Supreme Court of Illinois Decisions 2014

Justia Opinion Summary: Stevens was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault. The trial court had granted a motion in limine to admit other-crimes evidence, finding that the evidence was relevant to show propensity, motive and identity.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, the North Mac School District adopted a resolution of intent to issue working cash bonds in the amount of $2,000,000. Bettis filed a petition, seeking to submit the proposition to the voters at the April, 2013…

Justia Opinion Summary: Belknap was convicted of first degree murder in the beating death of five-year-old Silven, the daughter of his girlfriend, and sentenced to 24 years in prison. The appellate court reversed remanded for a new trial based…

Justia Opinion Summary: Smith and others were indicted for first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm in a 1998 shooting death. The jury found Smith guilty based on a theory of accountability. The appellate court affirmed. Smith…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jolly was charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. Prosecution evidence consisted largely of the testimony of Gunn, a confidential informant and drug addict, with three felony convictions for delivery of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Illinois law requires that every bag labeled as containing a certain weight of seeds actually weigh that amount. Precision discovered that an outgoing load of seed was underweight and began randomly checking bags. Latr,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with a 2003 murder. The state filed a six-page motion in limine to admit certain hearsay statements made by defendant’s coconspirators. Defendant filed a five-page response objecting to admission of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The state sought to commit New to the Department of Human Services as a sexually violent person under 725 ILCS 207/1, based convictions for aggravated criminal sexual assault against a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, IAWC petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission under the Public Utilities Act (220 ILCS 5/1-101) for approval of its annual reconciliation of purchased water and purchased sewage treatment surcharges. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Pusateri, a former employee of Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company (PG) filed a complaint under the False Claims Act, 740 ILCS 175/1, alleging that PG used falsified gas leak response records to justify a fraudulently…

Justia Opinion Summary: Holt threw eggs on the Katheiser driveway to frighten Kartheiser and his 6 year old daughter. Represented by counsel, she entered a negotiated guilty plea to resisting a peace officer. The other charge was nol-prossed.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1993, Cordrey was sentenced to 36 years in prison for aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, with a three-year term of mandatory supervised release (MSR). In 2012, the Prisoner Review Board…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Huber, sought judicial dissolution of American Accounting Association. In January 2013, AAA moved to dismiss Huber’s then second-amended petition. On March 6, 2013, the court held a telephone conference with the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Edmonds was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1975. He became a member of St. Mark Church. In1998, Sloan asked Edmonds to rewrite Sloan’s will to benefit St. Mark’s. Edmonds knew Hannah, a lawyer who, in 1992, was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lance, 53 years old, has spent much of his adult life incarcerated or institutionalized. After being paroled in 1997, he was admitted to mental health facilities 15 times before the involuntary admission at issue. In…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was 15 years old and was a ward of the state, living in a residential treatment facility when he was charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault against a staff member. Pursuant to the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Neumann Homes was the developer of two Antioch subdivisions. The Village entered into infrastructure agreements with Neumann to make public improvements in the subdivisions; Neumann provided four substantially identical…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Department) permanently revoked the health care licenses of physicians (plaintiffs) pursuant to the Department of Professional Regulation Law (20 ILCS…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs purchased FCH stock through Shearson’s broker, Steinberg, between 1987 and 1990. FCH filed for bankruptcy in 1991. Plaintiffs retained the law firm to represent them in claims under the Illinois Securities…

Justia Opinion Summary: Perez was convicted of first degree murder. The Appellate Court, Second District, affirmed his conviction and sentence in 2009; the Illinois Supreme Court leave to appeal. Perez filed a pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Nationwide became the owner of the Barrington Hills property. The Pobudas have owned the adjacent lot since 1986. The northwest corner of the Nationwide property and the adjoining northeast corner of the Pobuda…

Justia Opinion Summary: Slepicka, a resident of a Cook County skilled nursing facility, received a notice of involuntary transfer or discharge. A Department of Public Health ALJ held a hearing at the facility. The Department approved the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bruns, age 79, drove to a Centralia eye clinic. She did not use the parking lot, but parked on 2nd Street in front of the clinic, as she had on each of nine previous visits. As she walked toward the clinic, Bruns stubbed…

Justia Opinion Summary: The trial court concluded that section 5-615 of the Juvenile Court Act, 705 ILCS 405/5-615, was unconstitutional, and ordered a continuance under supervision in a case involving a minor, rejecting a negotiated plea…

Justia Opinion Summary: Burge was a Chicago police officer, 1970 to 1993, and served as supervisor of the violent crimes unit. In 1997, Burge was granted pension benefits by the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago. A 2003 civil…

Justia Opinion Summary: Public Act 97-695 (eff. July 1, 2012), amended section 10 of the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, 5 ILCS 375/10, by eliminating the statutory standards for the state’s contributions to health insurance…

Justia Opinion Summary: Powell was adjudicated a disabled adult due to severe mental disabilities in 1997. His parents, Perry and Leona, were appointed as co-guardians of Powell’s person, but were not appointed as guardians of his estate. In…

Justia Opinion Summary: The day after N’s birth, the baby’s mother, Nichole, and her boyfriend, Alfred, executed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity (VAP), expressly imposing responsibility on Alfred to provide financial support. The VAP…

Justia Opinion Summary: Iris and Steven have two sons, Nathaniel, born in 1997, and Jacob, born in 1999. Iris filed a divorce petition. The court entered an agreed judgment dissolving the marriage, providing for unallocated maintenance and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, 750 ILCS 5/607(e), prohibits a non-custodial parent who has been convicted of a sexual offense perpetrated on a victim less than 18 years of age from obtaining…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005 Fields pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse and kidnaping. Shortly before he was to begin mandatory supervised release, the state petitioned for his involuntary commitment under the Sexually Violent…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, 15-year-old Humble left a Peoria children’s home and accepted a ride from a man who drove her to a remote area, sexually assaulted her, cut her throat, and left her in a field. At the hospital, Humble described…

Justia Opinion Summary: A psychiatrist at Chicago-Read Mental Health Center sought a court order authorizing involuntary treatment of Rita. Stating that Rita met the criteria for a diagnosis of “schizophrenia paranoid type,” the doctor…

Justia Opinion Summary: Due to brain damage from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, defendant cannot remember the events leading to home invasion (720 ILCS 5/12-11(a)(4)) and aggravated unlawful restraint (720 ILCS 5/10-3.1(a)) charges against…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bingham, then in her late teens, committed aggressive acts toward adults and children, including grabbing and kissing. She was declared a sexually dangerous person under the Sexually Dangerous Persons Act, 725 ILCS…

Justia Opinion Summary: Sheridan Liquors operated with a City of Peoria liquor license. Adnan owned the store; his brothers, Mike and Jalal managed the business, which included a check-cashing service. Mike and Jalal were indicted under the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nelson, on behalf of media companies, submitted a request to Kendall County under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140/1, to copy all emails sent and received by two assistant states’ attorneys in January…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bridgeview Health Care Center filed a class action complaint against Clark, an Illinois resident who operates Affordable Digital Hearing, a sole proprietorship out of Terre Haute, Indiana. Bridgeview alleged that Clark…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brandon, then 14 years old, was charged by petition for adjudication of wardship with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of his cousin M.J., then three years old, 720 ILCS 5/12-16(c)(2)(i).” M.J. was unable to testify. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with computer tampering in an unrelated case. The docket sheet, the judge’s half sheet, and the court call sheet for the arraignment date indicate that defendant was not in court and that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Spanish Court Condominium Association filed a complaint under the Forcible Entry and Detainer Act, 735 ILCS 5/9-101, against Carlson, a unit owners, who allegedly had failed to pay monthly assessments for six months.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs sued Dr. Murphy and his employer, ECHO, alleging that Murphy was negligent in treating Anderson, who suffered a severe and permanent brain injury following emergency room treatment. ECHO billed Anderson for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Salgado attempted to stop a man (Gonzalez) he saw breaking into a car. Gonzalez fired several shots at Salgado, who returned fire. Gonzalez jumped into the car driven by Fernandez. The two escaped the scene.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago Officers testified that: Officer Watson was working undercover narcotics surveillance, seated in a covert vehicle, and saw defendant exit a Nissan and walk in front of his car. Watson observed defendant pull a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1990, defendant, then 14 years old, was arrested for two fatal shootings. Following a discretionary hearing under the Juvenile Court Act, the court allowed defendant to be prosecuted under the criminal laws. He was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was driving a van owned by Chattic when a marked police squad car pulled alongside at a stop sign. The police officer followed defendant for several minutes before activating the squad car’s lights. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Clark was indicted under 720 ILCS 5/14-2(a)(1)(A) for having used an eavesdropping device to record a conversation between himself and attorney Thomas without her consent and having used a device to record a conversation…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mitchell executed a promissory note, secured by a mortgage on her Chicago home. Four years later, the lender filed a complaint to foreclose the mortgage. The special process server’s affidavit described substituted…

Justia Opinion Summary: The circuit court dissolved the Tiballi marriage in 2005, awarding joint legal custody of daughter Francesca, but placing residential custody with Sheila. In 2010, Robert sought to modify custody. The court appointed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Police officers testified that they received a tip that Cregan would arrive by train on November 3, 2009, and that he had an active warrant for his arrest. They learned that he was a member of the Satan Disciples gang…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the underlying litigation, the attorney represented a contractor being sued for job-site injuries and was later sued by the contractor’s insurance company for signing settlement agreements without authority. Section…

Justia Opinion Summary: James, a 60-year old with a lengthy criminal record and a history of psychiatric hospitalizations, has been held involuntarily at the Chester Mental Health Center since 2003, under successive involuntary commitment…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Illinois Department of Labor sent Jack’s Roofing a notice of investigation of possible violation of the Employee Classification Act, 820 ILCS 185/3.25 by misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Jack’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant entered an open plea of guilty to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance (720 ILCS 570/401(d) and unlawful possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (720 ILCS 570/401(c)(1) (count II). The…

Justia Opinion Summary: A 17-year-old defendant pled guilty to criminal sexual abuse involving his 16-year-old girlfriend. He was sentenced to pay a $100 fine and serve 300 days in the county jail, with credit for time served. Asked whether…

Justia Opinion Summary: Elliott was arrested for driving under the influence, 625 ILCS 5/11-501 and given notice of the statutory summary suspension of his driver’s license. On September 1, 2009, he filed a petition to rescind the summary…

Justia Opinion Summary: McChriston was convicted of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony that carried a mandatory Class X sentence. The trial judge sentenced him to 25 years’ imprisonment. The order did not indicate…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998 the Gillespie School District hired Wight under for services preliminary to the actual designing and construction of a new elementary school building. Wight agreed to perform a “site mine investigation.” Wight…

Justia Opinion Summary: S.L., the daughter of Julia, born in 2002, was adjudicated abused or neglected in 2007, and was made a ward of the court in January 2008, pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act, 705 ILCS 405/2-3(1)(b). The conditions that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hommerson was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and sentenced to a term of natural life in prison. His convictions and sentence were affirmed on direct appeal. He filed a pro se post-conviction petition…