CALG’s Rex Heinke and Jessica Weisel won a significant victory this week on behalf of one of the world’s leading insurance companies.

The case has a long history. In 2018, Rex and Jessica persuaded the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to reverse a $27 million judgment against their client for defamation and Fair Credit Reporting Act violations arising out of the termination of four employees. 

The plaintiffs then refiled their case in Illinois state court, alleging defamation per se, defamation per quod, and false light invasion of privacy, this time seeking nearly $29 million in damages. The Illinois trial court dismissed the case, and the plaintiffs appealed.

The company again retained Rex and Jessica to defend the trial court’s ruling. And they successfully did: this week, the Illinois Appellate Court agreed that the allegedly defamatory statements did not constitute defamation as a matter of law and that the plaintiffs had failed to plead special damages as required. The court further refused to permit the plaintiffs to amend their complaint, resolving the case entirely in the company’s favor.

You can read the Illinois Appellate Court’s decision by clicking here.