Please email Lynne Andrews at landrews@ottosenlaw.com for more information about this event

John H. Kelly has built a remarkable career of service, leadership, and trusted counsel in local government law and public safety. As a partner with Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd., he has devoted his practice to helping municipalities, police departments, fire departments, 9-1-1 centers, and public safety communications agencies navigate complex issues involving employment, labor, pensions, regulations, liability, discipline, …

Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd. would like to congratulate Dominick Lanzito for his recent jury trial victory in the case of Elliott v. Garre/ts, et al. 16-cv-2749, pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In that matter the plaintiff alleged that he was the victim of excessive force at the hands of the …

By Stephen DiNolfo The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent decision in Smith v. Kind, 140 F.4th 359 (7th Cir. 2025) offers an important reminder about how qualified immunity operates in federal civil rights litigation. Even when a court identifies conduct that could violate the Constitution, officers may still be protected from personal liability if the law was not “clearly …

By Quinn Crowley and Sierra Vega   Public entities   defending constitutional tort claims under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 often face a simple but powerful argument: something terrible happened, and it happened on their watch. The Seventh Circuit’s recent decision in Betts v. Boone County is a reminder that terrible facts alone are not enough to saddle a municipality with liability. …

By Dominick Lanzito and Gianna Spada Digital assets-including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and other blockchain-based tokens-represent a new class of financial instruments that exist and are transferred exclusively in digital form. As the digital asset market has expanded, so too have the threats posed to consumers by unregulated digital asset exchanges. Consumers participating in unregulated digital asset exchanges may face risks including …

By John Kelly When you post an agenda, how much do you actually need to say? The Open Meetings Act requires that agendas “set forth the general subject matter of any resolution or ordinance that will be the subject of final action at the meeting.” (5 ILCS 120/2.02(c)). That sounds straightforward enough – but what does “general subject matter” actually …

 By John Motylinski   The Illinois General Assembly’s most recent session produced a number of new laws relevant to fire protection districts and other units of local government. This Article highlights several of the most significant enactments including ambulance billing, employee protections, financial reporting obligations, and more.   P.A. 104-0599 (eff. January 1, 2027): Fire Protection Districts May Now Transfer …

By Meganne Trela When it comes to psychological disability pensions, police officers and firefighters do not play by the same rules-and the reason comes down to how the Illinois Pension Code defines “act of duty” differently in Articles 3 and 4. Two cases illustrate the practical consequences of that distinction: Robbins v. Board of Trustees of the Carbondale Police Pension …

by Michael Castaldo III The United States Department of Labor has initiated a substantial change in labor regulations through a proposed rule change to expand minimum wage and overtime pay eligibility to workers who were previously considered exempt. This rulemaking has the potential to impact millions of employees and employers. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires covered employers to …