A federal judge in Chicago has entered default against Stelle Corporation, a Lemont-based freight carrier, as a sanction for repeated discovery violations in a proposed class action brought by truckers who allege that the company shortchanged them on pay. Plaintiffs maintain that Stelle paid them on a percentage of the load basis and lied to them about the actual prices of loads. They also allege that Stelle overcharged them for the price of fuel. HSPRD represents the truckers in this case.
On September 2, 2026, U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang of the Northern District of Illinois found that Stelle's conduct throughout the litigation amounted to bad faith, culminating in its refusal to produce two managing agents for deposition. Judge Chang described the company's tactics as a form of gamesmanship: one company witness disclaimed knowledge of key facts, while the people who reportedly held that knowledge simply refused to show up for deposition.
Judge Chang acknowledged that default is a serious sanction reserved for only the most extreme discovery violations, but concluded that Stelle's conduct met that standard. With liability now established, the court will next decide whether to certify the case as a class action and determine how much money Stelle owes the truckers.
Christopher Wilmes of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym Ltd. leads the plaintiffs' team. In a statement, he said, “the company has consistently avoided complying with discovery orders for many years, and we look forward to pursuing compensation on behalf of the truckers affected.”
The case is Shawn Gadson, et al. v. Stelle Corporation, et al., No. 23 C 2977 (N.D. Ill.)
