitals for treatment. Officials said two victims were in good condition, four were listed in fair-to-serious condition, and one person…
Continue Reading 7 Injured, 1 Seriously, in West Garfield Park Crash involving CTA Bus