Goddess and the Baker v. Sterling Bay Class Action

Plaintiff Goddess and Baker Wacker LLC (“Goddess”), a local cafe, filed this RICO class action complaint against Sterling Bay Companies LLC (“Sterling Bay”) challenging its policy of forcing tenants to hire only union contractors at its buildings located in the Chicago Loop and West Loop. Goddess alleges that this policy is a conspiracy between Sterling Bay and three Chicago unions and is an illegal “hot cargo” agreement, violating the Hobbs Act, an act of racketeering pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1961(1).

The Complaint alleges that Goddess and other tenants at Sterling Bay’s Chicago Loop and West Loop buildings were forced to pay higher prices for unionized labor over the past four years. The suit is brought under 18 U.S.C. 1962(c), 1962(d) and 1964(c). The case was filed on March 23, 2021 in the Northern District of Illinois. If you believe you are a class member, please contact either Howard Foster (Foster PC) or Jim Zouras (Stephan Zouras LLP), attorneys for Plaintiff Goddess.