Blackhawks’ response to abuse claim shows need for better crisis strategy

Employment Law

By Bryan Johnson

Bryan Johnson is a partner at Michelman & Robinson, LLP, a national law firm with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County (California), San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. He maintains a practice that focuses on employment advice and counseling and related litigation and transactional matters, as well as issues related to COVID-19. Johnson can be contacted at bjohnson@mrllp.com.

Posted November 30, 2021 10:44 AM

A sexual assault scandal has rocked the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the NHL’s Original Six. Kyle Beach, a former Blackhawks player, alleges that he was sexually assaulted by a team video coach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoff run.As one might expect, the fallout has been significant. Key executives and members of the Blackhawks’ coaching staff have resigned or otherwise been relieved of their duties.According to the results of an independent internal investigation, team leadership in Chicago became aware of the troubling …

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Lawyer erred on personal representative after learning defendant was dead

Answering a question certified for immediate appeal in a case where the plaintiff didn’t know the defendant was dead when the lawsuit was filed, the Illinois Appellate Court concluded that the maneuver used by plaintiff’s attorney to rectify the problem — having his secretary appointed as “personal representative” of the decedent’s estate under Sec. 13-209(c) of the Code of Civil Procedure and then naming her as defendant in an amended complaint — was the wrong move.
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