The parties to the seminal litigation on the application of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp., have received preliminary approval for a proposed class action settlement with an anticipated value of $36 million. If final approval is granted, the settlement would be the second-largest BIPA class action to resolve, trailing only Facebook’s record $650 million settlement for 1.6 million members. 

In an opinion issued on May 28, 2021, the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District affirmed summary judgment in favor of an individual owner of a company who was personally sued for alleged wage and hour violations under Labor Code section 558.1.

On May 28, 2021, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed Illinois Senate Bill 72 (the Prejudgment Interest Act) into law, which allows 6% prejudgment interest in personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits. The new legislation takes effect on July 1, 2021 and will have an immediate impact on personal injury cases in Illinois.

On April 29, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court delivered its long-anticipated decision in Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, Inc. v. Beemac Trucking LLC, et al., unanimously affirming that a no-hire agreement between a business entity and its service vendor was unenforceable because it constituted an unreasonable restraint on trade. The court’s ruling is illustrative of widespread resistance to enforce non-poaching agreements and highlights that Pennsylvania strongly disfavors such restrictions unless they are narrowly tailored.

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues into summer, states are beginning to ease their coronavirus-related restrictions in favor of new, more flexible guidelines for vaccinated individuals. In a sampling of the similarities and differences in guidance, this alert covers recent changes in New York and Illinois.