
Illinois Court: Jury Must Decide Actual Malice in Campaign Mailer Defamation Case
Illinois appeals court rules a jury, not a judge, must decide if a campaign acted with actual malice over $36,000 tax fraud mailers against Burr Ridge's mayor.
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Breaking developments in recording laws, privacy legislation, digital rights, and legal technology.
225 articles

Illinois appeals court rules a jury, not a judge, must decide if a campaign acted with actual malice over $36,000 tax fraud mailers against Burr Ridge's mayor.

Two Utah groups sued Kevin O'Leary and Fox News for defamation on July 15, 2026, over alleged false Chinese Communist Party claims. Nothing is decided.

MSG sued Wired for defamation on July 16, 2026 in New York court over a celebrity risk-list article. Nothing decided yet; here's what the lawsuit alleges.

FTC finalized a July 15, 2026 order against TruHeight over fake reviews and unproven kids' height-supplement claims, with a $4M judgment suspended to $750K.

Nebraska's LB 921 mini-WARN Act took effect July 18, 2026, requiring 100+-employee employers to give 90 days' layoff notice, 30 more than federal WARN's 60 days.

A proposed Freund v. Collins settlement could reopen nearly 93,000 VA disability appeals. Fairness hearing set for August 13, 2026. Not yet final.

The Seventh Circuit revived a BIPA suit against Gunnar Optiks, ruling its virtual try-on face scans appear aesthetic, not medical, so the health care exemption cannot win dismissal.

A coalition of 42 state attorneys general secured an $18 million settlement with 23andMe over its 2023 genetic data breach. The money goes to the states, not a new consumer payout.

On July 10, 2026, an Illinois appellate panel affirmed a $45 million talc mesothelioma verdict against Johnson & Johnson, upholding a $30 million Survival Act shortened-life-expectancy award.

xAI sued a Grok user in Texas federal court on July 14, 2026 over alleged AI deepfakes and CSAM. What the TOS-breach theory means for AI liability.

New York City finalized a Click-to-Cancel rule effective October 1, 2026, the first US city to do so, while a separate all-in pricing rule on junk fees remains proposed, with an August 7, 2026 hearing.

Singapore's High Court ruled Bloomberg defamed ministers Shanmugam and Tan See Leng in [2026] SGHC 147, awarding S$230,000 each and rejecting a public-interest defense.

Maine's L.D. 2200 took effect July 13, 2026, restricting noncompete agreements against Maine health care practitioners unless they hold ownership interest and patient choice is preserved.

New Hampshire expanded its domestic violence law and created a new sexual assault protective order on July 13, 2026. Here is what HB 1576 and HB 1651 change.

VA's disability claims backlog fell below 70,000 for the first time since 2020, a 74% drop, but VA told Congress 80% of pending claims are still gathering evidence.

The Seventh Circuit vacated approval of the Clearview AI biometric privacy class settlement on July 13, 2026, citing inadequate class representation. Here is what happens next.

Hawaii's Act 247 (HB 2137), signed July 14, 2026, creates a civil right to sue over AI deepfakes, with damages up to $25,000 per item plus injunctions.

West Virginia's Intermediate Court of Appeals affirmed workers' comp benefits for a state worker's bladder and kidney cancer as a compensable occupational disease.

Florida's SB 606 took effect July 1, 2026, requiring restaurants to disclose automatic service charges and other operations fees on menus, apps, and receipts.

A federal judge entered a $1.7 million default judgment for Hunter Biden against Patrick Byrne, who claimed Biden solicited an $800 million bribe from Iran.

Two proposed class actions, filed June 29 and July 1, 2026 in N.D. Cal., allege Google's Nest 'Familiar Face Detection' scans bystanders' faces without consent.

Missouri's HB1740, signed July 9, 2026, requires drunk drivers convicted of killing a parent to pay child support. Effective August 28, 2026. What it requires.

SCOTUS denied emergency bids to block Texas's SB 2420 app store age verification law on July 6, 2026. The merits are undecided; Fifth Circuit review is next.

Florida Supreme Court ruled July 9, 2026 that a shooting victim's workplace injury was compensable, rejecting a stricter causation test in workers' comp law.