Blink v. Union Pacific Railroad Company
| Daniel Blink |
| Union Pacific Railroad Company |
| 1:2025cv07521 |
| July 3, 2025 |
| U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois |
| Georgia N Alexakis |
| Civil Rights: Americans with Disabilities - Employment |
| 42 U.S.C. § 12101 Americans with Disabilities Act |
| Plaintiff |
Docket Report
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Filing 50
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: The Court grants attorney Brian D. Moore's motion to withdraw as an attorney for defendant Union Pacific #48 . (ca, )
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Filing 49
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes: The parties' agreed motion for protective order (doc. #46 ) is provisionally granted, but the parties' submission does not include a redlined version showing changes in the order from the Court's form order. Upon submission of the redlined version in Word to the Court's Proposed Order email box at [email protected], the Court will consider final entry of the proposed order. In addition to the language in Paragraph 7 of the Agreed Confidentiality Order entered today, the parties are advised that motions to seal will not be granted as to discovery documents filed with the Court unless the request complies with the common law of this Circuit. See Bond v. Utreras, 585 F.3d 1061, 1073 (7th Cir. 2009) (noting that public "has a presumptive right to access discovery materials that are filed with the court"); Baxter Int'l, Inc. v. Abbott Labs., 297 F.3d 544, 545-46 (7th Cir. 2002) (stating that filed discovery documents "that influence or underpin the judicial decision are open to public inspection unless they meet the definition of trade secrets or other categories of bona fide long-term confidentiality... In civil litigation only trade secrets, information covered by a recognized privilege (such as the attorney-client privilege), and information required by statute to be maintained in confidence (such as the name of a minor victim of sexual assault) is entitled to be kept secret"); Union Oil Co. of Cal. v. Leavell, 220 F.3d 562, 567-68 (7th Cir. 2000) ("Many a litigant would prefer that the subject matter of a case... be kept from the curious (including its business rivals and customers), but the tradition that litigation is open to the public is of very long standing."); Citizens First Nat'l Bank of Princeton v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 178 F.3d 943, 945-46 (7th Cir. 1999) (warning courts not to allow parties "to seal whatever they want" and urging them to apply "a neutral balancing of the relevant interests" in connection with any good-cause determination presented by a motion to seal). Parties moving to seal are directed to review the foregoing case law, and any motion to seal will be taken by the Court as a certification that the movant has read the applicable case law and has ensured that it is making a good-faith argument that the document in question qualifies for sealing under the Seventh Circuit's stringent standards. Mailed notice. (jn,)
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Filing 48
MOTION by Attorney Brian D. Moore to withdraw as attorney for Union Pacific Railroad Company. No party information provided Presented before Magistrate Judge (Moore, Brian)
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Filing 47
MOTION by Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company for protective order Presented before Magistrate Judge (Attachments: #1 Exhibit Proposed Protection Order)(Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 46
MOTION by Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company for protective order Presented before District Judge (Attachments: #1 Exhibit Proposed Protective Order)(Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 45
ORDER Signed by the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis on 11/24/25.(ca, )
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Filing 44
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: For the reasons reflected in the accompanying order, the Court denies plaintiff's motion for reassignment of a related case #32 . Enter Order. No appearance is required on 11/25/25. Defendant's partial motion to dismiss #19 remains under advisement. (ca, )
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Filing 43
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes: Upon review of the parties' joint status report (doc. #42 ), stating that discovery is progressing on schedule, the Court makes no adjustment to the discovery schedule. The next joint status report on discovery progress and settlement status is due at noon on 1/29/26. Mailed notice. (kp, )
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Filing 42
STATUS Report Joint Status Report by Daniel Blink Presented before District Judge (Barney, Gavin)
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Filing 41
REPLY by Daniel Blink to MOTION by Plaintiff Daniel Blink for Reassignment of Related Case (Opposed) Presented before District Judge #32 (Morgan, Matthew)
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Filing 40
BRIEF filed by Union Pacific Railroad Co. (Moore, Brian)
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Filing 39
ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company by Brian D Moore (Moore, Brian)
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Filing 38
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: The Court grants the motion to withdraw Paul J. Lukas as attorney #36 . No appearance is required on 11/6/25. (ca, )
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Filing 37
NOTICE of Motion by James Harvey Kaster for presentment of motion to withdraw as attorney #36 before Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis on 11/6/2025 at 09:30 AM. (Kaster, James)
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Filing 36
MOTION by Attorney Paul J. Lukas to withdraw as attorney for Daniel Blink. No party information provided Presented before District Judge (Kaster, James)
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Filing 35
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: Defendant's response to plaintiff's motion for reassignment #33 of a related case is due by 11/6/25; any reply is due by 11/13/25. The Court sets a hearing on plaintiff's motion for 11/25/25 at 9:30 a.m. No appearance is required by 10/28/25. (ca, )
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Filing 34
NOTICE of Motion by Matthew Hale Morgan for presentment of motion for miscellaneous relief #32 before Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis on 10/28/2025 at 09:30 AM. (Morgan, Matthew)
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Filing 33
MEMORANDUM by Daniel Blink in support of motion for miscellaneous relief #32 (Morgan, Matthew)
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Filing 32
MOTION by Plaintiff Daniel Blink for Reassignment of Related Case (Opposed) Presented before District Judge (Attachments: #1 Exhibit A - Complaint in McClain v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.)(Morgan, Matthew)
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Filing 31
ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiff Daniel Blink by Matthew Hale Morgan (Morgan, Matthew)
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Filing 30
REPLY by Union Pacific Railroad Company to response in opposition to motion #28 (Balson, Laura)
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Filing 29
DECLARATION of Gavin S. Barney regarding response in opposition to motion #28 (Attachments: #1 Exhibit 1)(Kaster, James)
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Filing 28
RESPONSE by Daniel Blinkin Opposition to MOTION by Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company to dismiss DEFENDANT UNION PACIFICS PARTIAL MOTION TO DISMISS PLAINTIFFS COMPLAINT #19 (Kaster, James)
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Filing 27
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes: This matter coming before the magistrate judge on referral (doc. #s #25 , #26 ) for discovery supervision and settlement, the discovery schedule set by the district court (doc. #25 ) stands. The parties are further directed to review the Court's Standing Order for Civil Cases Before Magistrate Judge Fuentes (including its advisory Appendix) available on the Court's website. A further joint written status report is due by noon on 11/20/25 concerning discovery progress and settlement status. If the parties at any time decide they wish to engage in a settlement conference with the magistrate judge, they may contact the courtroom deputy, Lauren Knight, at 312-818-6514. Mailed notice. (lxk, )
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Filing 26
Pursuant to Local Rule 72.1, this case is hereby referred to the calendar of Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes for the purpose of holding proceedings related to: Discovery supervision and for settlement conference.(ca, )
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Filing 25
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: The Court has reviewed the parties' joint status report #24 and adopts the following fact-discovery deadlines set forth in the report: (1) Rule 26(a)(1) disclosures are due by 9/26/25; (2) the first day to issue written discovery is 9/26/25; (3) the deadline to amend the pleadings and add parties is 10/31/25; (4) and fact discovery shall close on 3/20/26. With respect to any expert discovery, the Court adopts the following deadlines set forth in the report: (1) deadline to disclose experts and deliver expert reports: 1/16/26; (2) deadline to disclose rebuttal experts and deliver rebuttal expert reports: 2/20/26; and (3) deadline to complete expert discovery: 5/15/26. This case is referred to a Magistrate Judge Fuentes for all remaining discovery scheduling and supervision, including the authority to set, adjust, and extend all discovery-related deadlines. The referral also includes the authority to conduct a settlement conference, as necessary. The Court will set a dispositive motion schedule after all discovery is completed and following an in-chambers summary judgment conference (described in the Court's standing orders). The initial status hearing set for 9/4/25 is vacated. (ca, )
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Filing 24
STATUS Report Joint Initial Status Report by Daniel Blink (Barney, Gavin)
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Filing 23
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: Plaintiff's response to defendant's partial motion to dismiss #19 is due 9/12/25; defendant's reply is due 9/26/25. No appearance is required on 8/26/25. The parties are reminded that under the Court's standing orders, all contested motions must be accompanied by a proposed briefing schedule. Otherwise, the Court simply will set one, which may be more expedited than the parties prefer. (ca, )
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Filing 22
NOTIFICATION of Affiliates pursuant to Local Rule 3.2 by Union Pacific Railroad Company (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 21
ANSWER to Complaint by Union Pacific Railroad Company(Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 20
Exhibits to Motion to Dismiss (Docket #19) by Union Pacific Railroad Company (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 19
MOTION by Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company to dismiss DEFENDANT UNION PACIFICS PARTIAL MOTION TO DISMISS PLAINTIFFS COMPLAINT (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 18
NOTICE of Motion by Benjamin Donald Rowley for presentment of before Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis on 8/26/2025 at 09:30 AM. (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 17
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N. Alexakis: The Court grants the motion for leave to appear pro hac vice by James H. Kaster #16 . (ca, )
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Filing 16
MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice on behalf of Daniel Blink by James Harvey Kaster; Filing fee $ 150, receipt number AILNDC-23864228. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit A - Additional Court Admissions)(Kaster, James)
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Filing 15
CERTIFICATE of Service by Plaintiff Daniel Blink regarding summons issued (court participant) #6 , complaint #1 (Barney, Gavin)
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Filing 14
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N Alexakis: The Court grants the motion for leave to appear pro hac vice by Gavin S. Barney #13 . (ca, )
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Filing 13
MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice on behalf of Daniel Blink by Gavin S Barney; Filing fee $ 150, receipt number AILNDC-23810351. (Barney, Gavin)
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Filing 12
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N Alexakis: The Court grants defendant's unopposed motion for an extension of time until 8/21/25 to answer or otherwise respond to plaintiff's complaint #11 . No appearance is required on 7/31/25. (ca, )
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Filing 11
MOTION by Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company for extension of time to file answer regarding notice of motion #10 (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 10
NOTICE of Motion by Benjamin Donald Rowley for presentment of before Honorable Georgia N Alexakis on 7/31/2025 at 09:30 AM. (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 9
ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company by Benjamin Donald Rowley (Rowley, Benjamin)
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Filing 8
ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company by Laura A. Balson (Balson, Laura)
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Filing 7
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Georgia N Alexakis: Initial status hearing is set for 9/4/25 at 9:30 a.m. in person in Courtroom 1719. By 8/28/25, the parties shall file a Joint Initial Status Report that complies with the Court's standing order, which can be found on the Court's website. If the defendant(s) have not been served by the initial status hearing date, counsel for Plaintiff must contact the Courtroom Deputy to reschedule the status hearing and the date for filing the Joint Initial Status Report. (ca, )
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Filing 6
SUMMONS Issued (Court Participant) as to Defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company (txd, )
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Filing 3
ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiff Daniel Blink by Paul J. Lukas (Lukas, Paul)
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Filing 2
CIVIL Cover Sheet (Lukas, Paul)
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Filing 1
COMPLAINT filed by Daniel Blink; Jury Demand. Filing fee $ 405, receipt number AILNDC-23708555.(Lukas, Paul)
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CASE ASSIGNED to the Honorable Georgia N Alexakis. Designated as Magistrate Judge the Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes. Case assignment: Random assignment. (Civil Category 2). (gmc, )
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CLERK'S NOTICE: Pursuant to Local Rule 73.1(b), a United States Magistrate Judge of this court is available to conduct all proceedings in this civil action. If all parties consent to have the currently assigned United States Magistrate Judge conduct all proceedings in this case, including trial, the entry of final judgment, and all post-trial proceedings, all parties must sign their names on the attached #Consent To# form. This consent form is eligible for filing only if executed by all parties. The parties can also express their consent to jurisdiction by a magistrate judge in any joint filing, including the Joint Initial Status Report or proposed Case Management Order. (gmc, )
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| Search for this case: Blink v. Union Pacific Railroad Company | |
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| Plaintiff: Daniel Blink | |
| Represented By: | James Harvey Kaster |
| Represented By: | Gavin S Barney |
| Represented By: | Matthew Hale Morgan |
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| Defendant: Union Pacific Railroad Company | |
| Represented By: | Benjamin Donald Rowley |
| Represented By: | Laura A. Balson |
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