LEGAL NEWSLINE

Thousands of Illinois employers have faced potentially financially catastrophic class actions under the state's biometric privacy law. Now, a new raft of class actions appears to be arriving under a different law, the Genetic Information Privacy Act

CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - At the opening of this millennium, the idea of computer programs using facial recognition software to target ads to people was the stuff of such science fiction stories as the 2002 film “Minority Report.”

Whether it’s the cost of compliance - in the form of handicapped restrooms, ramps, elevators or even simple signage – or the cost of a trial, the dollars can add up quickly for small businesses facing accessibility lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Earlier in the year, Margie Milovich’s neighbor had been hit with a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But she said it still didn’t prepare her for the moment the same plaintiff delivered a similar lawsuit to the door of LaSalle Flowers, a family-owned River North flower shop at 731 N.

CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Fabiola Tyrawa believes she knows all of the customers at her Chicago coffee shop, but she couldn’t put a face on the name of the woman who sued her.

Beyond seeking help with compliance, employers will likely need to rewrite their job descriptions and possibly even restructure their business, with the decision of paying current employees more, cutting their hours or terminating them completely on the docket, an attorney says.

Chicago attorney says issues surrounding wage and hour lawsuits make it expensive to have employees, while new revisions to FLSA could lead to even more litigation.

Because of the implementation of statutory damages, FLSA lawsuits are on the rise. Companies like Jimmy John's are facing claims that they owe overtime wages to employees whom they previously only paid salaries.