A Cook County lawsuit is taking up where a federal one left off, alleging violations of eavesdropping laws and seeking class-action status against the manufacturers of films made surreptitiously in college and high school locker rooms. A federal judge in Chicago awarded the victims $506 million on Nov. 25, 2002, but the victims' lawyers at that time expressed doubt that they could ever collect from the fly-by-night video companies that produced them. Those companies never showed up in court to defend themselves.

The victims were filmed at Northwestern University, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, the University of Pennsylvania, Iowa State University, Michigan State University, Indiana University, the University of Illinois and an unnamed high school.

Six of the victims are Cook County residents, and 24 live in Illinois.

The new suit filed Tuesday named new parties in regards to the same films, and it took a different tack by alleging violations of federal eavesdropping laws because some conversations on the films could be heard. It also alleges that minors were filmed in violation of criminal law at an unnamed high school.

Lawyers for both the defendants and plaintiffs could not be reached for comment Tuesday.