2009 Lane Reports

Even Blagojevich deserves fair trial on fair charges
In three separate appeals, former Enron chief Jeffrey Skillin, deposed Sun-Times boss Conrad Black and former Alaska legislator Bruce Weyhrauch, all white-collar convicts, persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of a federal statute that calls it fraud to "deprive another of the intangible right to honest services."

NFL's Hail Mary in antitrust case stands to bruise fans
After the National Football League teams' marketing affiliate awarded Reebok International Inc. the exclusive right to distribute headwear displaying the teams' names and logos, Buffalo Grove-based American Needle Inc. cried foul.

Selling Your Home: New Tax Developments for 2009
Most of us don't sell our homes more than once every few years. And, as it turns out, by the time you do sell your home, you may find that the tax laws relating to such sales have changed substantially from when you bought the home. While Congress hasn't done a major revision of the tax laws relating to home sales recently, there has been a recent change that you may wish to take into consideration.

Higher standards: Illinois lowers bar on harassment suits
Dramatically expanding the reach of the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Illinois Supreme Court has held that an employer is legally responsible for a supervisory employee's sexual harassment of a worker over whom the supervisor has no authority.

Lessons to Be Learned from Canada's Banks
Last fall it appeared as if the entire financial sector was imploding. Many of the icons of American finance either failed or had to be thrown a government lifeline just to keep from failing. The names all are familiar to us: Citigroup, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, National City Corp., American International Group, Merrill Lynch, Wachovia. Conspicuous by their absence are the large Canadian Banks such as Bank of Nova Scotia, Royal Bank of Canada, and Toronto Dominion Bank.

Stinginess Could Cost Non-profit Hospitals Millions in Tax Relief
Non-profit hospitals across Illinois shuddered when the state's Department of Revenue rescinded the property tax exemption of Provena Covenant Medical Center in Downstate Champaign for failing to provide enough free care to the poor. The revenue department noted that Provena Covenant gave free care to only 196 of the 110,000 patients it admitted in 2002 and hired collection agencies to pursue 64 patients to whom it gave discounts.

Stinginess Could Cost Non-profit Hospitals Millions in Tax Relief
Non-profit hospitals across Illinois shuddered when the state's Department of Revenue rescinded the property tax exemption of Provena Covenant Medical Center in Downstate Champaign for failing to provide enough free care to the poor. The revenue department noted that Provena Covenant gave free care to only 196 of the 110,000 patients it admitted in 2002 and hired collection agencies to pursue 64 patients to whom it gave discounts.

Estate Planning For Intellectual Property
Intellectual property rights can be very valuable and often continue beyond the owner's lifetime. Therefore, like any other valuable personal property, intellectual property rights should be considered when planning your estate. Intellectual property estate planning is a complex and nuanced area of law. In this article, we will highlight a few estate planning issues that apply to United States trademarks and copyrights.

Blago indictment should spur reform in city government
As notorious as the Governor's Mansion has become, by no means have dirty deeds been confined to Springfield. Since 1970, 30 Chicago aldermen have been convicted of public corruption. But even more chicanery may have gone unpunished or, worse, undetected. When the inspector general's post was created in 1990, the City Council, fearing that factions might turn the inspector general against their rivals for political gain, exempted itself from his jurisdiction. At long last, Mr. Moore and at least a dozen co-sponsors are out to close that loophole by empowering the inspector general to investigate allegations of misconduct by aldermen.