Illinois Partner Prevails on Behalf of Luxury Consignment Enterprise Client

Chicago partner Kearney W. Kilens prevailed in the Cook County Law Division on behalf of our luxury consignment enterprise client in a case involving breach of contract and Wage Payment and Collection Act claims.

This dispute involved a former senior executive of our luxury consignment enterprise client who had included herself in their business talent restructuring plan, and then later claimed that she was “terminated.” At issue was whether the circumstances leading to the senior executive’s departure from her employment required our client to continue paying her salary for an additional six months under the terms of her employment agreement. The plaintiff’s pre-trial demand was $150,000, which increased to $240,000 plus attorney’s fees and costs at trial.

The 2021 bench trial was held via Zoom meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic protocol put in place by the State of Illinois. The trial judge’s decision in favor of our defense was based on credibility of our defense witnesses, which included the enterprise’s co-founders and a former Board member.

Kearney is an experienced litigator who concentrates her practice in defense management of labor and employment matters. She has tried several cases to verdict including suits for contract claims, retaliatory discharge and various tort matters. Kearney has authored and argued many successful motions for summary judgment and appeals in federal and state courts, and has successfully defended charges of discrimination.