Chicago Public Workers’ Counsel Loses Bid for $1M in Fees

The attorneys representing Chicago public employees who successfully challenged reductions to their pension benefits won’t be able to recover nearly $1 million in fees.

The ruling comes three years after the Illinois Supreme Court declared that certain amendments to the state’s pension law that reduced the value of annual annuity increases were unconstitutional.

The attorneys sought to recover $200,000 under the Illinois Civil Rights Act, and an additional $750,000 from a “common fund.”

An Illinois appeals court rejected the attorneys’ argument that under the state’s Civil Rights Act they could request fees regardless of the nature of a claim as ...