Hearing set June 28 in federal suit over Cahokia water district firings

A hearing is set on a withdrawal move filed by the attorneys for several former employees of the Commonfields of Cahokia Water District.

U.S. Magistrate Stephen Williams will hear the move filed by Donald Urban and Robert Sprague at 11 a.m. June 28.

Sprague and Urban represent Peggy Pierce, Isaac Turner, Dennis Traiteur Jr. and Marcus Luster, former employees of the water district who claim they were wrongly fired.

The plaintiffs are suing the water district and trustees Erma Millard, Carolyn Touchette, Mike Millatti, and Marilyn Stringfellow.

The plaintiffs contend they were fired because they supported the trustees' opponents in an election.

The case was originally filed in St. Clair County.

It was removed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in March 2010.

Sprague and Urban are seeking to withdraw from the case on the basis that they believe that each plaintiff has a distinct cause of action. Due to the differences in the plaintiffs' claims, the two attorneys argue that each plaintiff should have separate counsel.

Julie Bruch represents the defendants.

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Williams also presides over the case.

The case is federal case number 3:10-cv-00182-SCW.