Illinois AG Sues Lockport McDonald’s Owner Over Minors’ Excessive Hours, No Permits

The Illinois Attorney General filed suit on March 5, 2026, accusing the owner-operator of the McDonald’s at 1039 E. Ninth St., Lockport, of violating state child labor laws after a state investigation found minors working excessive hours and without required permits. The complaint names Nicholas Kory, also referenced as Nicholas J. Kory, and his business listed as Lockor or Lockor LCC as the defendants in the case brought by Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.

The probe began in July 2023 when the Illinois Department of Labor received a complaint that employees under 16 were being allowed or required to work late-night shifts, the AG’s filing alleges. Investigators identified work by 14- and 15-year-olds, frequent late-night scheduling, and a pattern of missing employment certificates required by Illinois law for minors, according to the materials accompanying the lawsuit.

Patch reported that the IDOL sent a formal notice identifying 568 violations of the Child Labor Law and assessed more than $2.1 million in civil penalties that the company has not paid; Patch’s headline also referenced a rounded figure of 550 violations. The AG’s suit seeks injunctive relief to stop further violations and asks the court to impose civil penalties, with the state indicating those penalties would be distributed equally among the affected minors.

Kwame Raoul criticized the alleged conduct in the filing and accompanying statements, calling it “absolutely unacceptable” that a local business owner would “take advantage of young employees who are just starting their time in the workforce.” The AG’s office framed the lawsuit as a means to hold the franchisee accountable and to secure remedies for the children identified in the IDOL investigation.

Jane Flanagan, director of the Illinois Department of Labor, described the investigation’s findings in strong terms: “Our investigation uncovered minors working excessive hours, late into the night, and without the basic protections the law requires. These are not technical violations — they are serious breaches that put young people’s health, safety, and education at risk.” Flanagan’s statement accompanies the IDOL enforcement action and the formal notice referenced in the complaint.

The lawsuit consolidates the IDOL findings into a civil enforcement action filed by the AG on March 5, 2026, and names the defendants as the operators of the McDonald’s at the Lockport address. The case will seek both to stop the practices alleged in the IDOL notice and to recover civil penalties for distribution to the minors identified in the investigation.