News from October 2015
St. Clair County foreclosures Oct. 5-14
A list of recent St. Clair County foreclosures. Including Belleville, Cahokia, Caseyville, Fairview Heights, O'Fallon, Shiloh and Swansea.
Incarcerated man asks Lopinot to reconsider dismissing $5M suit alleging malicious prosecution
An incarcerated man serving time in Taylorville for attempted murder asks St. Clair County Circuit Judge Vincent Lopinot to reconsider granting St. Clair County’s and an assistant state’s attorney’s joint motion to dismiss the suit alleging malicious prosecution.
St. Clair County attorney countersues woman in suit involving her late husband’s estate
A St. Clair County attorney is countersuing a woman who claims legal malpractice involving her late husband’s estate.
Lumber Liquidators removes class action to federal court
Lumber Liquidators removed a class action suit to federal court that alleges it sold a defective Dura-Wood flooring.
Laundry detergent manufacturer accused of false ‘all natural’ labeling seeks to stay case
A laundry detergent manufacturer seeks to stay a pending class action in St. Clair County over its alleged misleading “all natural” labeling while a similar case is litigated in a California federal court.
Smithton Township Road District denies liability in traffic accident suit; Woman sues government entity instead of driver
Smithton Township Road District claims dismissal is proper in a woman’s traffic accident lawsuit because it did not have the authority to establish speed limits for the roadway at issue.
Chiropractor seeks to transfer suit alleging broken bones from treatment
A chiropractor accused of breaking a patient’s bones during a treatment seeks to transfer the case to Saline County.
Sparta's squawking over pet chickens silenced at Fifth District
"Prohibiting Page from possessing his pet chickens on his property would mean that any person who has agricultural products such as fruit trees and vegetable gardens would also be in violation of the zoning code," Cates wrote. "We agree that Page's use of his property is residential, and the chickens, which are not otherwise prohibited, are an incidental permitted use of the property."
Maag files class action over $1 service charge imposed on FOID applicants
Wood River attorney Thomas Maag seeks to represent a class of people who paid $1 more than state statute allows when they applied for a $10 firearm owner identification card (FOID). Plaintiff Gary Patrick Sterr, also of Wood River, says he was charged the extra buck on Oct. 6, as a convenience fee through the Illinois E-pay program for processing applications online.
Poll reveals Illinoisans 'fed up' with state’s inability to pass balanced budget
“This new poll shows what many people have been feeling for months: Illinoisans are fed up with a state economy that drives jobs across state lines, relies on tax hikes to try and balance state budgets, and politicians who refuse to address the political and economic problems facing the state,” said Nathaniel Hamilton, a spokesman for the Illinois Policy Institute.
Forensic audit of CARD's 2011 finances shows loose spending, lax oversight
Area leaders who are trying to convince voters to dissolve the financially distressed Collinsville Area Recreation District (CARD) can point to a recently released report that helps explain why the district is in such bad shape. A forensic audit of CARD's 2011 finances conducted in 2012, reveals loose spending practices and lax oversight in a district that faces $45 million in long term debt.
Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch calls Nader's Tort Museum frivolous
Created by Ralph Nader and built in his hometown of Winsted, Ct., the American Museum of Tort Law is a shrine to the law of personal injury.
Madison County to recognize volunteers during National Pro Bono Week Oct. 26-30
"Jennifer Shaw, who is receiving a pro bono award, while serving as a guardian ad litem for free, went above and beyond her duties," said Circuit Judge Barbara Crowder, who heads the Pro Bono Committee. "She took a trip to another state regarding an investigation, and due to her hard work, the case was heard smoothly and successfully."
Illinois Policy Action highlights issue of term limiting state lawmakers; State senator says he 'self term limits'
Citizens interested in learning more about how term-limit policy could change the political landscape in Illinois can observe debates and discussions via the Illinois Policy Action, the lobbying arm of the Illinois Policy Institute.
Ruth affirmed in part and reversed in part by Fifth District
The Fifth District Court of Appeals affirmed Madison County Circuit Judge Dennis Ruth’s ruling that an insurance policy had been properly cancelled prior to a fire and that USF Insurance had no duty to cover damages.
Hale v. State Farm: Magistrate wants deposition of plaintiff's investigator sooner rather than later
Doug Wojcieszak, an investigator for lawyers suing State Farm over its role in the 2004 campaign of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier, canceled a deposition about his investigation on five days notice. State Farm counsel Joseph Cancila of Chicago reported the cancellation to U.S.
Meet the politicians getting rich off Chicago's property tax scheme
Flawed property valuations and the process required to fix them are a cash cow for law firms, including those of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.
The Madigan Mob and the property tax protection racket
You know how the protection racket works. Some big ugly goon shows up at the front door one day and offers to protect you from some big ugly goon who might show up at the front door one day.
Illinois needs term limits
Polls have shown that vast majorities of citizens on both sides of the political aisle back term limits for their elected officials.
Fitch cuts Illinois credit rating, cites budget gridlock, massive debt and sluggish growth
Illinois’ general-obligation bonds are rated just three notches above junk status, thanks to a credit-rating downgrade on Oct. 19 from Fitch Ratings.