Twyman v. The Illinois Department of Employment Security

**What Happened** Twyman filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Chicago Transit Authority after losing his job. When his case was rejected by an administrative board, he tried to challenge that decision in court. However, Twyman missed an important deadline - he failed to file his court challenge within 35 days of being notified of the board's decision against him. **What the Court Decided** Both the trial court and appeals court threw out Twyman's case entirely. The courts ruled they had no authority to hear the case because Twyman filed too late. Illinois law requires workers to file their court appeals within exactly 35 days after receiving notice of an administrative decision. Since Twyman missed this strict deadline, the courts could not review his wrongful termination claims, regardless of whether they had merit. **What This Means for Workers** This case highlights how crucial timing is in employment disputes. Workers who lose administrative hearings or board decisions have very limited time to appeal to the courts - often just 35 days. Missing these deadlines can permanently end your case, even if you have strong evidence of wrongful treatment. Workers should act quickly and consider consulting with an attorney immediately after receiving any negative employment decisions to avoid losing their right to appeal.