Wrobel v. Illinois Dep't of Employment Security

Plaintiff Phillip Wrobel was a pressman for the Chicago Tribune (Tribune) for 17 years, until his firing on September 27, 2001. After his termination, plaintiff applied for benefits under the Unemployment Insurance Act (Act) (820 ILCS 405/100 et seq. (West 2002)) However, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) denied his claim, agreeing with the Tribune that plaintiff was terminated due to misconduct connected with his work. 820 ILCS 405/ 602(A) (West 2002). Plaintiff continued to pursue benefits and requested a hearing before a referee. The referee affirmed IDES’ denial of…