blog | Lane Brown, LLC

A Hidden Camera Was Found in a Funeral Home Bathroom. Chicago Police Continue to Investigate.

On Monday March 24, 2014, the Chicago Police Department received a call from employees at the Smith and Thomas Funeral Home on West Madison. The employees said that a hidden camera was found in a single-stall unisex bathroom primarily used by funeral home employees. The police responded to the call and reportedly found the camera in the wall of the bathroom, to the left of the toilet at ground level. At the time, the owner of the funeral home told the media that an internal investigation would be conducted. The Chicago Police were also carrying out an investigation.

An Update on Both Investigations

On Thursday April 3, 2014, the Chicago Police were back at the West Side location of the Smith and Thomas Funeral Home for several hours, and they allegedly removed more items from the facility. WGN reported that the camera found in the employee bathroom on March 24 may have been connected to something else in the building.

The brother of the funeral home’s owner told the media that the internal investigation by the funeral home is ongoing and that family members are in the process of questioning employees.

We Are Conducting Our Own Investigation

Current and former employees of Smith and Thomas Funeral Homes have retained our firm to represent them in this workplace privacy case. We are conducting our own investigation and will do everything in our power to obtain justice for these employees.

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It can be disconcerting to know that you are being watched. You may be doing your job well, but still feel uncomfortable at the thought of people watching you. In some cases, there may be little, if anything, that you can do about it. Employers have a legitimate interest in keeping tabs on their workers. They have a legitimate interest in making sure that you, and all of the other employees, are doing the jobs you are paid to do.

Your Employer’s Rights May Not Be Unlimited

Despite your employer’s interest in watching what is happening, that right may not be unlimited. For example, your employer may not have a legitimate interest in placing cameras in workplace bathroom stalls, showers, or locker rooms. Cameras that are used to watch you in intimate settings where you have the right to expect privacy may violate your rights.

You Shouldn’t Have to Accept It

If you believe that a camera has been used to watch you in a workplace bathroom, it is important to stand up for your rights. That is what some brave employees of the Smith and Thomas Funeral Home are doing now. After discovering a hidden camera in a unisex bathroom primarily used by employees, one worker contacted the Chicago Police Department, and others contacted the lawyers at Lane Brown, LLC. Currently, we are working hard to protect their rights.

To learn more about this important case of employees’ right to privacy in Chicago, please visit the links shown on this page and check our website regularly for updates.

A Person Who Is Sexually Abused as a Child May Suffer Health Problems as an Adult

Child sex abuse can cause serious long-term consequences for a child’s mental health, and a new study now suggests that the long-term health effects may not be limited to the child’s emotional health. Instead, the study suggests that physical consequences of childhood abuse or neglect may last well into adulthood.

What Is the Risk?

According to the study, which is scheduled to appear in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, individuals who suffer abuse as children, including children who suffer sexual abuse, may have trouble regulating their hormones in adulthood. More specifically, the individuals in the study who suffered the most severe abuse as children had:

Higher leptin levels. Leptin regulates appetite and is linked to fat levels.
Higher irisin levels. Irisin regulates energy metabolism.
Lower adiponectin levels. Adiponectin reduces inflammation.

Together, the effect of these hormone imbalances could lead to obesity or diabetes in adults. While the study found a link between childhood abuse and obesity and related complications in adults, it did not prove that childhood sexual abuse caused these future health problems. Instead, researchers hope this information can lead to better interventions to prevent health complications for adult survivors of childhood abuse.

What to Do If You’ve Been a Victim of Child Sex Abuse

If you are the victim of childhood sexual abuse, we encourage you to talk to your doctor about your risk of future illness. We also encourage you to learn more about your legal rights by watching our free videos and contacting us for a free and confidential consultation.

There are many potential ways to prevent a car accident, pedestrian crash, or bike wreck. One way is to prevent driver negligence. Another way is to improve our roads and infrastructure to prevent confusion and encourage safety. While we typically focus on driver behavior, today we are going to think about what can be done by the Chicago Department of Transportation, or other government agencies, to prevent serious accidents, injuries, and deaths.

Active Transportation Alliance Identifies Safety Priorities

Earlier this year, the Active Transportation Alliance released its 2014 priority list for the Chicago Department of Transportation. More specifically, the organization shared its top 10 priorities to improve safety for bikers, walkers, and mass-transit users in our city.

The organization’s list included:

Expanding the Divvy bike-sharing program
Connecting gaps existing between bike lanes
Building protected bike lanes with concrete curbs and building more Neighborhood Greenways
Maintaining bike lanes and unmarked bike routes to fix faded paint lines, potholes, and rough spots
Securing dedicated funds for pedestrian infrastructure and safety
Completing final designs for the Ashland rapid transit line
Developing an online crash database
Championing policy changes to increase secure bike parking in high-occupancy buildings
Retrofitting the most dangerous intersections and street crossings
Launching the Central Loop Bus Rapid Transit service

What Would You Add?

Are you concerned about the safety of Chicago’s roads for bikers, walkers, mass transit users and motorists? What advice would you give the Chicago Department of Transportation? Please leave a comment in the space below and tell us what you think.

How to Protect Your Child After Sexual Abuse Has Occurred

When families learn their child has been sexually abused, they experience many different emotions. Parents and children alike are angry, sad, scared, and eager to make things better. All of these emotions are important and all require your attention. However, right now, we want to focus on what you can do to make things better.

Three Things You Can Do to Protect Your Child Now

Whether your child has been hurt by a mentor, a coach, a teacher, or a clergy member in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs, it is important for you to do the following to protect your child after sexual abuse:

Watch for signs of physical harm. These can occur directly or indirectly from abuse.
Give your child a voice. This will depend on age and personality. However, it is important that your child does not keep everything bottled up. Talking, writing, and drawing are all outlets that can help your child express his emotions in a safe way. For some children, filing a civil lawsuit against the person who committed the abuse and the organization that allowed the abuse to occur can also help with healing.
Look toward the future. This is, undeniably, a part of your child’s life and will always be a part of your child’s history, but it is not the only part. Help your child to move forward.

Has your child been the victim of sexual abuse? What did you do to help your child through this difficult time? Please leave a comment in the space below and share your ideas. Your comments may help another family provide the support and help they need for their child.

Potential Airbag Problems Reported in Chevy Impalas

On April 7, 2014, the Center for Auto Safety asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate a potential defect in 2003-2010 model year Chevrolet Impalas.

According to information provided in a letter to the NHTSA, a software flaw could cause the control module to misread a passenger’s weight and cause the front airbags to become ineffective in a crash. More specifically, the letter suggests that a flawed algorithm was used to determine weight and the force with which the front bags are deployed in these vehicles.

To date, the Center for Auto Safety claims that there have been 143 fatalities in Chevy Impalas when the airbags failed to deploy. Ninety-eight of those who died were wearing their seat belts at the time of their accidents. The NHTSA does not keep track of why airbags fail to deploy. Thus, it is not yet possible to determine whether all of these fatalities were due to the potential software flaw.

The NHTSA and General Motors (GM) did not immediately respond to the allegations raised by the Center for Auto Safety.

This Problem May Not Be Only for GM Owners

In the past two years, the federal government has investigated or a recall has been issued due to defective airbags in vehicles by the following automakers: Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, Volvo, and Honda.

Faulty Airbags Are Not Just a National Problem

For the families of the 143 people who died, the problem of faulty airbags is not a national problem—it is personal one. If you have lost a loved one on the Northwest Tollway, or if you have been hurt on the Stevenson Expressway because your Chevy Impala airbag failed to deploy, you deserve to be compensated for your loss.

It is important to understand your rights. Please feel free to peruse related articles on our web site and then contact us directly for more information.