BELLEVILLE – Attorney Alvin Paulson, who lost St. Clair County as a client and surrendered leadership of his firm in 2014, has found a job with former chief judge John Baricevic.
Paulson entered appearances as a member of Chatham and Baricevic on July 25, in five lawsuits against East St. Louis police at U.S. district court.
As of Aug. 1, state attorney regulators hadn’t changed his firm or address.
Paulson started representing the county in 1988, and other local governments sought his services.
He represented Belleville, Cahokia and its water district, Caseyville, Washington Park, Waterloo, and Chester.
He represented school boards in Cahokia and Lebanon.
He represented county boards in Monroe, Randolph, Clinton, Jersey, Williamson, and Cumberland counties.
In U.S. district court, over the course of 26 years, he litigated 214 cases.
He represented St. Clair County at least 62 times.
He succeeded so well that he put his name on the firm, Becker Paulson.
On May 23, 2014, Thomas Ysursa moved to substitute for Paulson in 10 cases.
He wrote that Paulson was no longer with the firm, which he identified as Becker, Hoerner, Thompson and Ysursa.
Paulson lost other clients, at least for purposes of civil litigation in district court.
In five years, he litigated 10 cases there.
He withdrew the ninth in 2019, upon breakdown of communication with a client.
The tenth closed last December, leaving Paulson without an active case in district court for the first time in 33 years.
He returned to the docket in May, when Doordash removed a crash suit from St. Clair County to district court.
His client Keith Lauderdale of Caseyville claims Doordash and driver Madison Stanfill of St. Charles, Mo. caused an injury accident.
For many of the years when Paulson litigated for the county, John Baricevic presided as chief circuit judge.
Now Baricevic puts Paulson to work with his son C.J. Baricevic and Grey Chatham Jr. on East St. Louis police cases.
Plaintiffs Antoine Johnson and De’Angelo Higgs lack counsel for their suits.
Johnson claims police boxed him in at McDonald’s drive through and started firing their weapons without warning.
“I was shot twice once in the hip and once in the knee along with being grazed three times,” Johnson wrote.
“I lost sight in my left eye from bullet fragments.”
He requests that all parties be relieved of their duties.
He seeks $15 million for pain and suffering and $5 million for medical expenses.
Senior District Judge Phil Gilbert of Benton set trial in November.
Higgs claims officer Leland Cherry struck him with his cruiser when he tried to flee in fear, resulting in the back door striking him.
He claims he landed on his back nearly unconscious, rolled on his belly, and clasped his hands behind his back.
He claims Cherry placed him in a choke hold and punched him more than 50 times in his face while yelling, “Stop resisting.”
He claims three other officers shocked him with tasers at the same time.
He claims an ambulance came to the police station and pulled the last remaining laser prong from the back of his left knee.
He claims doctors found severe concussion, broken nose, fractured eye socket, and skull contusions.
Chatham moved for summary judgment in June.
Magistrate Judge Reona Daly of Benton presides.
Plaintiffs Cameron Belk and Demetrius Blue lack counsel for their joint suit.
They claim police hold detainees for more than 48 hours without warrants.
They claim public defenders, hired attorneys, state’s attorneys, and judges dismiss or ignore wanton and reckless disregard of constitutional rights.
They amended the complaint last year and mayor Robert Eastern didn’t respond, so District Judge David Dugan of East. Louis directed the clerk to enter default.
C.J. Baricevic moved to set it aside, stating the clerk appropriately amended a date but he didn’t calendar it.
Dugan granted it.
In March, C.J. Baricevic asserted affirmative defenses including failure of the plaintiffs to exhaust administrative remedies.
Chatham withdrew the exhaustion defense in May, stating Belk provided information suggesting he attempted to meet the requirements.
Plaintiff Latoya Helm sued without a lawyer but Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty of East St. Louis granted counsel and appointed David Jinkins of Thompson Coburn.
She claims she was shot due to officers not responding to calls regarding a group with weapons.
She claims officer Randolph prevented her from receiving medical attention for a bullet in her left foot.
She claims it remains there and causes pain.
Beatty set trial for December.
Edward Szewczyk of Pratt and Tobin in East Alton represents Robert Sallie, who claims the department didn’t pay for 413 overtime hours he worked.
District Judge Staci Yandle of Benton set trial next June.