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Damon Dunn

Of Counsel

Damon Dunn addresses sophisticated and newsworthy questions of first impression. On behalf of his clients, he has been successful in more than 50 appeals, including arguments before the Illinois State Supreme Court on First Amendment rights and Delaware Supreme Court on merger laws. Damon has more than 100 wins for media clients in forums from coast to coast.

Damon’s practice has ranged from exposing multimillion dollar bribery rings to representing publishers and reporters who have broken numerous award-winning investigations, including the R Kelly cases. He led enforcement of one of the first web domain diversion injunctions and was appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General to defend Illinois judges.

Education

J.D., with High Honors, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, Bar And Gavel, American College of Trial Lawyers’ Medal for Excellence
B.A., with Honors, The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio

Recognitions

Named a Leading Lawyer in Detroit by Leading Lawyers℠ (2024-2025)

“Top Lawyers of Chicago” (Chicago Tribune)

Illinois Leading Lawyer in Advertising and Media Law; Intellectual Property; Civil Appellate Law; Commercial Litigation; Civil Rights/Constitutional Law; and ADR (Top 5% of Peer Reviewed Illinois Lawyers)

AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Chambers USA: Media Litigation

Portrayed in Soulless, the case against R. Kelly, by James DeRogatis (Abrams 2020)

Quoted in Publishing Executive; Entrepreneur; LA Times; Chicago Tribune; Chicago Sun-Times; Pioneer Press; Chicago Reader; Editor & Publisher; Law 360; Chicago Daily Law Bulletin; Daily Finance

State Bar Licenses

Illinois

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
U.S. District Ct., N.D. of Illinois Trial Bar
Supreme Court of Illinois

Publication & Speaking Engagements

  • Quoted, “Can Justin Baldoni Win Lawsuit? New York Times Lawyer Analysis,” Business Insider, January 5, 2025
  • Kansas University Media & The Law, on government cooperation 2023; Chicago Bar Assn, on investigative reporting 2022; MLRC, Exposing R. Kelly 2022; DePaul University Center for Journalistic Integrity and Excellence 2020, MLRC Institute Media Workshop, privacy 2017; JMLS 61st Annual IP Conference, right of publicity 2017; Chicago Headline Club; Loyola University; and University of Illinois.
  • Survey of Illinois Employment Libel Law (MLRC 2017-22)
  • Survey of Illinois Employment Privacy Law (MLRC 2017-22)
  • “A Tale of Two Subpoenas” ABA The Brief (2022)
  • Court SLAPPs Conspiracy Theorist’s $250 Million Suit, Media Law Letter (2022)
  • Court Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Over Holocaust Complicity, Media Law Letter (2022)
  • No joking matter: Sarcastic tweets not (yet) an Unfair Labor Practice
  • FVLD Health Care Client Prevails in Groundbreaking Whistleblower Appeal
  • “Strikes” The Labor Law Handbook (Ill. Inst. for CLE 2021).
  • Health Law Compliance, Ch. 10 Labor and Employment Law, Wolters Kluwer 2015
  • “Court Upholds Newspaper’s Editorial Discretion, MLRC 2015
  • “Social Media Policies: Walking a Tightrope,” HR Advisor Mar. 2011
  • “Chicago Police Seek Prior Restraint,” MLRC 2011″Social Media Policies: Walking a Tightrope,” HR Advisor, 2011
  • “Legal Liability for Published Content,” Risk Management, October 2010
  • “Employer Liability for Texting While Driving,” Bloomberg Law, April 2010
  • National Moot Court Competition Best Brief, 56 Chicago Kent Law Review 911
  • A Tale of Two Subpoenas: Reporters’ Privilege and the R. Kelly Trials, with Seth Stern, The Brief (2022)
  • Court SLAPPs Conspiracy Theorist’s $250 Million Suit v. Chicago Sun Times, Media Law Resource Center Media Law Letter (2022)
  • Court Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Over Holocaust Complicity, Media Law Resource Center Media Law Letter (2022)
  • Exposing R. Kelly (MLRC Seminar, June, 2022)
  • National Moot Court Competition Best Brief, 56 Chicago Kent Law Review 911
  • “Employer Liability for Texting While Driving,” Bloomberg Law, April 2010
  • “Legal Liability for Published Content,” Risk Management, October 2010
  • “Social Media Policies: Walking a Tightrope,” HR Advisor Mar. 2011
  • “Strikes” The Labor Law Handbook (Ill. Inst. for CLE).
  • Health Law Compliance, Ch. 10 Labor and Employment Law, Wolters Kluwer 2015
  • Survey of Illinois Employment Libel Law (Media Law Research Center)
  • Survey of Illinois Employment Privacy Law (Media Law Research Center)
  • Cases arising under: Article III, Commerce and Bankruptcy Clauses, and First, Second, Fifth, and Seventh Amendments to the Constitution; securities and antitrust laws; commercial and consumer disputes; class actions; intellectual property, media, internet, and advertising law; labor and employment; trusts; environmental remediation; and miscellaneous disputes.
  • Representation in federal investigations and prosecutions of defendants, persons of interest, and witnesses.
  • Notable decisions include: Baker v. America’s Mortgage Servicing and Resolution Trust Corp. (CA 7th Cir.; federal instrumentalities); Brennan v. Kadner (Ill. App.: defamation); Chicago Tribune Company, et al. v. City of Chicago (N.D. Ill.: public access); Chicago Typographical Union v. Chicago Sun-Times (CA 7th: labor injunctions); Chicago Style Productions v. Chicago Sun-Times (Ill App.: copyright jurisdiction); Chrissafis v. Continental Airlines (N.D. Ill.: Airline Deregulation Act preemption); FdG Logistics v A&R Logistics Holdings (Del.: mergers and acquisitions); Harrison v. Chicago Sun Times (Ill. App.: defamation); Hoffman v. Primedia (CA 7th Cir.: employment law); Imperial Design v. Cosmo’s Designer Direct, et al. (Ill Supreme: First Amendment); Kapotas v. BGA, et al. (Ill. App.: speech torts); Knafel v. Chicago Sun-Times (CA 7th Cir.: defamation); Marks v. CDW Computer Centers (CA 7th Cir.; securities fraud); Seith v Neal (Ill. App.: defamation); Sheehan v. Daily Racing Form (CA 7th Cir.: age discrimination); Underwager v. Channel 9 Australia, et al. (CA 9th Cir.: First Amendment extraterritoriality); USA v. Security Industrial Bank, et al. (USSC: bankruptcy judges); Ward v. Succession of Freeman, et al. (CA 5th Cir.: tender offers); Williams Electronics Games v. Garrity, et al. (CA 7th Cir.: corporate fiduciaries).

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