EAST ST. LOUIS – Assistant Attorney General Tara Barnett of Fairview Heights ended the state’s long struggle to pay sanctions to Carbondale lawyer Shari Rhode on July 27.
Rhode advised Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel that she received checks for $1,350 and $2,250.
Rosenstengel ordered the $1,350 payment last October as a sanction for failure to participate meaningfully in discovery.
She ordered the $2,250 payment in February for failure to pay the first one.
She later ordered a third sanction of $500 for failure to pay the first two, and the state sent that amount to Rhode promptly.
In June, Rosenstengel set a July 24 deadline for payment of the first two checks.
On that date, Barnett moved for an extension to Aug. 7.
She claimed the comptroller informed her that vouchers “were released today.”
She requested an extension, and Rosenstengel granted two weeks on July 25.
Barnett wrapped it up in two days.
Rhode represents Angela Cowell, who sued Chester mental health hospital managers Travis Nottmeier, Jaima Klausing, and Jessica Lawson in 2021.
Cowell alleged harassment and discrimination in violation of Illinois human rights law and federal laws on civil rights, disability, and medical leave.
When the first discovery violation occurred, Rosenstengel not only ordered payment for Rhode but also prohibited the state from initiating any discovery.
When the second violation occurred, Rosenstengel not only ordered payment for Rhode but also struck the state’s affirmative defenses.
Former district judge Patrick Murphy mediated the case in July, and no settlement resulted.