Illinois Business Legal Questions

Nothing needs to be "filed." You should discuss with an attorney what documents specific to the type of business you propose to conduct -- which you do not supply -- are required to be prepared and executed. It may be that some form of organization other than a "joint venture" is appropriate for this business. Your attorney can advise you.... Read More

LLC ownership is governed by a private agreement among the members called an "operating agreement." It is not filed with the state, and the state has no way of knowing (and doesn't care) what the ownership interests are. You can prove the ownership interests by providing a certified copy of your operating agreement and partnership tax return to the relevant federal government agency. See an attorney to handle the mechanics of this.... Read More

As a general matter, a contract can be written on anything and still be valid -- telegrams, emails, etc. are all perfectly valid media in which a contract can be memorialized. It is unclear what "involves stolen goods" means. For example, a contract could be perfectly lawful if its object was to hire a private detective to recover stolen goods. On the other hand, a contract to purchase or sell goods known to be stolen may not be valid.... Read More

"Any reason" leaves open a large variety of possibilities, including fraud, duress and mutual mistake. There are certainly some circumstances under which a court could declare the bill of sale to be void or voidable. You have not provided any facts that suggest that you would be entitled to that result.... Read More

This is a so-called "net neutrality" question. Under current law, you may lawfully be "throttled," to use the term of art. There are both regulatory and legislative proposals that would change this, but as we stand now, the carrier may reduce the speed of transmission. There should be no loss of calls or data, and any such losses are likely due to routine errors or transmission problems and not to "throttling."... Read More

This dispute is governed by the law of trademark. As a general matter, the "senior" user of a trademark has the right to exclude the "junior" user from using the mark in a way that is likely to cause confusion among consumers of the service. An attorney who specializes in trademark litigation can assist you.... Read More

It depends on the particular kind of misconduct in which the lender has engaged. If the conduct in question is authorized by law, you may have a difficult time obtaining a legal remedy, regardless of the characterization of the lender as "predatory." An attorney may be able to discuss this situation with you. Specific facts are required. You should not discuss them in a public forum.... Read More

The answer to your question is "it depends." As a general matter, people who are in the legal relationship of general "partners" are jointly and severally liable for partnership debts. That means that each partner owes the other a duty to "contribute" (it is legally called the duty of contribution) to partnership debts and obligations. Where one partner has paid a debt to which the other partner has failed to contribute, the paying partner may sue the non-paying partner to compel contribution. In general, the statue of limitations for such suits is the period of time applicable to contract claims, which is rarely less than three years. There may be numerous defenses to the claim in your case. You should consult with an experienced commercial litigation attorney regarding such defenses. The foregoing is for information purposes only and is not to be deemed as legal advice.... Read More

You should get a Tax Identification Number (TIN)from the IRS.  This is easily done online.  You should report your income and expenses on Schedule C (Income from Business or Profession) which is attached to your 1040.  You will also have to file an attachment for computing your Self-Employment Tax (Social Security).  If you wish to file quarterly payments during your first year (1040-ES), it might be a good idea.to look at the IRS Guide for Small Businesses.  You do not need a special checking account, but you must keep very clear records.  A program like Quickbooks is good for this.  Good luck.  .... Read More

You signed up for the insurance and received the coverage you requested. Your employer has requested that you pay the premiums that relate to the benefit you received. Your employer may fire you if you fail to pay. You can submit your past dentist charges for reimbursement for the period when you were covered. Under Illinois law, an employer can terminate an employee's employment for any reason or no reason at all, with certain exceptions not applicable to your fact pattern. Given the surprise involved, one suggestion might be to negotiate with your employer for the right to pay off the prior premiums on an installment plan. They don't want a fight over this and will likely not recover the funds if they fire you. A reasonable objective for both parties is to keep you employed and paying this off.... Read More