Olga Jurco

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois magistrate Deceased · served 1971–2004 14 signed orders read

Judge Jurco no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.

How Judge Jurco decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

She placed the burden of proving attorney-client privilege on the party withholding discovery and required concrete support rather than reliance on the existence of an attorney-client relationship.

“The burden of establishing these elements falls squarely upon the party asserting the privilege.”

In disability review, she treated the agency's severity inquiry as a threshold screen and credited a treating physician's work-capacity assessment when it was consistent with the longitudinal medical record.

“Dr. Bice, in his 1983 report, merely translated his clinical diagnosis already in this record into practical work-capability terms.”

Procedural preferences

She construed privilege narrowly in discovery and distinguished confidential legal advice from technical material prepared for submission to third parties.

“This judicial district, however, does urge that the privilege be narrowly construed.”

She protected a non-testifying expert from deposition where the testifying expert had not relied on that expert's opinions or report.

“Magistrate Jurco quashed the deposition subpoena and granted a protective order”

Cautions

In habeas review, she treated counsel's failure to explore protective alternatives or make an in-camera proffer as fatal to a claimed cause for procedural default.

“Perhaps most importantly, Adam did not submit the witnesses’ written statements, or any other information about them or what they would testify to in the trial, to the judge in camera.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Sneider v. Kimberly-Clark Corp.
· 1980-01-11
Motions to compel (plaintiff) Granted in part

“It is ordered that defendant produce all documents to plaintiff, except the following:”

Motions to compel (defendant) Granted in part

“The court orders plaintiff to produce all non-privileged tapes.”

Abu Eain v. Adams
· 1979-12-18
Extradition request (United States on behalf of Israel) Granted

“For all of the above and foregoing reasons, I find probable cause exists to believe the accused committed the charged offenses and find further that the nature and circumstances of their commission are not within the exception from extradition as an offense political in character.”

Motion to admit evidence (accused) Denied

“The Motion to Admit Exhibits 25 through 42 is denied:”

Motion to admit evidence (government) Denied

“The government’s motion is denied for the reason that the Majority Report was refused admission into evidence.”

Motion to admit evidence (accused) Denied

“The defendant’s motion for leave to file Exhibit 43 into evidence, being the 1979 United Nations Security Council meetings of January 19, March 13, 19 and 22, and June 29 is denied.”

Motion to exclude evidence (accused) Denied

“The defendant’s motion to exclude the testimony of government witness Louis Fields is denied.”

Motions to compel (accused) Denied

“The accused sought discovery as to the status of those who were killed and injured; it was denied.”

McKenzie v. Heckler
· 1984-05-01
Summary judgment (benefits claimant) Granted

“It is recommended the Court grant the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment reversing the Secretary’s decision and deny the Secretary’s motion for summary judgment.”

Summary judgment (Secretary of Health and Human Services) Denied
Brogan v. Miller
· 1983-01-10
Motion for civil contempt and additional relief (plaintiff class) Granted

“the Court find and order that the defendants are in continuing violation of its Orders of March 17 and April 9, 1982;”

Motion for attorneys fees (plaintiff class) Denied

“Magistrate Jurco also recommended that plaintiffs should not be granted attorneys’ fees in connection with this motion”

Nesbitt v. Blazer Financial Services, Inc.
· 1981-05-05
Summary judgment (consumer classes) Granted in part

“Blazer objects to Magistrate Jurco’s recommendation that plaintiffs be granted summary judgment with respect to each of these claims.”

Summary judgment (lender) Granted in part

“Magistrate Jurco recommended that Blazer’s motion for summary judgment be granted with respect to claims one through three set forth above.”

Johnson v. Weinberger
· 1974-02-21
Summary judgment (Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare) Granted

“U. S. Magistrate Olga Jurco ruled on February 21, 1974, that respondent’s motion for summary judgment was of merit and recommended that petitioner’s petition for review be dismissed.”

Gautreaux v. Landrieu
· 1979-08-31
Motion to appoint receiver (plaintiff class) Denied

“Although noting the CHA’s inefficient bureaucratic operation and inability to reevaluate its criteria for suitable remedial housing was responsible, in large part, for the long delay, the Master did not recommend appointment of a receiver.”

United States ex rel. Veal v. DeRobertis
· 1984-03-29
Summary judgment (habeas petitioner) Denied

“Accordingly, Veal’s motion for summary judgment is denied, and the defendant’s motion for summary judgment is granted.”

Summary judgment (respondent) Granted
Naxon Telesign Corp. v. GTE Information Systems, Inc.
· 1980-10-23
Motions to compel (patent owner) Granted

“Magistrate Jurco’s order of October 23, 1980 directing GTE to comply with certain discovery requests respecting damages.”

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Peoples Gas, Light, & Coke Co.
· 1982-02-12
Motion to quash (defendants) Denied

“Magistrate Jurco, in a thorough memorandum opinion, denied the defendants’ motions to quash, and this court affirmed her ruling.”

Hecht v. Don Mowry Flexo Parts, Inc.
· 1985-02-28
Motion to quash (defendant) Denied

“On February 28, 1985, Magistrate Jurco denied defendant’s motion to quash the subpoena”

Dunlop Tire and Rubber Corp. v. Pepsico
· 1985-04-29
Motion to quash (plaintiff) Granted

“Magistrate Jurco quashed the deposition subpoena and granted a protective order”

Motion for protective order (plaintiff) Granted

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

No assigned electronic docket was located for Jurco's 1971-1985 service, so no docket-based caseload mix, case-duration, motion-outcome, or timing claim is available.

A historical record

Judge Jurco no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.