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A growing trend in Illinois trucking litigation is placing motor carriers under increased legal and financial scrutiny. As plaintiffs increasingly pursue punitive damages against motor carriers, lawsuits are expanding beyond questions of driver negligence and into the company’s hiring, training, supervision, and safety practices.

Why Are Punitive Damages Increasingly Common in Illinois Trucking Litigation?
After Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that allows the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death and survival actions, the state…
Continue Reading How Motor Carriers Can Mitigate Punitive Damage Exposure in Illinois Trucking Litigation

The Indiana Court of Appeals (the “Court”) reversed a trial court’s temporary commitment order, holding the evidence did not clearly and convincingly establish the patient was gravely disabled. Although the evidence supported the patient suffered from mental illness and exhibited symptoms associated with a manic episode, the Court concluded the evidence did not demonstrate those symptoms resulted in an inability to function independently. In re Civil Commitment of E.R., No. 26A-MH-1878, 2026 WL 2427159 (Ind. Ct. App. Aug. 19, …
Continue Reading Indiana Court of Appeals Reverses Temporary Commitment Where Evidence Did Not Establish Grave Disability

The Indiana Court of Appeals (the “Court”) affirmed a trial court’s temporary commitment order, holding that clear and convincing evidence supported the trial court’s findings that the patient’s persistent paranoia, inability to manage her medications, impaired ability to communicate and provide for her basic needs, and continued need for emergency medication supported the commitment despite her history of voluntarily seeking treatment. In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of S.W., No. 26A-MH-1933 (Ind. Ct. App. Aug. 18, 2026) (unpublished).…
Continue Reading Indiana Court of Appeals Affirms Temporary Commitment Where Paranoia Impaired Patient’s Ability to Function Independently

Effective January 1, 2027, Illinois employers with 26 or more employees must pay employees at their regular hourly rate for their existing job-protected jury duty leave. The change, enacted through House Bill 4844 and signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on July 31, 2026, amends the Illinois Jury Act and Illinois Jury Commission Act. Crucially, there are no caps or limitations on the new paid leave.

While Illinois employers have long been required to provide employees with protected time away…
Continue Reading Illinois Employers Must Provide Paid Jury Duty Leave Beginning January 1,2027

The Indiana Court of Appeals (the “Court”) affirmed a trial court’s temporary commitment order, holding that a patient’s voluntary participation in treatment did not render involuntary commitment inappropriate. The Court concluded that clear and convincing evidence supported the commitment where the patient’s mental illness substantially impaired his ability to function independently and no viable, less restrictive alternative existed. In re Commitment of T.C., No. 2026 WL 2150367 (Ind. Ct. App. 2026) (unpublished).
Background
T.C., a 33-year-old man, was…
Continue Reading Indiana Court of Appeals Affirms Temporary Commitment Despite Voluntary Participation in Treatment

House Bill 26-1283 (“Protections Regarding Seizures of Identification Documents”), signed by Governor Jared Polis on June 3, 2026, sharply limits when a Colorado employer may demand, keep, or control an employee’s or applicant’s government-issued ID. The new law carries both criminal and civil exposure.

Colorado HB 26-1283 Restricts Employers From Retaining Employee Identification Documents
The new statute (C.R.S. § 8-2-124.5) bars employers and their agents from requiring any employee, applicant, or worker to surrender a government-issued identification document.

There

…
Continue Reading New Colorado Law Restricts Employers From Retaining Employee ID DocumentsUnder HB 26-1283

On July 31, 2026, Governor Pritzker signed new legislation greatly expanding the already-broad investigatory powers of the Workplace Rights Bureau in the Attorney General’s Office (“OAG”). Effective January 1, 2027, the law authorizes the OAG to investigate supposed violations of Illinois employment law and creates penalties for employers that do not comply. In essence this signals yet another move by Illinois to dispense with the fundamental due process rights of employers.
How the Illinois Attorney General’s Workplace Rights Bureau…
Continue Reading New Illinois Law Expands Attorney General Powers to Investigate Employers

The Indiana Health Coverage Programs announced that it has received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) to implement a statewide provider certification and enrollment moratorium for numerous Home- and Community-Based Services (“HCBS”) 1915(c) waiver providers. The moratorium becomes effective August 1, 2026, and initially will remain in effect for six months, although Indiana may seek six-month extensions.

Unlike many Medicaid enrollment moratoria that apply to a single provider type or geographic area, Indiana’s action applies…
Continue Reading Indiana HCBS Update: Indiana Imposes Statewide HCBS Provider Certification and Enrollment Moratorium

  • According to a recent report, cardiology outpatient strategy is shifting towards ambulatory surgery centers (“ASCs”) and away from hybrid office-based lab/ASC models to streamline staffing, space and back-office functions. Many health systems are prioritizing cardio ASC developments that are physically connected to, or in close proximity with, hospitals to support clinical integration and quality oversight.
  • Nearly one in ten private U.S. hospitals are now private equity-owned, totaling 447 facilities. Of the total PE-owned hospitals, REITs own about one-third while 

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: Nearly 1 in 10 US Hospitals Now PE-Owned | Pearl Innovation District Generates $224M in Economic Impact | AdventHealth Continues Land Banking

    With another blog post, there is another opportunity to touch on the recent changes to cannabis law in Minnesota. Check out Part 1 at the link here. With the introduction aside, we can turn to some changes from the Cannibus Bill (SF 4401) to the licensing rules that seem to address some practical issues around licenses and how they change over time.

    Use It or Lose It: Qualified Applicant Status Now Expires

    Every cannabis licensee must complete…
    Continue Reading Minnesota Adult Use Cannabis: Tweaking Licensing Rules for the Real World 

    Illinois Expands Project Labor Agreement Requirements for Renewable Energy Projects

    Illinois’s renewable energy landscape shifted significantly back on January 8, 2026, when Governor Pritzker signed the Illinois Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA). Among its many provisions, one significant change stands out for developers, EPCs, investors, and contractors who perform the underlying construction of green energy projects: a major expansion of project labor agreement (PLA) requirements.

    While PLAs have long been required for many utility-scale solar and wind

    …
    Continue Reading Illinois Expands Project Labor Agreement Requirements for Renewable EnergyProjects

    New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (“MAID Act”), introduced in the New York Senate in January 2025 and amended, in part, by the State Assembly in February 2026, will take effect on August 5, 2026, creating a new statutory pathway for qualifying terminally ill adults to request and self-administer medication to end their lives. The MAID Act is part of a broader national trend toward laws commonly referred to as “death with dignity” or “physician-assisted dying” laws.

    The…
    Continue Reading Preparing for New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act: Compliance Considerations for a Growing State-Law Trend

    The State of Louisiana has amended its athlete agent law, bringing sweeping changes to the state’s legislation regulating athlete representatives. Particularly noteworthy, the legislation broadens the coverage of the state’s athlete agent law to include individuals acting as name, image, and likeness (NIL) agents for high school and college athletes.
    The Old Louisiana Athlete Agent Law
    Previously, the Louisiana law was limited to individuals negotiating employment contracts on behalf of an athlete with a professional sports team. This…
    Continue Reading Louisiana Has Amended its Athlete Agent Law, Reflecting the NIL Era

    Following a series of hospital sale-leaseback transactions that preceded bankruptcy filings in 2024 and 2025, lawmakers at both the federal and state levels have taken notice. In response, legislators have introduced measures aimed at regulating, or increasing oversight of, certain health care real estate transactions.

    These efforts seek to protect community hospitals from transactions that may weaken their finances, shift disproportionate value to private-sector investors or jeopardize access to essential services by saddling providers with long-term lease obligations.

    As…
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: A Flurry of Legislation Restricting Hospital Real Estate Transactions – What You Need to Know

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    Hiring your first out-of-state employee can introduce a complex web of local and state employment laws that may differ dramatically from those you already follow. From paid leave requirements and pay transparency laws to non-compete restrictions and city-specific ordinances, multi-state employment compliance can quickly become a challenge for unprepared employers.
    Hiring an Out-of-State Employee Requires Extra Caution
    Stop. Look. Listen.

    I remember seeing these safety signs at railroad crossings when I was growing up. Stopping, looking and listening was…
    Continue Reading Hiring Your First Out-Of-State Employee? Watch for These Compliance Risks

    In two recent civil antitrust complaints, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) alleged that hospital systems used payer contracting provisions—so‑called steering restrictions that require hospitals to be included in nearly all of an insurer’s commercial networks at the most favored level of benefits—to restrict health insurers’ ability to offer narrow network plans, tiered network plans or other insurance plans that give its members financial incentives to use specific network providers. DOJ brought these actions under…
    Continue Reading OhioHealth Settlement Signals Growing Antitrust Risk in Managed Care Contracting