Illinois

A life of firsts for trailblazing Illinois Justice McMorrow, dead at the age of 83

A trailblazing Illinois Supreme Court justice, Mary Ann McMorrow, has died at the age of 83. McMorrow died on Saturday after a brief illness, report the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. McMorrow was the first female justice on the Illinois Supreme Court and its first female chief justice. She…

Feb 25, 2013 1:19 PM CST

Bill to fight Internet anonymity is withdrawn after lawmaker takes flak for proposal

An Illinois lawmaker who hoped to fight cyberbullying with a law that would reduce Internet anonymity has withdrawn his proposal. State Sen. Ira Silverstein, a Chicago Democrat, says he took so much heat over the idea that he withdrew his bill, according to the Chicago Tribune blog Change of Subject.…

Feb 22, 2013 7:50 PM CST

Drew Peterson gets 38 years for murder of 3rd wife

Insisting that he has been wrongly convicted for a murder he did not commit, a former suburban Chicago police sergeant spoke at length before his sentencing Thursday for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and said “rumors, gossip, outrageous lies and, most importantly, unreliable hearsay” were to blame.…

Feb 21, 2013 11:39 PM CST

‘Disrespectful’ lawyer held in contempt after calling judge’s bond ruling ‘ridiculous’

Opinions differed about exactly what happened during a bond hearing in a suburban Chicago courtroom last week. But both defense attorney Robert Ritacca and his opponent in the matter, assistant Lake County state’s attorney Danielle Pascucci, agree that he was held in contempt and fined $1,000, reports the Chicago Tribune.…

Feb 20, 2013 5:45 PM CST

Did ‘troubled’ appeals court err by nixing suit over New York Law School job stats?

Updated: In what may be a harbinger of a new round of litigation against law schools accused by their own graduates of luring them to enroll with misleading legal job placement information, an appeal to the state’s highest court has been filed by the losing plaintiffs in a suit against…

Feb 20, 2013 5:29 PM CST

Client suit says attorney radio host took $2.3 million and charged $20K more in legal fees

A prominent suburban Chicago lawyer is facing both a civil suit and a legal ethics complaint over allegations that she misappropriated some $2 million in client funds while also charging an additional $20,000 in legal fees. Kathleen Niew, who hosts a WIND radio program on which she gives financial and…

Feb 19, 2013 6:50 PM CST

Gunman taken into custody at Alabama middle school, no injuries reported

Expecting a practice emergency drill, teachers and children at a middle school in Chelsea, Ala., faced a real lockdown Tuesday when a man waving a gun entered the girl’s locker room. No injuries were reported and the suspect was taken into custody by Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies about 20 minutes…

Feb 13, 2013 10:16 PM CST

Maximum sentence sought in shooting of Chicago honor student; defense says politics at play

Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, have been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, in the shooting death of Chicago honor student Hadiya Pendleton. The duo—who were taken into custody just hours after first lady Michelle Obama and other dignitaries…

Feb 13, 2013 9:30 PM CST

Bedridden man uses video chat provider Skype to testify against wife in court

An elderly Illinois man confined to his bed appeared in court via video chat to testify against his estranged wife in his pursuit to extend a protection order against her. Emil Kogan, too weak to stand after a stroke, answered questions from his bedroom by talking into his laptop, the…

Feb 13, 2013 7:17 PM CST

Family lawyer convicted of murdering client and her young daughter

A Chicago family lawyer accused of killing a client and her 10-month-old daughter was convicted of two counts of murder Tuesday night. A jury deliberated only about four hours before finding Fredrick Goings guilty in the Cook County Circuit Court case, the Chicago Tribune reports. Goings and his client, Nova…

Feb 13, 2013 11:40 AM CST

Red-light camera firm axed by city as corruption investigation heats up

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will boot red-light camera firm Redflex Traffic Systems when its contract expires in July amid claims the company showered a city official with thousands of dollars in free trips—including a jaunt to the Super Bowl. Ongoing probes into the lucrative deal, which has generated about $100…

Feb 12, 2013 10:19 PM CST

Reclusive fan wills estate worth up to $1 million to two ‘80s-era actors he never met

A reclusive man who lived in a central Illinois farmhouse without running water and drove a Ford truck from the 1960s nonetheless had an estate worth up to $1 million when he died last year. And 71-year-old Ray Fulk, who never married and had no children or close family members,…

Feb 11, 2013 6:33 PM CST

Former Drew Peterson lawyer sues onetime co-counsel and news outlets for libel

An Illinois lawyer who represented Drew Peterson in a high-profile murder trial last year has filed a libel suit against another attorney for the now-convicted wife killer and and local news media involved in covering the trial. Joel Brodsky contends in the suit that Steven Greenberg, who also represented Peterson,…

Feb 7, 2013 1:30 PM CST

Family lawyer at trial in ex-client’s murder; was $24K legal fees dispute a factor in slaying?

An Illinois family lawyer being tried for the 2009 murder of his former matrimonial client had “dollar signs in his eyes” when he represented the slain woman in a child-support case against a former basketball player for the Chicago Bulls, a prosecutor said Monday. Soon after agreeing to represent Nova…

Feb 6, 2013 5:09 PM CST

Mistaken release of convicted murderer blamed on paperwork error

Updated: The Cook County Jail in Chicago mistakenly released an Indiana man who was in court last week to appear on local armed violence and drug charges. Instead of returning to jail after those charges were dismissed on Wednesday, Steven Robbins was released. Robbins was supposed to be in an…

Feb 4, 2013 2:14 PM CST