News from 2006
Butter on steps renders Casino Queen unseaworthy, suit says
An accumulation of butter on steps inside the Casino Queen rendered the gambling boat unseaworthy, according to a personal injury lawsuit filed by an employee.
Media hog
Filed under "it's amazing what one can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit," Associate Judge Barbara Crowder defied oppressive heat and overcame the inconvenience of judging without a courtroom by performing weddings on the courthouse steps during a power outage Friday, July 20.
Bush league
Taking economic development advice from an asbestos lawyer is akin to Tony LaRussa asking Cubs management how to build a World Series champion.
Tour ends
To the editor:
Governor sprinkles another $1 million on Simmons' baseball dream
Senator Luechtefeld The bad news:
Illinois has the largest state budget deficit in the nation at $3 billion, according to analysis conducted by the Rockford Register Star.
The good news (for some) in the cash-strapped state is that Governor Rod Blagojevich found another $1 million to sprinkle on asbestos lawyer John Simmons' baseball dream in Marion.
Sims asks for clemency
Child killer Paula Sims filed a request for clemency with the Illinois Prisoner Review Board last week claiming she no longer poses a risk to society. She suffered from postpartum depression, she claims in her petition, at the time she drown her two infant daughters first in 1985 and again in 1989.
Former ESL cop sues city for damaging his reputation
An East St. Louis police officer who quit his job in 2001 after taking off several months for family leave, is suing the city and several officials for making it impossible for him to find work.
Docs sued for not timely treating colon cancer
A St. Clair County woman and her husband are suing a pair of Belleville doctors for failing to timely treat her colon cancer.
Touchette Regional sued for woman's post-partum death
Pamela Alls is suing Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville on behalf of Erica Lewis who died Jan. 16, 2005, after giving birth.
Summary judgment for Airborne upheld by appellate court
Terrance Hopkins The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that former Circuit Judge Phillip Kardis made the right decision when he granted Airborne Express' motion for summary judgment.
McGlynn picks up ICJL endorsement
Justice Steven McGlynn An appointment to the Illinois Appellate Court a little more than a year ago has been the greatest honor of Justice Steven McGlynn's life.
Maddox to rule on Alliance class action
Circuit Judge Lola Maddox must decide whether to proceed with a Lakin Law Firm suit that has exposed Madison County to national ridicule.
Metro East plaintiff's attorneys withholding financial support from governor
Only 10 Metro-East individuals or businesses made contributions of $150 or more to Judy Baar Topinka's campaign committee between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to a financial report filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections on Monday.
Retention committee raises close to $50k
The committee to retain Judges Ann Callis, John Knight and Charles Romani reported raising $47,992.21 since the trio organized the Committee to Keep Madison & Bond Counties Safe on April 10.
Attorneys wrangle over representation in Hartford vapor case
Hartford residents who proposed a class action suit over petroleum vapors in their homes did not get a class action, but Hartford residents who filed a regular suit over the vapors have agreed to settle it as a class action.
McGlynn-Stewart on par in fund raising
Candidates for the 5th Appellate Court each raised a little more than $140,000 over the past six months, according to financial reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Kardis sued by tenant claiming injuries in parking lot fall
Phillip Kardis Former Madison County Circuit Judge Phillip Kardis was sued in the court where he once presided by a tenant who claims she injured herself in an East Alton apartment parking lot he owns.
Cueto spends twice as much as Evans raises
Republican candidate for St. Clair County Circuit Judge Paul Evans raised $20,790 between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to a semi-annual report filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections on Monday.
Appellate Court gives green light to nationwide class
Stephen Tillery The Illinois Appellate Court reversed Madison County Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn's decision to limit a class action lawsuit against Intel to Illinois residents or purchasers.