This month Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law Senate Bill 84 (CTA §41 Notice Repeal), overturning a six-month requirement previously aligned with any Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) case. The rules under the new law are effective for any causes of action that accrue on or after June 1, 2009,…
In a recent ruling, a Cook County Circuit Court judge held that the substantive defense of tort immunity does not apply to common carriers because that would represent a procedural limitation on the assertion of a right. Ortiz-Rivera v. Northeast Regional Commuter Railroad Corp., d/b/a Metra, No. 07 M5 2363.…
An hour or so before the evening rush-hour an Amtrak train derailment caused a massive schedule backup at Chicago’s Union Station as all southbound tracks exiting the station were shut down. The derailment occurred after the wheels on two of the train’s cars derailed. Officials are still looking into what…