You have to wonder how badly some personal injury law firms needed Paycheck Protection Program relief in light of their lavish funding of their preferred candidate for the Illinois Supreme Court - the one touting "southern Illinois values."
While we understand that cashflow may have taken a beating during these many months of COVID-19 courthouse closures, we couldn't help but notice that Missouri trial lawyers boasting BILLIONS in settlements and verdicts applied for taxpayer-funded PPP, collectively claiming the need for up to $3.3 million in assistance. What happened to those billions they earned in settlement fees? Did they spend it all on politicians who keep their access to the courts unencumbered?
In spite of this need for free money, Korein Tillery, Onder Law and Driscoll Law somehow recently managed to make the maximum or near maximum contributions allowed by Illinois election law to Democrat candidate Judy Cates.
Did they use taxpayer funds secured for a specific, nonpartisan purpose to underwrite the campaign of a like-minded jurist? Oh, but they didn’t use PPP funds for that, they’ll say. They used other funds. Sure, sure, sure. Can everyone say “fungible?”
The U.S. Treasury says that forgivable PPP loans were meant to provide small businesses adversely impacted from the Coronavirus with funds to keep workers on the payroll.
If it doesn’t make your blood boil that PPP funds have been dispersed to lawyers that are actively working against your best interests – in effect, making you pay for the privilege of being undermined – you’ve got an unusually high blood-boiling point.
If it does make your blood boil, join forces with other citizens and demand an end to it.
Lawyers from Missouri influencing our election is not in the best interest of southern Illinois values.