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By: DeBlasio & Gower LLC

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Antonio DeBlasio
David Gower
John Siepl
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Latest from DeBlasio & Gower Blog

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(June 28, 2022)  Oak Brook, Illinois law firm DeBlasio Law Group is pleased to announce that attorney Ninnette Gregory has joined its legal team.   Ninnette Gregory brings over 25 years of legal experience to DeBlasio Law Group, with broad experience in the prosecution and defense of civil and business litigation matters.   “Our firm’s legal team has never been stronger,” stated Antonio DeBlasio, the firm’s founder.  “Ninnette’s unique and extensive background will benefit the firm’s clients immediately,” added DeBlasio.
Ninnette began her legal career as a Judicial Law Clerk to (the Late) Judge Albert Green in the Chancery Division of the…
Continue Reading Attorney Ninnette Gregory Joins DeBlasio Law Group LLC Legal Team.

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There is no doubt that Aretha Franklin possessed enormous talent as a singer. She earned 18 Grammy awards, sold over 75 million records, won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was the first women ever inducted into the Rock N’ Roll hall of fame, is listed as Rolling Stone Magazine’s 9th greatest artist of all time, and won a Pulitzer Prize… posthumously. Unfortunately, her success in life did not translate into a successful plan for her death
 
After Aretha died, much to the surprise of her friends and family, not one but two wills dated from 2010 were found in…
Continue Reading Aretha Franklin Leaves Multiple Wills, Including a Handwritten Will Found Under a Sofa Cushion

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(May 31, 2022)  Attorney Antonio DeBlasio obtained an emergency temporary restraining order and mandatory injunctive relief from the DuPage County Chancery Court on behalf of his client, a regional trucking company responsible for 24 semi-trucks.   Our client needed the emergency injunctive relief to prevent the commercial landlord defendant from blocking access to its leased business office and adjacent truck parking facilities, which our client had a legal right to possess and use pursuant to a five-year written lease. Despite our client’s legitimate lease rights, the landlord defendant demanded that our client vacate its leased business office by May 31, 2022…
Continue Reading DuPage County Court Grants Emergency TRO and Mandatory Injunctive Relief to Our Client Against Commercial Landlord.

The firm is proud to announce that attorney Antonio DeBlasio has again been selected by Super Lawyers® for 2022.  No more than 5% of Illinois attorneys receive this distinction.  Super Lawyers® has selected Antonio ten times, in 2008 and in each year from 2014 through 2022.
Mr. DeBlasio has over 27 years of experience representing businesses, individuals and estates in Illinois.   
Continue Reading Antonio DeBlasio Selected for Super Lawyers 2022.

As a worker in Illinois, you probably trust that your employer will pay you the appropriate amount of money in exchange for your work. However, if you’ve recently experienced an issue with employee wages, you may be wondering: what happens when an Illinois employer fails to pay?

The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA) is in place to protect workers from numerous wage-related issues. Read on to learn more about this law and how DeBlasio & Gower LLC can help you recover your employee wages and/or bonus compensation.
What Is the IWPCA?
The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act…
Continue Reading Illinois Final Pay Laws – How the IWPCA Protects Illinois Workers

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Oak Brook attorney Antonio DeBlasio recently obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of his client against a former employer that failed to pay him over $18,000 in commissions that he had earned as a major account executive.  The case settled for substantially more than the disputed commission amount, including attorneys’ fees, after the client was forced to sue his former employer.  Not a good decision by the defending employer.
Forced to litigate the case in court, our client asserted claims against the employer for breach of contract and a violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, 820 ILCS…
Continue Reading Antonio DeBlasio Obtains Substantial Settlement For Client In Unpaid Commission Dispute.

In the recent case of case of Bramlett v. Vandersand, 2020 IL App (5th), the plaintiff was mowing grass at his mother-in-law’s residence when she asked him to check on a malfunctioning light switch located outside the house. The plaintiff agreed and asked Dorothy to turn off the power connected to the light switch from inside the house. The decedent was battling advanced cancer and allegedly shaken by difficult news received earlier in the day which resulted in her forgetting to turn off the power. This resulted in the plaintiff enduring an electrical shock, falling from his ladder and sustaining…
Continue Reading Appeal’s Court Ruling on Dead-Man’s Act

Yes, jury trials are happening in Cook County at the Daley Center, despite the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic, which is now headed into its second full year.  Last week, a Cook County jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of our client in a rare probate case involving ownership of real estate, multiple financial accounts and other property. The jury awarded our client assets valued at over $1.5 million.
“The Court and its staff did an excellent job of making the jury process run smoothly and safely,” said attorney David Gower, who represented our client in the jury trial during…
Continue Reading Jury Trials in Cook County During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Illinois law requires that the seller of residential real estate fill out a disclosure report and give it to the buyer that form identifies whether the seller is aware of material defects in the home. What is a material defect? Find out in this video from Illinois attorneys DeBlasio & Gower, LLC.

The post What Does a Home Seller Need to Disclose to a Buyer? appeared first on DeBlasio & Gower LLC.
Continue Reading What Does a Home Seller Need to Disclose to a Buyer?

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Illinois courts historically have been less than friendly to restrictive covenants, and non-compete agreements in particular. On August 13, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Public Act 102-0358, an amendment to Illinois’ “Freedom to Work Act,” which both codifies existing requirements under Illinois precedent, and imposes new restrictions on when, with whom, and under what circumstances Illinois will enforce non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
In this article, Oak Brook, Illinois attorney Antonio DeBlasio explores some of the key features of the new law.
Effective Date
The law takes effect on January 1, 2022, and will only apply to agreements entered…
Continue Reading A Deep Dive: New 2022 Rules for Illinois Covenants Not to Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements.

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Starting January 1, 2022, employers in Chicago and throughout Illinois will have to deal with significant new hurdles to make sure employment agreements with covenants not to compete or non-solicitation terms are valid and enforceable.
When Does The New Law Go Into Effect?
On August 13, 2021, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 672, which amended the Illinois Freedom to Work Act, 820 ILCS 90/1 et seq. (the “Act”).  The amendments impose many new restrictions that significantly change the landscape for restrictive covenants entered into between an employer and employee in Chicago and throughout Illinois.  The amendments apply…
Continue Reading Chicago and Illinois Covenants Not to Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements.

Starting January 1, 2022, employers in Chicago and throughout Illinois will have to deal with significant new hurdles to make sure employment agreements with covenants not to compete or non-solicitation terms are valid and enforceable.
When Does The New Law Go Into Effect?
On August 13, 2021, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 672, which amended the Illinois Freedom to Work Act, 820 ILCS 90/1 et seq. (the “Act”).  The amendments impose many new restrictions that significantly change the landscape for restrictive covenants entered into between an employer and employee in Chicago and throughout Illinois.  The amendments apply…
Continue Reading Hold on There! New 2022 Rules for Chicago and Illinois Covenants Not to Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements.

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Ah, the holidays.  Mini Vans and SUVs recklessly driving in and out of traffic, blazing through red lights, running Indy 500 like race circuits from mall to mall, all in search of just a “few more gifts” for the holidays. The holidays can be stressful enough, but when those stressed out, last minute, texting maniacs get in their vehicles and needlessly endanger the lives of other people (pedestrians, their own passengers or passengers in other cars and trucks), their actions can result in serious property damage, personal injury and even death.
If you or a loved one are injured in…
Continue Reading Stressed Out Drivers Cause Dangerous Vehicle Collisions.

Here are 10 life changes that should prompt a review of your estate plan…
1.   Marital Status – Are you recently married, divorced, or remarried?
2.   Size of family – Have you recently welcomed children to your family (born or adopted)?
3.   Guardian – Do you want to change who would be guardian of your minor children?
4.   Beneficiaries – Do you want to change who will receive your property, or how much they will receive?
5.   Person in Charge – Do you want to change who will be in charge of administering your Will (Executor), your Trust (Trustee) or…
Continue Reading Life Changes…So Should Your Estate Plan

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On August 28, 2020, the Chicago law firm DeBlasio & Gower LLC filed a collective and class action lawsuit on behalf of two former security officers against American Public Defense Inc. and others for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Illinois Minimum Wage Law.
Defendant American Public Defense Inc. (APD) is a security guard company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, that provides security services throughout the Northern District of Illinois.
Plaintiffs allege that APD and others failed to pay overtime wages to its security officers of one and one-half times their regular hourly rate of pay for hours…
Continue Reading Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Chicago Security Company American Public Defense Inc.