Supreme Court of Illinois Decisions 2020

Barrall v. Board of Trustees of John A. Logan Community College  
Date: December 17, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125535
Docket Number: 125535

Justia Opinion Summary: The John A. Logan Community College Board of Trustees voted to reduce the number of full-time faculty members for the 2016-17 school year; 27 tenured faculty members (including the plaintiffs) received layoff notices…

In re J.M.A.
Date: December 17, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125680
Docket Number: 125680
Madigan v. Stateline Recycling, LLC  
Date: December 3, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124417
Docket Number: 124417

Justia Opinion Summary: Reents obtained a tax deed to 10 locked and gated acres in Rockford. In 2017, the Attorney General, at the request of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, filed a civil enforcement action for violations of 415…

People v. Reed  
Date: December 3, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124940
Docket Number: 124940

Justia Opinion Summary: Reed was charged with armed violence, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Reed agreed to…

People v. Knapp  
Date: December 3, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124992
Docket Number: 124992

Justia Opinion Summary: Knapp and Rodriguez were charged with attempted first-degree murder, mob action, and aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing of Avitia, who survived the attack and identified the assailants. At a McHenry…

Gillespie v. Edmier  
Date: December 3, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125262
Docket Number: 125262

Justia Opinion Summary: Gillespie was working on a dump trailer manufactured and sold by East and leased by his employer. It was loaded with mulch. Using the front cast iron side steps, Gillespie climbed on top of the trailer and lowered…

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Elmore  
Date: December 3, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125441
Docket Number: 125441

Justia Opinion Summary: Kent backed up a grain truck that was owned by his father, Sheldon, to an auger that was being used to move grain to a transport truck. A tractor powered the auger by means of a power take-off shaft. Kent, attempting to…

Leibowitz v. Family Vision Care, LLC  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124754
Docket Number: 124754

Justia Opinion Summary: Cahill was the office administrator for the Family Vision optometry practice and handled insurance billings. She left her employment and filed for bankruptcy protection. About 90% of Family’s revenue came from claims…

People v. Reveles-Cordova  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124797
Docket Number: 124797

Justia Opinion Summary: J.B. and Cordova had purchased a Romeoville home together and had three children. In January 2010, Cordova moved from the home. J.B. was granted an order of protection, prohibiting Cordova from having any contact with…

Tzakis v. Maine Township  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125017
Docket Number: 125017

Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs filed suit concerning flood damage to their Maine Township property after heavy rains in September 2008, alleging that public entities breached duties owed to them with respect to a stormwater drainage…

People v. Brown  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125203
Docket Number: 125203

Justia Opinion Summary: Brown was charged with armed robbery and aggravated robbery. At a pretrial conference, defense counsel stated that Brown had told counsel that “a mental problem that he has had in the past has resurfaced. He’s under…

Dameron v. Mercy Hospital & Medical Center  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125219
Docket Number: 125219

Justia Opinion Summary: After Dameron underwent a robotic-assisted hysterectomy at Mercy Hospital, she brought a medical malpractice action. During discovery, Dameron disclosed Dr. Preston as a controlled expert witness under Ill. Sup. Ct. Rule…

Policemen's Benevolent Labor Committee v. City of Sparta  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125508
Docket Number: 125508

Justia Opinion Summary: Sparta instituted a policy for evaluating the performance of full-time police officers. Day-shift officers must accumulate at least 82 points, while the standard for night-shift officers is 65 points. Points are awarded…

Zander v. Carlson  
Date: November 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125691
Docket Number: 125691

Justia Opinion Summary: Fox Lake patrol officer Zander was charged with misconduct arising from multiple job-related incidents. The chief recommended termination. Zander's union, FOP, assigned Attorney Carlson, an FOP employee. Zander had no…

People v. Casler  
Date: October 28, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125117
Docket Number: 125117

Justia Opinion Summary: From behind a closed hotel bathroom door, Casler told Sgt. Draper that his name was Jakuta King Williams, that he had no identification, and that he was from Virginia. Draper recognized Casler when he emerged and…

People v. Lusby  
Date: October 22, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124046
Docket Number: 124046

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2002, Lusby was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and home invasion and sentenced to 130 years’ imprisonment. Though he was 23 years old at the time of the trial, he was only 16…

Tabirta v. Cummings  
Date: October 22, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124798
Docket Number: 124798

Justia Opinion Summary: Tabirta was driving a truck in Ohio, when another truck, driven by Cummings, collided with his vehicle. Plaintiff suffered severe injuries, including the amputation of both legs. Cummings’s vehicle was owned by his…

Goral v. Dart  
Date: October 22, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125085
Docket Number: 125085

Justia Opinion Summary: Cook County Sheriff Dart instituted disciplinary proceedings against several Sheriff’s officers (plaintiffs) by filing charges with the Cook County Sheriff’s Merit Board under Counties Code, 55 ILCS 5/3-7011. The…

People v. Deleon  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124744
Docket Number: 124744

Justia Opinion Summary: Deleon was charged with four counts of criminal sexual assault. The conditions of Deleon’s bond release prohibited him from contacting the victim or visiting her home, school, or workplace. Under 725 ILCS 5/112A-11.5,…

Department of Human Rights v. Oakridge Healthcare Center, LLC  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124753
Docket Number: 124753

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, a $30,880 judgment covering backpay and pre-judgment interest was entered against Oakridge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, LLC, for its age and disability discrimination against a former employee, in violation…

People v. Stoecker  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124807
Docket Number: 124807

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, a jury convicted Stoecker of first-degree murder and aggravated criminal sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. His convictions and sentences were affirmed. Stoecker filed numerous unsuccessful petitions for…

McAllister v. Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124848
Docket Number: 124848

Justia Opinion Summary: McAllister injured his knee while working as a sous chef for a restaurant. The injury occurred as he stood up from a kneeling position while attempting to retrieve food that had been misplaced in the cooler. He had…

Sharpe v. Westmoreland  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124863
Docket Number: 124863

Justia Opinion Summary: Sharpe and Westmoreland were married and had a child, A.S. The marriage was dissolved in 2013. Sharpe and Westmoreland agreed to a joint parenting agreement. The parents shared equal parenting time. A.S.’s legal…

Berry v. City of Chicago  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124999
Docket Number: 124999

Justia Opinion Summary: Named plaintiffs filed a two-count class-action complaint on behalf of “all residents of the City of Chicago who have resided in an area where the City has replaced water mains or meters between January 1, 2008, and the…

People v. Hollahan  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125091
Docket Number: 125091

Justia Opinion Summary: Hollahan was charged with aggravated DUI. His initial jury trial ended in a mistrial when a video recording of the traffic stop was inadvertently played beyond the point of admissible evidence. During a second jury…

People v. Gaines  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125165
Docket Number: 125165

Justia Opinion Summary: After a dispute at his parents’ house, Gaines was charged with criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to a residence, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, misdemeanor domestic battery, and misdemeanor…

United States v. Glispie  
Date: September 24, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125483
Docket Number: 125483

Justia Opinion Summary: Glispie has four Illinois convictions for residential burglary, having pled guilty to knowingly and without authority entering into other people’s dwelling places to commit thefts. He subsequently pled guilty to…

People v. Sophanavong  
Date: August 20, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124337
Docket Number: 124337

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, the defendant was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder and single counts of aggravated kidnapping and violating an order of protection. The defendant pled guilty to one count of first-degree murder;…

People v. Robinson  
Date: June 18, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 123849
Docket Number: 123849

Justia Opinion Summary: Robinson and two others were charged with the 1997 shooting death of Giles. Tucker testified that Robinson told him that he had killed Giles and had given details about the killing and the disposal of the body and of…

People v. Radford  
Date: June 18, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 123975
Docket Number: 123975

Justia Opinion Summary: Following the death of his 26-month-old daughter from traumatic brain injuries, Radford was convicted of endangering the life or health of a child, 720 ILCS 5/12-21.6(a) in Kankakee County. His conviction and sentence…

Hernandez v. Lifeline Ambulance, LLC  
Date: June 18, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124610
Docket Number: 124610

Justia Opinion Summary: The Emergency Medical Services Systems Act. 210 ILCS 50/3.150, provides immunity from liability to an ambulance owner and its driver who "provides emergency or non-emergency medical services during a Department-approved…

People v. Swenson  
Date: June 18, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124688
Docket Number: 124688

Justia Opinion Summary: Swenson was convicted of disorderly conduct after a telephone conversation with the advancement director of a private school, during which he asked about the school’s security measures and spoke extensively about…

City of Chicago v. Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge No. 7  
Date: June 18, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124831
Docket Number: 124831

Justia Opinion Summary: The Police Union sued the City of Chicago for failing to destroy records of police misconduct that were more than five years old, as required under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). An arbitrator held that the…

People v. Legoo  
Date: June 18, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124965
Docket Number: 124965

Justia Opinion Summary: Legoo was charged with the misdemeanor offense of being a child sex offender in a public park (720 ILCS 5/11- 9.4-1(b)). An officer, attending his grandson’s T-ball game at Mendota's Strouss Park, recognized Legoo and…

People v. Coty  
Date: June 4, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 123972
Docket Number: 123972

Justia Opinion Summary: Coty, who is intellectually disabled, was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse for conduct committed against a six-year-old. Because Coty had a prior conviction…

Rios v. Bayer Corp.  
Date: June 4, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125020
Docket Number: 125020125021

Justia Opinion Summary: Essure--permanent birth control for women--originally was manufactured and developed by Conceptus, a California corporation. Bayer bought Conceptus. Bayer marketed Essure as safer and more effective than other birth…

Williamson County Board of Commissioners v. Board of Trustees of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund  
Date: June 4, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125330
Docket Number: 125330

Justia Opinion Summary: The Pension Code allowed elected county board members to participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) if the participant occupied a position requiring 1000 hours of service annually and the public…

Lewis v. Lead Industries Association  
Date: May 21, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124107
Docket Number: 124107

Justia Opinion Summary: In a class-action lawsuit against former manufacturers of white lead pigments, the plaintiffs sought to recover the costs of blood-lead screening, which their children underwent as required by the Lead Poisoning…

People v. Green  
Date: May 21, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125005
Docket Number: 125005

Justia Opinion Summary: Green, was convicted of two counts of the first-degree murder for the gang-related shooting death of Lewis and was sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment on one of those convictions. The conviction was affirmed on direct…

Levin v. Retirement Board of the County Employees' & Officers' Annuity & Benefit Fund
Date: May 21, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125141
Docket Number: 125141
People v. Lindsey  
Date: April 16, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124289
Docket Number: 124289

Justia Opinion Summary: Rock Island officer Muehler received information that the defendant was selling narcotics from a motel room. The defendant had an extensive criminal record, including two 2012 arrests for the manufacture and delivery of…

Dew-Becker v. Wu  
Date: April 16, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124472
Docket Number: 124472

Justia Opinion Summary: Dew-Becker sued Wu, alleging that the two had engaged in a daily fantasy sports (DFS) contest on the FanDuel website; that Dew-Becker had lost $100 to Wu; and that the contest constituted illegal gambling so that…

Dynak v. Board of Education of Wood Dale School District 7  
Date: April 16, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125062
Docket Number: 125062

Justia Opinion Summary: The School Code provides that school districts must grant full-time teachers paid sick leave of at least 10 days in each school year. Unused sick days accumulate. Sick leave means "personal illness, quarantine at home,…

Restore Construction Co., Inc. v. Board of Education of Proviso Township High Schools District 209  
Date: April 16, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125133
Docket Number: 125133

Justia Opinion Summary: Restore was asked to mitigate and repair significant fire damage at Proviso East High School, having provided similar service to the District in the past. The District’s customary practice when contracting for repair and…

People v. Brown  
Date: April 2, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124100
Docket Number: 124100

Justia Opinion Summary: When police responded to a call that Brown was shooting a gun inside her home, they found a rifle in Brown’s bedroom. There was no evidence that the gun had been fired in the house. Brown was charged with possessing a…

Crim v. Dietrich  
Date: April 2, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124318
Docket Number: 124318

Justia Opinion Summary: The Crims, acting on behalf of their son, Collin, filed a medical malpractice claim, alleging that Dietrich failed to obtain informed consent to perform a natural birth despite possible risks associated with Collin’s…

People v. Jackson  
Date: March 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124112
Docket Number: 124112

Justia Opinion Summary: On April 1, 2010, before 6 a.m., Thornton, mayor of Washington Park, Illinois, was fatally shot at close range while seated in his car. Witnesses told police that they heard gunshots, saw Thornton’s car crash into a…

People v. McLaurin  
Date: March 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124563
Docket Number: 124563

Justia Opinion Summary: Chicago sergeant Fraction testified that she was sitting alone in an unmarked police vehicle and observed McLaurin leave a building “carrying a silver handgun.” McLaurin entered a white van, which drove away. Calling for…

People v. Hill  
Date: March 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124595
Docket Number: 124595

Justia Opinion Summary: Officer Baker testified that he activated his lights to initiate a stop of Hill’s vehicle based on his reasonable belief that the passenger was a known fugitive, Lee. Hill finally came to a stop. Based on his experience…

Whitaker v. Wedbush Securities, Inc.  
Date: March 19, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124792
Docket Number: 124792

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1987, Whitaker opened commodity futures trading accounts that eventually were assigned to Wedbush. Whitaker did not enter into a new customer or security agreement with Wedbush. Wedbush held Whitaker’s funds in…

Burns v. Municipal Officers Electoral Board of the Village of Elk Grove Village  
Date: February 26, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 125714
Docket Number: 125714

Justia Opinion Summary: Burns sought to place on the March 2020 primary election ballot the proposal: “Shall the terms of office for those persons seeking nomination or election to, or who are holding the office of, Village President (Mayor)…

People v. Gayden  
Date: February 21, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 123505
Docket Number: 123505

Justia Opinion Summary: Gayden was convicted of unlawful use or possession of a weapon for possessing a shotgun “having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length” and was sentenced to two years in prison and one year of mandatory…

Joiner v. SVM Management, LLC  
Date: February 21, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124671
Docket Number: 124671

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs rented an apartment in a large residential complex from the defendant with a lease term beginning on October 1, 2014, with a security deposit of $1290. The plaintiffs moved out on September 30, 2016. In…

People v. Gayden
Date: February 20, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 123505
Docket Number: 123505
Joiner v. SVM Management, LLC
Date: February 20, 2020
Citation: 2020 IL 124671
Docket Number: 124671
People v. King  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 123926
Docket Number: 123926

Justia Opinion Summary: Convicted of the 2014 first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) of his wife, Kathleen, King was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kathleen’s body was found on railroad tracks near the family’s home. The appellate court…

People v. Ashley  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 123989
Docket Number: 123989

Justia Opinion Summary: Ashley was convicted of stalking (720 ILCS 5/12-7.3(a)(2), (c)(1) and was sentenced to serve 18 months’ imprisonment. The appellate court and the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed, rejecting his arguments that the…

Johnson v. Department of State Police  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 124213
Docket Number: 124213

Justia Opinion Summary: The Department of State Police revoked Johnson’s Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card under the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act (430 ILCS 65/8(n) due to her conviction for a misdemeanor involving domestic…

People v. Roddis  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 124352
Docket Number: 124352

Justia Opinion Summary: Roddis was convicted of aggravated domestic battery and sentenced to six years in prison. The trial court dismissed as untimely Roddis’s pro se motion for reduction of his sentence that also alleged ineffectiveness of…

People v. Moore  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 124538
Docket Number: 124538

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Moore was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (720 ILCS 5/24-1.1(a) stemming from a traffic stop in Joliet. His prior felony was a 1990 murder conviction. The appellate court affirmed,…

Hess v. Estate of TJay Klamm  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 124649
Docket Number: 124649

Justia Opinion Summary: Kiselewski was driving with his two granddaughters in the backseat. Klamm's vehicle crossed the center line and struck Kiselewski’s vehicle. Kiselewski, one granddaughter, and Klamm were killed. Klamm was insured under…

In re Hernandez  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 124661
Docket Number: 124661

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009-2011, Hernandez sustained on-the-job injuries and received medical treatment. In 2016, she filed a voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition and reported unsecured claims held by three health care providers to whom…

West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. v. TRRS Corp.  
Date: January 24, 2020
Citation: 2019 IL 124690
Docket Number: 124690

Justia Opinion Summary: West Bend's insurance policy required that TRRS provide timely notice of a covered worker’s injury. TRRS employee Bernardino was injured in the scope of his employment. West Bend claimed that TRRS did not timely report…

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