Illinois Supreme and Appellate Court Case Summaries

By Laurence J. Dunford (LJD), Robert Clifford and Timothy J. Joyce(TJJ)


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5 Appellate Court Cases Posted 02-25-10

1. Mental Health Code/Involuntary Commitment: Affirmed in part and reversed in part: Mootnes doctrine applied in In re Alfred H. H., 233 Ill.2d 345 (2009), would not be applied due to "collateral-consequences" doctrine and "capable -of-repetition" doctrine in case involving involuntary admission, despite passage of 90-day commitment period, but order of involuntary commitment reversed for failure of State to comply strictly with Mental Health Code requirement relating to psychiatrist's certificate; involuntary administration of drug order upheld: Schostok, J.

Nos. 2-07-0608 & 2-07-0609 (consol.)  In Gloria C., Alleged to be a Person Subject to Involuntary Admission  Filed 2-17-10 (TJJ)

In this consolidated appeal, the respondent, Gloria C., appeals from the May 25, 2007, order of the circuit court of Kane County subjecting her to involuntary admission. She also appeals from the trial court's order of that same day subjecting her to the involuntary administration of psychotropic medication. On December 31, 2008, this court entered an order reversing the order subjecting the respondent to involuntary admission but affirmed the order subjecting her to the involuntary administration of psychotropic medication. In re Gloria C., Nos. 2--07--0608 & 2--07-- 0609 cons. (2008) (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23). On September 30, 2009, the Illinois Supreme Court directed that we vacate our order and reconsider the matter in light of its decision in In re Alfred H.H., 233 Ill. 2d 345 (2009), to determine if a different result was warranted. We therefore vacate our order and consider the respondent's contentions in light of Alfred H.H.

2. Criminal Law: Reversed and remanded: Trial court failure to comply with third and fourth prongs of Supreme Court Rule 431(b) in case tried after 2007 amendments held to be plain error and require new trial despite that case was not "closely balanced," and conviction for improper lane usage reversed in light of lack of proof beyond a reasonable doubt: Jorgensen, J. (Schostok, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part)

No. 2-08-0218 & 2-08-0219 (consol.)  People v. Schaefer  Filed 2-23-10 (TJJ)

After a joint trial on misdemeanor and felony charges, a jury convicted defendant, John R. Schaefer, of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) (625 ILCS 5/11--501(a)(2) (West 2004)), transportation of open alcohol (625 ILCS 5/11--502(a) (West 2004)), improper lane usage (625 ILCS 5/11--709(a) (West 2004)), and resisting or obstructing a police officer (720 ILCS 5/31 (West 2004)). On February 21, 2008, the trial court sentenced defendant to 36 months' probation, and on March 12, 2008, defendant filed his notices of appeal. Defendant argues on appeal that: (1) a new trial is warranted because the trial court failed to question the jury venire in accordance with Supreme Court Rule 431(b); (2) the case must be remanded for a hearing as to his fitness at the time of trial; (3) the case must be remanded for a hearing on his pro se motion alleging ineffective assistance of counsel; and (4) his conviction of improper lane usage must be reversed because the State failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. We agree with defendant on the first and fourth issues. Therefore, we need not reach the second and third issues. We reverse and remand for a new trial on the DUI, transportation of open alcohol, and obstruction charge.

3. Criminal Law: Affirmed: State presented sufficient evidence for defendant to be proved guilty of armed habitual criminal beyond a reasonable doubt, prosecutor question regarding defendant's silence upon arrest would not require new trial as evidence not closely balanced, and trial counsel for defendant was not ineffective for failing to make sure defendant received time credit upon surrender of bond: Wright, J. (O'Brien, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part)

No. 3-08-0320  People v. Nesbit  Filed 2-11-10 (TJJ)

A jury found defendant guilty of the offenses of armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon on February 7, 2008. Following the denial of defendant’s motion for new trial, the trial court sentenced defendant to a 23-year term of imprisonment in the Department of Corrections for the offense of armed habitual criminal. On appeal, defendant challenges the sufficiency of the State’s evidence regarding this charge. Additionally, defendant requests a new trial based on improper questioning by the prosecutor and claims he received ineffective assistance of counsel. Affirmed.

4. Criminal Law: Affirmed:  Sections 5-8-1(a)(5) and  5-5-3(c)(8) do not conflict, and defendant properly sentenced as a Class X offender for Class 2 offense of burglary in light of his prior convictions, and MSR term properly set at three years, not two: Pope, J.

No. 4-08-0762  People v. Lee  Filed 2-17-10 (TJJ)

In April 2008, a jury convicted defendant, Charles E. Lee, of burglary (720 ILCS 5/19-1(a) (West 2006)). In May 2008, the trial court sentenced defendant as a Class X offender pursuant to section 5-5-3(c)(8) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Unified Code) (hereinafter 730 ILCS 5/5-5-3(c)(8) (West 2006) for ease of reference) to 13 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to be followed by a 3-year period of mandatory supervised release (MSR). Defendant appeals, arguing he should have been sentenced strictly pursuant to section 5-8-1(a)(5) of the Unified Code (730 ILCS  5/5-8-1(a)(5) (West 2006)) because section 5-8-1(a)(5) and section 5-5-3(c)(8) of the Unified Code conflict and due process requires application of the rule of lenity. Defendant also argues he should have been sentenced to a two-year term of MSR instead of a three-year term because he was only convicted of a Class 2 felony. We affirm.

5. Criminal Law: Affirmed: Section 5-6-4(i) of Unified Code of Corrections permitting Adult Probation department to administer "intermediate sanctions" for technical violations of probation did not violate separation of powers doctrine and trial court order dismissing VOP's filed by State's Attorney upheld: Appleton, J. (Myerscough, J., specially concurring)

Nos. 4-08-0561, 4-08-0652, & 4-09-0214 (consol.)  People v. Hammond  Filed 2-22-10 (TJJ)

In three cases, People v. Hammond, No. 06-CF-50 (Cir. Ct. Livingston Co.); People v. Gaither, No. 05-CF-289 (Cir. Ct. Livingston Co.); and People v. Donahue, No. 07-CF-134 (Cir. Ct. Livingston County), the State petitioned for the revocation of probation. Defendants, Casey L. Hammond, Christopher L. Gaither, and Kelly A. Donahue, moved for dismissal of the petitions on the authority of section 5-6-4(i) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Code) (730 ILCS 5/5-6-4(i) (West 2008)), which establishes the alternative of intermediate sanctions as a way of avoiding a potential revocation of probation for technical, or nonfelonious, violations of the conditions of probation. The trial court granted the motions because defendants had accepted and completed the sanctions their probation officers had proposed. The State appeals in all three cases, and we have consolidated the appeals because they present the same question: whether section 5-6-4(i) violates the doctrine of separation of powers (Ill. Const. 1970, art. II, §1) by unduly infringing on the executive branch or, more specifically, the State's Attorneys in their function of prosecuting violations of probation. We conclude, in our de novo review, that the State has failed to rebut the strong presumption that section 5-6-4(i) is constitutional. See Maddux v. Blagojevich, 233 Ill. 2d 508, 528, 911 N.E.2d 979, 991 (2009). Therefore, we affirm the trial court's judgment in the three cases.

15 Appellate Court Cases Posted 02-19-10

1.  Post Conviction Petition:Affirmed: a trial court may, but is not required to, accept a guilty plea from a defendant that maintains his innocence. A trial court has discretion to vacate its acceptance of a defendant's guilty plea if the defendant proclaims his innocence during the course of the guilty plea hearing. the subsequent prosecution on the identical offense is not  foreclosed by the double jeopardy clause where the guilty plea hearing terminated properly. Garcia, J.

No. 1-07-2922 People v. Cabrera  Filed 2-16-10 (LJD)

The defendant, Pedro Cabrera, appeals from Judge Mary Margaret Brosnahan's summary dismissal of his pro se petition for relief under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Act) (725 ILCS 5/122-1 et seq.  (West 2006)). The defendant contends his petition states the gist of a meritorious claim for ineffective assistance of appellate counsel based on counsel's failure to raise a double jeopardy claim on direct  appeal. In his petition, the defendant alleged that Judge Leo E. Holt, the trial judge, subjected him to double jeopardy by sua sponte vacating his negotiated guilty plea and setting his case for trial on all charges after accepting the defendant's plea of guilty to one count of armed robbery and granting the State's motion to nolpros the remaining charges.

2.  Criminal Law: Affirmed: Delivery of illegal drug means transfer with or without consideration.  Rob't Gordon, J.

No. 1-08-0194  People v. Hammonds  Filed 2-11-10 (LJD)

Terrell Hammonds was convicted by a jury of delivering a controlled substance (720 ILCS 570/401(d) (West 2006)). On December 10, 2007, the trial court sentenced defendant to seven years imprisonment and denied defendant’s posttrial motion. On this direct appeal,  defendant seeks a reversal of his conviction and a new trial, due to five alleged errors.After considering carefully each of defendant’s alleged errors, we find that a new trial is not warranted.

3. Criminal Law: Reversed and Remanded: The rule is clear that the state-of-mind exception applies only to a contemporaneous statement of the unavailable declarant and where such a  statement by that unavailable declarant explains the state of mind of the declarant and not the state of mind of someone other than the declarant. Statements of the victim about the defendants jealousy were hearsay.  Jos. Gordon, J.

No. 1-08-0645 People v. Munoz  Filed 2-11-10 (LJD)

This case arises from the shooting of the victim, Magdaliz Rosaria, which occurred on September 8, 1997, at 1707 North Artesian Avenue in Chicago. Prior to her death, the victim lived at the aforementioned address with her boyfriend, the defendant, Cesar Munoz. On October 19, 1997, the defendant was charged with the victim’s murder on October 19, 1997. This case was subsequently tried  three times. Each time the central issue at trial was to determine whether the death occurred as a result of a homicide or as a result of a suicide, as the defendant maintained.  Reversed and Remanded

4.  Civil Procedure:Three Certified Questions Answered: Law of the case and its two exceptions analyzed; refiling of case was new action; Collateral estoppel defined and analyzed; 90 day delay in 622 affidavit  does not apply to time to serve summons under 103(b)Neville, J.

No. 1-08-1733  Long v. Elborno  Filed 1-21-10 (LJD)

The plaintiff, Kathryn Long, filed a negligence action against the defendants, Dr. Ahmed Elborno and Rush Oak Park Hospital (Rush). Rush filed a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Supreme Court  Rule 103(b) (134 Ill. 2d R. 103(b)), and the trial court granted the motion based on Long’s failure to exercise reasonable diligence in serving Rush with her summons and complaint. Long appealed the trial  court’s order granting Rush’s motion to dismiss the complaint and voluntarily dismissed her complaint against Dr. Elborno. This court affirmed the trial court’s order granting Rush’s motion to dismiss the  complaint. Long v. Elborno, 376 Ill. App. 3d 970 (2007) (Long I). Long refiled her complaint against Dr. Elborno on December 19, 2005. Dr. Elborno filed a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to  Supreme Court Rule 103(b), which the trial court denied. The trial court certified three questions for this court’s review: (1) whether Judge Abishi Cunningham’s determination that plaintiff failed to exercise  reasonable diligence in serving Rush Oak Park Hospital became the law of the case for all subsequent stages of litigation and for the remaining party, Dr. Elborno; (2) whether by virtue of the appellate court’s  decision in Long I,  holding that plaintiff failed to exercise reasonable diligence in serving Rush Oak Park Hospital during the first seven months of her case, plaintiff is collaterally estopped from  asserting that she was reasonably diligent in serving Dr. Elborno when her actions were identical for the parties during this time period and Dr. Elborno was not served for an additional four months after  service on the hospital; and (3) whether Supreme Court Rule 103(b) permits plaintiff to be given a credit for the time it took her to secure a health professional report, pursuant to section 2-622 of the Code  of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/2-622 (West 2004)), when analyzing her reasonable diligence in serving Dr. Elborno.

5. Workers Compensation: Affirmed: Issue of standard of review where the commission overrules the arbitrator findings on the credibility of witnesses;  If Commission does not provides reasons for contrary credibility determination, its decision may be lacking in findings which make meaningful judicial review possible; and, in such cases, the appropriate remedy is to  remand the matter back to the Commission with directions to make the necessary findings. However, when, as in this case, the Commission gives its reasons for making credibility findings  contrary to those made by the arbitrator, our inquiry on review is whether the findings are against the manifest weight of the evidence.  Hoffman, J.

No. 1-08-3666WC R & D Thiel v. The Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission  Filed 2-09-10 (LJD)

R&D Thiel, a Division of Carpenter Contractors of America, (R&D) appeals from an order of the Circuit Court of Cook County which confirmed a decision of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (Commission) awarding the claimant, Manuel Robledo, benefits under the Workers' Compensation Act (Act) (820 ILCS 305/1 et seq. (West 2004)). For the reasons which follow, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court and remand the matter back to the Commission for further proceedings.

6.  Criminal Law: Reversed and Remanded: State's petition to extend period of conditional release was filed before period was over and trial court retained jurisdiction over the defendant.  Karnezis, J.

No. 1-09-0362  People v. Maglio  Filed 2-09-10 (LJD)

Defendant John Maglio was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.  Following a bench trial, defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was placed in the custody of the Department of  Mental Health on an in-patient basis. Subsequently, defendant was granted conditional release for a five-year period, which the State sought to extend by timely filing a petition with the trial court requesting an evidentiary hearing regarding defendant's mental health. The trial court denied the State's petition and request for an evidentiary hearing, finding that it would lack jurisdiction over defendant after his term of  conditional release expired. The question presented in this appeal is whether the trial court had jurisdiction over defendant to hold an evidentiary hearing regarding defendant's mental health after his term of  conditional release expired. Although defendant has not filed a brief on appeal, we will consider the appeal pursuant to the principles set forth in First Capitol Mortgage Corp. v.Talandis Construction Corp., 63 Ill. 2d 128, 131-133 (1976). For the following reasons, we reverse the trial court's order and remand the cause for further proceedings.

7.  Class Actions: Reversed: The general rule is that  if the defendant tenders to the named plaintiff [in a class action suit] the relief requested before the class is certified, the underlying cause of action must be dismissed as moot as there is no longer an actual controversy pending  except when the tender unfairly ‘picked off’ the prospective class action representative without offering him a [full] opportunity to develop his class action claim.   Rob't Gordon, J.

No. 1-09-0952  Barber v. American Airlines, Inc.  Filed 2-11-10 (LJD)

After plaintiff Andrea Barber filed a class action against defendant American Airlines, Inc., defendant moved quickly to refund the $40 baggage fee that plaintiff had paid in connection with her canceled flight and that had been the subject of her class action suit. Citing the refund, the trial court found that there was no longer a controversy between the parties, and dismissed the suit pursuant to section 2-619 of the Code of Civil Procedure. 735 ILCS 5/2-619 (West 2006). For the reasons discussed below, we reverse.

8.  Mortgage Foreclosure: Affirmed:  For nonresidential real estate, the Mortgage Foreclosure Act creates a presumption in favor of the mortgagee’s right to possession of nonresidential property during the pendency of a mortgage foreclosure proceeding and a mortgagor can retain possession only if it can show “good cause” for permitting it to do so.  Nonresidential mortgagee, has no obligation to allege misdeeds or omissions on the part of the mortgagors in order to be placed in possession.  Quinn, J.

No. 1-09-1481  Centerpoint Porperties Trust v. Olde Prairie Block Owner, LLC Filed 2-10-10 (LJD)

Defendant, Olde Prairie Block Owner, LLC (OPBO), appeals from an order of the trial court denying its motion to stay enforcement of the court’s previous order appointing a receiver in the mortgage foreclosure proceeding brought by plaintiff, CenterPoint Properties Trust (CPPT). On appeal, defendant contends that it has established good cause why it should remain  in possession of the property pursuant to section 15-1701(b)(2) of the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law (the Act) (735 ILCS 5/15-1701(b)(2) (West 2004)) and that the trial court erred in refusing to hold an evidentiary hearing before appointing a receiver. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the trial court.

9. Judgments/Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act/Motions to Dismiss: Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remand: Apollo has sufficiently stated claims under sections 5(a)(1) and 5(a)(2) of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act in counts I and II, and thus dismissal of these claims was improper. Apollo has stated sufficient facts alleging a debtor/creditor relationship and a claim based on the Ohio judgment. Apollo has further alleged sufficient facts for the remaining elements under both sections 5(a)(1) and 5(a)(2) to state claims for actual and constructive fraud under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Toomin, J.

No. 1-09-1989   Apollo Real Estate Investment Fund v. Gelber        Filed 2-11-10 (RJC)

In this appeal we are asked to determine the sufficiency of allegations in an action by a judgment creditor under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (740 ILCS 160/1 et seq. (West 2006)). In 2004, plaintiff, Apollo Real Estate Investment Fund IV, L.P. (Apollo), was assigned an Ohio judgment obtained by its assignor against several corporate entities. Thereafter, Apollo commenced this proceeding to collect money it claims was wrongfully transferred to them by one of those debtor corporations in avoidance of payment for work earlier performed by the judgment creditor. Apollo’s amended complaint alleged two counts under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, one count for breach of fiduciary duty, and one count for unjust enrichment. The circuit court’s order dismissing the complaint contained a Rule 304(a) finding allowing this appeal to proceed. Apollo appeals only the dismissal of the claims under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. For the follow reasons, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

10. Criminal Law/Motions to Suppress Evidence: Affirmed: In Hudson, the Supreme Court held that the federal exclusionary rule does not apply to violations of the knock-and-announce rule. Therefore, the only issue was whether article I, section 6, of the Illinois Constitution required suppression. With limited exceptions, our supreme court has construed article I, section 6, in "lockstep" with the Supreme Court's construction of the fourth amendment.  The "narrow exception carved to the lockstep doctrine in the fourth amendment context" does not support carving out another exception under the very different circumstances presented here.The trial court properly applied Hudson to defendant's state constitutional argument, we hold that the court did not err in refusing to suppress the evidence seized in the search of defendant's home. Therefore, the trial court's judgment must stand. Burke, J. with McLaren, J. specially concurring.

No. 2-08-0271    People v. Glorioso   Filed 2-16-10 (RJC)    

Defendant, Keith A. Glorioso, was charged with unlawful possession of a substance containing cocaine (720 ILCS 570/402(c) (West 2006)). He moved to suppress evidence seized under a warrant to search his house. After a hearing, the trial court ruled that the search had violated the "knock and announce" rule, but that, under Hudson v. Michigan, 547 U.S. 586, 165 L. Ed. 2d 56, 126 S. Ct. 2159 (2006), the exclusionary rule did not apply. After a stipulated bench trial, defendant was convicted and sentenced to 24 months' probation. On appeal, he contends that, although the evidence cannot be excluded under the fourth amendment to the United States Constitution (U.S. Const., amend. IV), it should be excluded under article I, section 6, of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, §6). We affirm.

11. Forcible Entry & Detainer: Affirmed: A trial court retains authority to enforce its own orders and where an order contemplates future conduct, it may be inferred that the court retained jurisdiction to enforce it.  The November 7, 2007, agreed order clearly contemplated future conduct, therefore,  the trial court retained jurisdiction to enforce its order. Hutchinson, J.

No. 2-09-0034     Block 418, LLC v. Uni-Tel Communications Group, Inc.   Filed 2-16-10 (RJC) 

In June 2007, plaintiff, Block 418, LLC, filed a complaint pursuant to the Forcible Entry and Detainer Act (the Act) (735 ILCS 5/9--101 et seq. (West 2006)) against defendant, Uni-Tel Communications Group, Inc. On November 7, 2007, the trial court entered an agreed order, which stated that, inter alia, "[t]his Agreed Order is a final order resolving all matters arising under this lawsuit, but this Court retains jurisdiction to enforce the terms of this Agreed Order." Subsequently, when defendant defaulted on its rent obligation, plaintiff sought to amend its complaint. Defendant objected, claiming that it had complied with the November 7, 2007, agreed order, and thus, the trial court had lost jurisdiction for future claims. The trial court determined that jurisdiction was proper, and it later found in favor of plaintiff and awarded damages to plaintiff of $45,328.49, the amount of rent due from October, November, and the 12 days in December 2008 during which defendant occupied the premises. Defendant timely appeals, challenging the trial court's jurisdictional authority, and alternatively, the award of damages. We affirm.

12. Criminal Law/Motions to Suppress: Affirmed: The record shows that the police officer, after issuing the warning and returning the paperwork to defendant, immediately posed three questions that were short, succinct, and formulated to produce “yes” or “no” responses. The fourth and final question from the officer produced defendant’s voluntary consent for the officer to conduct a search.  We conclude the inquiries by the officer did not unfairly convert this lawful stop into an unconstitutional seizure of defendant or his vehicle.  The motion to suppress contraband was properly denied because defendant’s interaction with Officer Blanks, after receiving the written warning, was voluntary and consensual. Wright, J. 

No. 3-05-0420    People v. Roa    Filed 2-10-10 (RJC) 
 
Defendant Andres Roa appeals from his conviction for violation of section 401(a)(2)(A) of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (720 ILCS 570/401(a)(2)(A) (West 2004)). On appeal, defendant raised the single issue of whether the trial court improperly denied his motion to suppress evidence seized during a consensual search of defendant’s vehicle. We affirmed the decision of the trial court on October 31, 2007. Defendant appealed to our supreme court which, in light of the postopinion case of People v. Cosby, 231 Ill. 2d 262 (2008), ordered this court to vacate its earlier judgment and reconsider its decision to determine if a different result is now warranted. People v. Roa, 229 Ill. 2d 687 (2008)(order). In light of Cosby, 231 Ill. 2d at 262, we affirm the trial court’s decision.

13. Criminal Law/Discovery/Sanctions: Reversed & Remanded: Defendant’s claim of vindictive prosecution does not qualify as an affirmative defense subject to mandatory pretrial discovery pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 412.  Defendant did not raise a colorable basis for a vindictive prosecution claim.  In the absence of a colorable claim, the motion to compel did not request information material to a viable defense or pretrial dismissal of the pending charges. Rather, the request to compel constituted an endeavor to gain access to the State’s work product. Work product is not subject to disclosure under Supreme Court Rule 412(j)(i) (188 Ill. 2d R. 412(j)(i)), making the request itself unreasonable. Wright, J. 

No. 3-08-1025   People v. Peterson   Filed 2-10-10 (RJC)

On May 22, 2008, the State filed a complaint against defendant Drew Peterson for unlawful use of a weapon (UUW) (720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(7)(ii) (West 2006)), followed by a subsequent two-count indictment, filed on July 11, 2008, charging defendant with two alternate counts of the same weapons charge. Claiming vindictive and selective prosecution to be an affirmative defense, defendant filed a motion to compel discovery requesting all documentation reviewed by the State when deciding to file the UUW charge. The circuit court granted defendant’s motion for additional discovery over the State’s objection. The State refused to comply with the court’s order regarding discovery on the grounds that defendant’s motion did not sufficiently raise a claim of vindictive or selective prosecution warranting further discovery. As a sanction for the State’s refusal to follow the court’s order, the court dismissed the UUW charges with prejudice. The State filed this interlocutory appeal. We reverse.

14. Personal Injury/Auto Accidents: Affirmed: The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting  evidence of the plaintiff's prior accidents and injuries.  Crt. has declined to accept a rigid rule that photographs are always admissible or that expert testimony is always necessary for those photographs to be admissible. The critical question in admitting those photographs into evidence is whether the jury can properly relate the vehicular damage depicted in the photos to the injury without the aid of an expert. This question is an evidentiary question left to the discretion of the trial court.  In this case, the jury could assess the relationship between the damage to the vehicles and the plaintiff's injuries without the aid of an expert.  In Illinois, statements regarding settlement negotiations or offers to settle are generally not admissible.  However, in this case, the defendant's statements during closing argument cannot be construed to infer prior settlement offers or negotiations, nor did the defendant make any statements inferring that the defendant would have to personally pay any judgment entered for the plaintiff. Instead, those statements were utilized by the defendant for impeachment purposes. Welch, J. with Chapman, J. dissenting.  

No. 5-08-0185    Ford v. Grizzle    Filed 2-17-10 (RJC)    

The plaintiff, Richard D. Ford, appeals from an order of the circuit court of Madison County entering a judgment for the defendant, Terry Grizzle, pursuant to a jury verdict. On appeal, the plaintiff raises numerous issues, which we restate as follows: (1) whether the trial court erred in denying the plaintiff's motion in limine concerning prior accidents and injuries, (2) whether the trial court erred in denying the plaintiff's motion in limine concerning the amount of damage to the plaintiff's vehicle, photographs of the plaintiff's vehicle, and any argument regarding minimal impact, (3) whether the trial court erred in allowing statements regarding settlement to be heard by the jury, and (4) whether the trial court erred in denying  the plaintiff's motion for a new trial, directed verdict, or judgment notwithstanding the verdict (n.o.v.). For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment entered by the circuit court.

15. Venue/Motions to Transfer: Affirmed: The sole issue is whether venue is proper under the transactional prong of our venue statute.  Determining venue under this prong requires consideration of  two key variables: the nature of the cause of action and the place where the cause of action sprang into existence.  This case does not presents so blatant an attempt at forum-shopping that we must depart from the rule that a plaintiff is entitled to choose any forum where venue is proper. We conclude that the court properly denied the motion to transfer. Chapman, J.    

No. 5-08-0247    Kaiser v. Doll-Pollard    Filed 2-11-10 (RJC)       

This appeal involves a motion to transfer a medical malpractice action from St. Clair County to Clinton County based on improper venue. Plaintiff Margie Kaiser (the plaintiff) underwent a hysterectomy at St. Joseph's Hospital in Clinton County but was transferred to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in St. Clair County for postoperative care. The defendants, the doctor who performed the hysterectomy and her employer, appeal an order denying their motion to transfer. They argue that venue in St. Clair County is not proper because (1) the plaintiff does not allege that the defendants committed any negligent acts in St. Clair County and (2) all the elements of the plaintiff's cause of action arose in Clinton County. We affirm.

3 Supreme Court Cases Posted 02-09-10

1.   Traffic Court:  Trial Court Reversed and Remanded: Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test is generally accepted in scientific community;  Proper foundation needed.  Garman, J.

No. 102372  People v. McKown  Filed 2-19-10 (LJD)

Following a bench trial in the circuit court of Peoria County, defendant was convicted of two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) (625 ILCS 5/11–501(d)(1)(C) (West 2006)),  and other offenses. The appellate court affirmed (People v. McKown, No. 3–04–0433 (2006) (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23)), and this court granted her petition for leave to appeal. The  single issue raised in her petition was whether she was entitled to a hearing pursuant to the rule of Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923), before evidence of her performance on a horizontal  gaze nystagmus (HGN) test could be admitted. We held that the trial court and the appellate court erred in taking judicial notice that the HGN test is generally accepted as an indicator of alcohol impairment  and remanded to the trial court with instructions to conduct a Frye hearing. People v. McKown, 226 Ill. 2d 245, 248 (2007) (McKown I). We retained jurisdiction and now review the trial court’s judgment on that issue.  The only issue which McKown preserved for review before the supreme court was the necessity for a Frye hearing, which was awarded and has now taken place. The circuit court determined that the HGN test is, in fact, generally accepted in the scientific community as evidence of alcohol consumption and possible impairment. In this decision, the supreme court adopted the trial court’s findings.     However, for HGN results to be admitted in a particular case, a proper foundation must be laid showing that the test was correctly administered by one qualified to do so. At the hearing on remand, the defendant’s offer of proof indicated that the test was not, in fact, appropriately performed. Although this issue was not specifically included in the defendant’s petition for leave to appeal to the supreme court, the court found it “inextricably intertwined” and addressed it, holding that no proper foundation had been laid and that the officer’s testimony as to HGN test results was, thus, improperly admitted.  The conviction was reversed and a new trial ordered at which the officer could testify as to his observations other than the HGN test. If a proper foundation could be laid for the test performed by him, his testimony concerning it would be admissible on retrial. There is no double jeopardy bar to a retrial.

2.  Criminal Law:Trial Court: Flash message by police may not be hearsay; The wide latitude extended to prosecutors during their closing remarks has been held to include some degree of  both sarcasm and invective to express their points.    Karmeier, J

No. 103933  People v. Banks   Filed 2-19-10 (LJD)

  In 2001, there was a carjacking at Ford City Mall in which a woman was killed. The assailant, later identified as this defendant, drove off in the victim’s vehicle with her children inside, but subsequently let them out. The woman, fatally shot, was left for dead on the pavement of the parking lot. The defendant was identified by an eyewitness in the parking lot and by one of the victim’s children, who was 11 years old at the time of trial Other witnesses saw the defendant as he drove off in the woman’s car. Forensic evidence in the form of trace elements of gunshot residue also linked Banks to the crime.   A Cook County jury returned a general verdict of guilty of first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm. The jury also found capital eligibility and the absence of factors sufficient to preclude the death penalty, which was imposed.   In this decision on direct review, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence and set a date for execution.

3.  Mental Health Code:  Appellate and Trial Court Affirmed: The court declined to hold that a patient must be physically released before a new petition is filed.   Kilbride, J.

 No.  107498  In re Andrew B.   Filed 2-19-10 (LJD)

The question presented in this appeal is whether section 3–611 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code (Code) (405 ILCS 5/3–611 (West 2006)) and the discharge provisions in sections 1–109 and 2–104 of the Code (405 ILCS 5/1–109, 2–104 (West 2006)) mandate full physical release of an individual previously ordered discharged before the State may file a subsequent petition for involuntary admission. The circuit court of Winnebago County ordered that respondent be involuntarily admitted pursuant to section 3–600 of the Code (405 ILCS 5/3–600 (West 2006)). The appellate  court affirmed, rejecting respondent’s argument that the petition seeking his involuntary 1Respondent contends an earlier petition for involuntary admission was dismissed by the trial court on April 10, 2007,  and he was ordered discharged, but the record does not contain this order. The appellate court affirmed, rejecting respondent’s argument that the petition seeking his involuntary admission was untimely filed  under section 3–611 of the Code. 386 Ill. App. 3d 337, 347. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the appellate court.

4.   Pension: Affirmed: Interpretation of law by agency is reviewed de novo;  service of governor was for State of Illinois, one pension fund and was forfeited by felony convictions. Thomas, J.

No.  108184  George H. Ryan, Sr. v. The Board of Trustees of the General Assembly Retirement System  Filed 2-19-10 (LJD)

The issue in this case is whether, as a result of his multiple federal felony convictions, former Illinois Governor George H. Ryan, Sr., has forfeited all of the pension benefits he earned from the General Assembly Retirement System. For the reasons that follow, we hold that he has.

5.  Juvenile Court/Abuse & Neglect: Appellate Court Reversed, Trial Court Affirmed: Time in prison does not toll the 9 month period in which reasonable progress must be made toward the return of the child. Freeman, J.

No.  108575 In re J.L., Minors   Filed 2-19-10 (LJD)

Following an evidentiary hearing, the circuit court of Peoria County found respondent Stephanie L. an unfit parent under section 1(D)(m)(iii) of the Adoption Act (750 ILCS 50/1(D)(m)(iii) (West 2008)). The  circuit court subsequently terminated respondent’s parental rights to her three children. A divided appellate court reversed and remanded. Nos. 3–08–0941, 3–08–0942, 3–08–0943 cons. (unpublished  order under Supreme Court Rule 23). For the reasons set forth below, we reverse the judgment of the appellate court and affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

7 Appellate Court Cases Posted 02-16-10

1. Insurance Coverage Law: Reversed and remanded: Plaintiff insurance company seeking contribution from second insurer relating to settlement of medical malpractice action could not proceed initially under theory of equitable contribution between primarily liable co-insurers, and thereafter claim that it was a secondary insurer and that defendant was a primary insurer; and where insured doctor expressly requested that one insurer defend the claim against him, and not the other, trial court erred in granting award as to only half of non-selected insurer's expenses in defending doctor. Theis, J. (Opinion of 12-22-09 withdrawn)
Nos. 1-07-2195 & 1-07-2258 (consol.)  Chicago Hospital Risk Pooling Program v. Illinois State Medical Inter-Insurance Exchange  Filed 1-26-10 (TJJ)

Plaintiff and counterdefendant, Chicago Hospital Risk Pooling Program (CHRPP), brought an action against defendant and counterplaintiff, Illinois State Medical Inter-Insurance Exchange (ISMIE), under a theory of equitable contribution seeking to recover a portion of a settlement payment it made on behalf of a physician in an underlying medical malpractice suit. ISMIE filed a counterclaim seeking to recover its defense costs in defending the physician. Subsequently, CHRPP amended its complaint seeking reimbursement under both theories of equitable contribution and equitable subrogation. Ultimately, both parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment on CHRPP’s claims and ISMIE filed a motion for summary judgment on its counterclaim. The circuit court made the following rulings on the parties cross-motions for summary judgment: (1) judgment in favor of ISMIE and against CHRPP on the equitable contribution claim; and (2) judgment in favor of CHRPP and against ISMIE on the equitable subrogation claim, awarding CHRPP $666,666.67 plus prejudgment interest. In addition, the court granted ISMIE’s motion for summary judgment on its counterclaim, awarding it half of its requested attorney fees in the amount of $21,820.94 plus prejudgment interest, finding that ISMIE and CHRPP were equally responsible for the physician’s defense costs. For the reasons that follow, we reverse the judgment of the circuit court granting summary judgment in favor of CHRPP on its equitable subrogation claim, and reverse that portion of the judgment of the circuit court granting summary judgment in favor of ISMIE on its counterclaim for only one-half of its defense costs.

2. Public Employee Disability/Health Benefits: Affirmed: Firefighter injured during "live fire" training exercise not responding to event that is "reasonably believed to be an emergency," and was therefore not entitled to health benefits under Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. McBride, J. (Gordon, R., J., dissenting)

No. 1-09-0046  Gafney v. The Board of Trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District  Filed 12-24-09 (TJJ)

Plaintiff Michael J. Gaffney filed a two-count complaint against the defendants, the Board of Trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District, president Patrick Maher, secretary Patricia Corcoran, and the Orland Fire Protection District (collectively, the District), seeking a declaratory judgment to compel the payment of plaintiff’s health coverage benefits in accordance with section 10 of the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (the Act) (820 ILCS 320/10 (West 2006)) and in the alternative, for review under the Administrative Review Law (735 ILCS 5/3-101 et seq. (West 2006)) of the District’s denial of his application for health coverage benefits under the Act. The trial court dismissed the declaratory judgment count in June 2008, and later in December 2008, the court considered plaintiff’s remaining count under a common law writ of certiorari and affirmed the District’s denial of plaintiff’s application. Trial court affirmed.

3. Criminal Law: Affirmed: When defense counsel did not specify any evidence as to how co-defendant's testimony would incriminate defendant, or how claim of reasonable doubt by co-defendant would be antagonistic to defendant's claim of self-defense, denial of motion to sever trial not an abuse of discretion. McBride, J.

No. 1-08-0655  People v. Mercado  Filed 12-24-09 (TJJ)

Following a joint jury trial, defendant Angel Mercado was found guilty of aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon while codefendant Robert Cantoral was acquitted of aggravated discharge of a firearm. Subsequently, the trial court sentenced defendant to concurrent terms of 20 years in prison for aggravated discharge of a weapon and 12 years for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Defendant appeals, arguing that the trial court erred in failing to sever his trial from that of his codefendant because they presented antagonistic defenses and his attorney was ineffective for failing to ensure that defendant was tried separately from his codefendant. Trial court affirmed.

4. Criminal Law: Affirmed as modified: Trial court correctly imposed $20 "preliminary hearing" fee under Section 4-2002.1(a) of the Counties Code, despite fact that defendant was indicted, in contradistinction to People v. Brown, 388 Ill.App.3d 104 (1st Dist. 2009); application of Violent Crimes Assistance Act fine, Children's Advocacy Center charge, and Medical Costs Fund assessment also discussed. Gordon, R., J.

No. 1-08-1311 People v. Jones  Filed 12-24-09 (TJJ)

Defendant Ronald Jones was convicted of a Class 3 felony theft of more than $300 and less than $10,000 of property (720 ILCS 5/16-1(a)(1) (West 2008)), following a bench trial. After hearing factors in aggravation and mitigation, the trial court sentenced defendant to five years of incarceration in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Defendant raises five issues on appeal, and requests that this court: (1) correct the mittimus to appropriately reflect the time defendant spent in custody prior to sentencing; (2) vacate the $20 preliminary examination fee (55 ILCS 5/4-2002.1(a) (West 2008)); (3) reduce the amount of the fine imposed pursuant to the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Act (725 ILCS 240/10 (West 2008)) from $20 to $4; (4) vacate the $10 arrestee’s medical costs assessment (730 ILCS 125/17 (West 2006)); and (5) grant $5 of credit against defendant’s fines for each day spent in custody prior to sentencing (725 ILCS 5/110-14 (West 2008)). We affirm the decision of the circuit court of Cook County with the following modifications to the mittimus and to the fines, fees, and costs order: (1) the clerk should amend the mittimus to reflect 212 days of presentencing credit for time served; (2) we affirm the assessment of the preliminary examination fee (55 ILCS 5/4-2002.1(a) (West 2008)); (3) the clerk should amend the fines, fees, and costs order to reflect a $4 Violent Crime Victims Assistance Fund fee (725 ILCS 240/10(b) (West 2008)); (4) we affirm the assessment of the $10 Arrestee’s Medical Costs Fund fine (730 ILCS 125/17 (West 2006)); and (5) defendant’s $30 Children’s Advocacy Center fine should be offset by defendant’s presentence credit for time served.

5. Adverse Possession Law/Supreme Court Rule 137 Sanctions: Affirmed in part and reversed in part: trial court ruling denying that plaintiffs were entitled to property by adverse possession reversed, but award of sanctions in amount of $20,500 under Supreme Court Rule 137 for failure of defendant and his attorneys to reasonably investigate plaintiffs' counsel's alleged conflict of interest upheld. Appleton, J.

Nos. 4-09-0388, 4-09-0393 & 4-09-0617 (consol.)  McNeil v. Ketchens  Filed 1-6-10 (TJJ)

We have consolidated three appeals, case Nos. 4-09-0388, 4-09-0617, and 4-09-0393. In all three appeals, the plaintiffs are Ross E. McNeil and Leslie K. McNeil, husband and wife, and the defendant is Milorad P. Ketchens together with all unknown owners and nonrecord claimants.  In case Nos. 4-09-0388 and 4-09-0617, we agree with the trial court's judgment on count II because the legal description in the deed to the McNeils does not include the disputed piece of land. Nevertheless, we hold that the court erred in finding against the McNeils on their claim of adverse possession in count III. Therefore, in case Nos. 4-09-0388 and 4-09-0617, we affirm the trial court's judgment in part and reverse it in part: we affirm the judgment on count II and reverse it on counts I and III. The appellants in the remaining appeal, case No. 4-09-0393, are Ketchens and one of his attorneys, Richard J. Whitney. They appeal from an award of sanctions against them and in favor of the McNeils in the amount of $20,500 pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137 (155 Ill. 2d R. 137). We do not find the sanctions to be an abuse of discretion. Therefore, we affirm the trial court's judgment in case No. 4-09-0393.

6. Criminal Law: Remanded with directions: Pro se defendant's document filed with Clerk of the Circuit Court should properly have been docketed as a motion to withdraw guilty plea, rather than a notice of appeal, and cause remanded to trial court for compliance with Supreme Court Rule 604(d). McCullough, J.

No. 4-10-0023  People v. Trussel  Filed 2-8-10 (TJJ)

This appeal comes to us on the motion of defendant's counsel, the office of the State Appellate Defender (OSAD), for summary remand with directions to strike the notice of appeal, treat the pro se motion filed by defendant as a pro se postplea motion, and appoint counsel to represent defendant on the motion. In People v. Ledbetter, 174 Ill. App. 3d 234, 237-38, 528 N.E.2d 375, 377 (1988), this court stated "because of the strict waiver requirements of Rule 604(d), fundamental fairness requires that a defendant be afforded a full opportunity to explain his allegations and that he have assistance of counsel in preparing the motion." So it is in the instant case. We agree with OSAD. Accordingly, we grant OSAD's motion and remand the cause with directions to strike the notice of appeal, appoint counsel to represent defendant, and proceed in accordance with Rule 604(d).

7. Civil Procedure: Reversed and remanded: Trial court ruling that "company doctor" was an "employee" for purposes of application of Supreme Court Rule 237 governing production of a party's "employee" at trial held to be erroneous in light of affidavits and testimony presented by that party as to doctor's status. Steigmann, J.

No. 4-09-0036  White v. Garlock Sealing Technologies  Filed 2-8-10 (TJJ)

This case presents the question of whether Supreme Court Rule 237(b) (210 Ill. 2d R. 237(b)), dealing with persons whom a party may be required to produce at trial, includes not only persons who are "officer[s], director[s], or employee[s,]" but also those persons who are under a party's control. We hold that it does not.

11 Appellate Court Cases Posted 02-10-10

1. Criminal Law: Reversed and remanded for sentencing: Conviction for possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver reduced to possession only where chemist combined six packets of purported substance before testing thus obviating conclusion that each packet contained controlled substance, and evidence insufficient to sustain conviction for intent to deliver. McBride, J.

No. 1-08-0720  People v. Clinton  Filed 12-11-09 (Modified) (TJJ)

Following a January 2008 jury trial, defendant Lawrence Clinton was found guilty of possession with intent to deliver more than 1 gram but less than 15 grams of a substance containing heroin. Subsequently, the trial court sentenced defendant to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Defendant appeals, arguing that: (1) the State failed to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt because (a) it failed to prove that he possessed more than one gram of heroin where the forensic chemist combined multiple packets to determine weight before testing for the presence of a controlled substance, and (b) the evidence was insufficient to prove him guilty of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver where defendant was arrested with 13 packets of suspected narcotics and $40 in cash; and (2) the prosecutor’s closing arguments were improper and deprived him of a fair trial. Conviction reduced to possession only and remanded for resentencing.

2. Insurance Coverage Law: Affirmed: Where two persons injured in automobile accident recovered $100,000 each from other driver's policy, their under-insured motorist claim under $300,000 policy with "split limits" limited their recovery to a total of $100,000, not $200,000 as they claimed, and trial court grant of declaratory judgment to UIM carrier affirmed: Steele, J. (Murphy, J., specially concurring)

Nos. 1-08-3319 & 1-08-3628 (consol.)  Erie Insurance Exchange v. Triana  Filed 2-3-10 (TJJ)

This appeal arises from an order of the circuit court of Cook County granting plaintiff Erie Insurance Exchange’s (Erie) motion for summary judgment and denying defendants Michael and Christine Wagner (the Wagners) and Christine Triana’s (Triana) cross-motion for summary judgment, finding that there was only $100,000 in total underinsured motorist (UIM) benefits remaining for all defendants under the Erie policy. Erie filed this declaratory judgment action against the defendants, seeking a determination of the remaining policy limits under the Erie policy when both Christine Wagner (Wagner) and Triana had previously received settlement payments of $100,000 each from State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm) as a result of the automobile accident. For the following reasons, we affirm.

3. Insurance Coverage Law: Affirmed in part and reversed in part: Where defendant insurance companies failed either to represent plaintiffs in EEOC action or file for a declaratory judgment, they were estopped from asserting a "late notice" defense and had a duty to defend, but Section 155 claim for vexatious refusal to settle properly dismissed by trial court. Murphy, J.

No. 1-08-3400  Children's Advantage Network v. National Union Fire Company of Pittsburgh, PA  Filed 2-3-10 (TJJ)

Plaintiffs, Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network (UCAN) and Darlene Sowell, filed a complaint for declaratory judgment seeking a determination of whether defendants, National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh and AIG Domestic Claims, had a duty to defend them in underlying litigation and alleging breach of contract and a violation of section 155 of the Insurance Code (215 ILCS 5/155 (West 2006)). The trial court dismissed plaintiffs’ complaint on the basis that they failed to comply with the notice requirements of the policy. On appeal, plaintiffs argue that defendants had an obligation to provide coverage for both of them in the underlying suit. Trial court dismissal affirmed in part and reversed in part.

4. Negligence Law: Affirmed: Tort Immunity Act prohibits suit against Metra for injuries allegedly sustained by plaintiff who was "jaywalking" and allegedly tripped over bolt on railroad tie, as plaintiff was not an "intended and permitted" user of premises, and grant of summary judgment was proper. Coleman, J.

No. 1-08-3668  Pence v. Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Corporation  Filed 2-3-10 (TJJ)

Plaintiff, Donald Pence, appeals the circuit court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of the defendant, Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra). Plaintiff sought recovery for injuries caused as a result of tripping on the railroad tracks at a grade-level crossing near the Midlothian, Illinois, Metra station. After initially denying Metra’s motion for summary judgment, the circuit court granted the motion upon reconsideration, finding that Metra did not owe Pence a duty because he was not a passenger and the alleged defect was de minimis. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

5. Criminal Law: Reversed and remanded: Authentication of "surveillance" video, which purportedly documented defendant's surreptitious theft of USC, under "silent witness" doctrine not established in light of lack of evidence regarding preservation of the recording with no changes, additions or deletions. Jorgensen, J.

No. 2-07-0105  People v. Taylor  Filed 2-4-10 (TJJ)

Defendant, Teryck Taylor, appeals from his conviction of theft of property worth less than $300 (720 ILCS 5/16--1(a)(1)(A), (b)(1) (West 2004)). He contends that the evidence was insufficient to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He further contends that, because the State failed to lay a proper foundation under the silent-witness approach to authentication for the admission of a surveillance-type videotape, the court erred in admitting the tape. We disagree that the evidence was insufficient. However, we agree that the foundation for the tape was insufficient. Further, we conclude that, although the State had other strong evidence of defendant's guilt, the tape was so central to the State's case that we cannot say that its admission was harmless error. We therefore vacate defendant's conviction and remand the matter for a new trial.

6. Negligence law: Reversed and remanded: Defendants' contract with state Department of Transportation to design a bridge deck and median barrier on expressway imposed a duty to do so using "skill and diligence normally employed by professional engineers," and affidavit of plaintiff's expert that they did not was sufficient to withstand defendants' motion for summary judgment in wrongful death action, grant of which was error. O'Malley, J. (Hutchinson, J., dissenting)

No. 2-07-0667  Thompson v. Gordon  Filed 2-3-10 (Supplemental) (TJJ)

Plaintiff, Corinne Thompson, both individually and as administrator of the estates of her husband, Trevor Thompson, and their daughter, Amber Thompson, appeals the trial court's order granting summary judgment on her claims against defendants, Jack E. Leisch and Associates, Inc., and CH2M Hill, Inc., the engineering companies that designed the bridge and traffic interchange in the area where Trevor and Amber were killed in a motor vehicle accident.2 For the reasons that follow, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand for further proceedings. 

7. Criminal Law: Reversed and remanded: Trial court dismissal of defendant's pro se post-conviction petition because of failure to comply with Post-Conviction Hearing Act time requirements was reversed and remanded to determine whether defendant's failure to raise claim that two armed robbery convictions violated "one act-one crime" rule was due to defendant's "culpable negligence." McLaren, J.

No. 2-08-0242  People v. Marino  Filed 2-3-10 (TJJ)

Joseph Marino appeals the trial court's dismissal of his petition under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Act) (725 ILCS 5/122--1 et seq. (West 2006)). The trial court found that the petition was untimely filed and that, because a discovery rule does not apply to postconviction actions, the late discovery of a claim that is not based on a change of law does not permit late filing under section 122--1(c) of the Act (725 ILCS 5/122--1(c) (West 2006)). We disagree that the late discovery of a preexisting claim absolutely precludes a defendant from filing a petition after the statutory deadline. Instead, how the claim was discovered is part of a determination under section 122--1(c) of whether the defendant was culpably negligent in filing the late petition. Accordingly, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

8. Criminal Law: Reversed and remanded: rial court failure to comply with "post-amended" Supreme Court Rule 431(b) by not giving jurors "an opportunity to respond" regarding Zehr questions deemed plain error "so substantial that it affected the fundamental fairness of the proceedings'" and required reversal of defendant's conviction for armed robbery. McCullough, J.

No. 4-08-0034  People v. Yusuf  Filed 2-4-10 (TJJ)

In October 2007, a jury convicted defendant, Ahmed A. Yusuf, of armed robbery (720 ILCS 5/18-2(a)(2) (West 2006)). In December 2007, the trial court sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment. Defendant appealed, arguing the court erred in failing to question the jurors during voir dire in compliance with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 431(b) (Official Reports Advance Sheet No. 8 (April 11, 2007), R. 431(b), eff. May 1, 2007) regarding the jurors' understanding of the four basic constitutional guarantees afforded criminal defendants at trial. In November 2008, this court affirmed. People v. Yusuf, No. 4-08- 0034 (November 19, 2008) (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23). The Supreme Court of Illinois denied defendant’s petition for leave to appeal but issued a supervisory order (People v.  Yusuf, 233 Ill. 2d 598, 914 N.E.2d 489 (2009) (nonprecedential supervisory order on denial of petition for leave to appeal) (No. 107674)) directing this court to vacate our order and to reconsider in light of People v. Glasper, 234 Ill. 2d 173, 917 N.E.2d 401 (2009). In accordance with the supreme court’s directions, we vacated our prior judgment and reconsider in light of Glasper to determine whether a different result is warranted. We reverse and remand.

9. Criminal Law: Affirmed as modified and remanded: $5 drug-court assessment is a fine as opposed to a fee, and defendant is entitled to $5 per day credit under Section 110-14 (a) of Code of Criminal Procedure, and, in apparent case of first impression, $200 DNA-analysis "assessment" under Section 5-4-3(j) of Unified Code of Corrections is a fine, not a fee. Turner, J.

No. 4-08-0914  People v. Long Filed 2-4-10 (TJJ)

Pursuant to a plea agreement, defendant pleaded guilty to aggravated battery. At a November 2008 sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced defendant to nine years' imprisonment and dismissed the unlawful possession- of-a-controlled-substance charge. Defendant filed a motion to reconsider his sentence, which the court denied. Defendant appeals, contending the trial court erred by (1) failing to award him credit under section 110-14(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Procedure Code) (725 ILCS 5/110-14(a) (West 2008)) against his drug-court assessment and (2) assessing a $20 fine under section 10(c) of the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Act (Victims Assistance Act) (725 ILCS 240/10(c) (West 2008)). We affirm as modified and remand with directions.

10. Negligence Law: Affirmed: Application of Section 876 of Restatement (Second) of Torts resulted in conclusion that defendant was not liable for tortious conduct of second driver leading to decedent's death, merely because defendant agreed to lead second driver to intended location, in spite of defendant's alleged speeding, and grant of summary judgment to defendant was proper. Steigmann, J.

No. 4-09-0246  Norman v. Brandt  Filed 2-4-10 (TJJ)

In June 2007, plaintiffs, David Norman and Richard Norman (collectively, Norman), sued defendant, Samuel Brandt, alleging that pursuant to section 876 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts (Restatement (Second) of Torts §876, at 315 (1977)), Brandt drove his vehicle "in concert" with the driver of the vehicle from which David was thrown to cause David's injuries. In October 2008, Brandt filed a motion for summary judgment. In February 2009, the trial court granted Brandt's summary-judgment motion, ruling that section 876 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts did not apply. Norman appeals, arguing that the trial court erred by granting Brandt's summary-judgment motion. We disagree and affirm.

11. Criminal Law: Defendant motion granted and case remanded: Supreme Court Rule 604(d) dictates that before perfecting defendant's appeal of guilty plea, counsel for defendant must review actual transcript of proceedings held at time of plea, regardless of who will bear cost of transcript, and so certify in writing, even if counsel was defendant's lawyer at time of plea. Knecht, J.

No. 4-09-0654  People v. Cloyd  Filed 2-4-10 (TJJ)

In appeal of defendant's guilty plea, Appellate Court granted motion of defendant's appointed appellate counsel and remanded the cause for further proceedings consistent with Rule 604(d), that is, the appointment of counsel, the filing of a new motion to withdraw guilty plea or to reconsider sentence, a new hearing on the motion, and for strict compliance with Rule 604(d) in the filing of any certificate under the rule.

13 Appellate Court Cases Posted 02-04-10

1.  Administrative Review: Reversed and Remanded: Board permitted to allow Village to intervene and Village Board Officials did not have to recuse themselves; However, Village Attorneys interjections into the hearing, while acting as a Pensions Board member, deprived plaintiff of due process and fair hearing. Theis, J.
No. 1-08-1212 Williams v. The Board of Trustees of the Morton Grove Firefighters' Pension Fund - Filed 2-2-10 (LJD)  12/19/10 Opinion Withdrawn

Plaintiff, Darren Williams, filed an application for a line-of-duty disability pension with  defendant, the Board of Trustees of the Morton Grove Firefighters’ Pension Fund (Board), pursuant to section 4-110 of  the Illinois Pension Code (the Pension Code) (40 ILCS 5/4-110 (West 2006)). Plaintiff subsequently amended his application to include a claim for a not-in-duty disability pension pursuant to section 4-111  of the Pension Code. 40 ILCS 5/4-111 (West 2006). One day before the hearing on plaintiff’s application, the Village of Morton Grove (Village) filed a petition to intervene in the hearing, which the Board  granted. The hearing was conducted by the attorney for the Morton Grove Firefighters’ Pension Fund (Fund). The Board voted to deny plaintiff a line-of-duty pension, but granted him a not-in-duty disability  pension pursuant to section 4-111. 40 ILCS 5/4-111 (West 2006).  For the following reasons, we reverse the decision of the Board and remand with instructions.

2.  Criminal Law: Affirmed in part, reversed in part: Even though the statute does not specifically call for a mental state, Section 5/4-3 of the Criminal Code provides for guidelines for mens rea generally; that section and others(4-9) analyzed; “Where possession has been shown, an inference of guilty knowledge can be drawn from the surrounding facts and  circumstances. Toomin, J.

No. 1-08-1017  People v. Stanley Filed 12-24-09 (LJD)

In this case, we consider an apparent matter of first impression in Illinois, whether the proof of the mens rea for the possession of defaced weapons necessarily extends to the character of the weapon.  Defendant, Kenneth Stanley, was convicted after a bench trial of unlawful use of a weapon, defacing identification marks on a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a firearm and sentenced to one year of  probation.As the State concedes the insufficiency of the evidence to prove the shotgun was modified, our review is limited to the remaining contentions. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part and vacate in part.

3.  Post Conviction Petition: Affirmed: Analysis of successive post conviction petitions and requirements to seek court permission to file them and requirements such as cause and prejudice test. Murphy, J.

No.1-07-1245  People v. Anderson  Filed 1-13-10 (LJD)

Following a bench trial, defendant George Anderson was found guilty of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Defendant was subsequently sentenced to a term of life  imprisonment for first-degree murder and consecutive terms of 25 years’ imprisonment for the two attempted first degree murder convictions. Defendant appeals the trial court’s order denying leave to file his  fourth successive postconviction petition.  We agree with defendant’s argument; however, we hold that a defendant who sets forth a claim of actual innocence must still file a motion seeking leave of court to   file a successive postconviction petition pursuant to section 122-1(f) of the Act. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s dismissal of defendant’s fourth successive postconviction petition without  prejudice to filing a motion in the circuit court seeking leave to file such a petition pursuant to section 122-1(f) of the Act.

4.  Contract/Indemnification: Affirmed:  No question of fact existed which precluded indemnification since agreement clear the activities of student were covered by agreement and principle suit arose from activities of student in X-Ray room. O'Mara Frossard, J.

No. 1-08-3636 Smith v. West Suburban Medical Center  Filed 1-21-10 (LJD)

This is an action based on ordinary negligence. Plaintiff, Dorothy Smith, filed a complaint against several defendants, including defendant/third-party plaintiff-appellee, West Suburban Medical Center (West  Suburban), and defendant/third-party defendant-appellant, Triton College Foundation, d/b/a Triton Community College (Triton), alleging that she was injured when she fell off a stool in West Suburban’s  X-ray room. Smith’s complaint contained allegations against defendant, Kilume Nkulu, a Triton student. West Suburban sought indemnification from Triton based upon a written agreement between the two  parties that contained a dual indemnification clause, which provided that Triton would indemnify West Suburban for any losses it incurred arising out of the activities of Triton students. The circuit court granted West Suburban’s motion for summary judgment. Triton now appeals. We affirm.

5.  Administrative Review: Circuit Court affirmed, reversing Pension Board's decision: An agency’s findings are against the manifest weight of the evidence where the
opposite conclusion is clearly evident. Subsequent accident that aggravates the condition that was weakened by a work-related accident does not break the causal chain.  Lampkin, J.

No.  1-09-0458 Devaney v. The Board of Trustees of the Calumet City Police Pension Fund  Filed 1-25-10 (LJD)

Plaintiff Gary Devaney filed a complaint for administrative review against the defendant Board of Trustees of the Calumet City Police Pension Fund (Board) and its individual members, who had determined  that plaintiff was entitled to a nonduty, rather than a line-of-duty, disability pension based on findings that his disability did not result from or was not aggravated by a dutyrelated incident. The circuit court  reversed defendants’ decision and granted plaintiff his requested relief. Defendants appealed, arguing that their decision was not against the manifest weight of the evidence and the circuit court improperly  reweighed the evidence. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

6.  Civil Procedure/Common Carrier/Attorneys Fees: Affirmed: Judgment n.o.v is proper when, viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party, it so overwhelmingly favors the movant that there was a total failure or lack of evidence to prove a necessary element.  A rebuttable presumption of negligence is raised against a common carrier when a plaintiff shows that she was a  passenger, an accident happened with an apparatus wholly under the control of the carrier, and that an injury was inflicted.  Once that presumption is raised, the carrier must explain why  the accident resulted from a cause for which it should not be held responsible. The purpose of granting sanctions is not to punish a party, but to effectuate the  goals of discovery.  Penalties ranging from a reasonable attorney fee to monetary penalties may be imposed even if the omissions are inadvertent. Defendant's expert refused to produce his income tax records and then, in middle of deposition, resigned as expert.   Murphy, J.

No.  1-08-3605 & 1-08-3606 New v. Pace Suburban Bus Service  Filed 1-27-10 (LJD)

These consolidated appeals arise from proceedings under plaintiff Geraldine New’s February 18, 2005, single-count personal injury complaint against defendant Pace Suburban Bus Service. Plaintiff sought  damages for injuries allegedly sustained to her back while she was a passenger on defendant’s bus on March 4, 2004. Plaintiff claimed the bus stopped suddenly forcing her to fall into a pole and to the  ground. She alleged that this caused serious injury to her back requiring extensive treatment. Plaintiff alleged that the sudden stop was due to the negligence and omissions of defendant’s bus driver. Following  a trial, the jury entered a verdict in favor of defendant on August 1, 2008.  Plaintiff appeals the trial court’s denial of her motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (n.o.v.) and a new trial as well as  presenting three issues with respect to the jury instructions given at trial. Defendant appeals the trial court’s grant of plaintiff’s petition for  attorney fees and costs, amounting to approximately $17,000, related  to the deposition of defendant’s first disclosed medical expert, who “resigned” from the case only after plaintiff expended time and funds on his deposition. For the following reasons, we affirm the rulings of the trial court.

7.  Criminal Law: Affirmed: Criminal conviction will not be set aside unless the evidence is so improbable or unsatisfactory that it creates a reasonable doubt of the defendant's  guilt. Identification by a single witness is sufficient to support a conviction if the defendant is viewed under circumstances permitting a positive identification. Ineffective assistance of counsel discussed. Quinn, J.

No.  1-07-2231 People v. Gabriel  Filed 1-27-10 (LJD)

Following a bench trial, defendant was found guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm based on an accountability theory and sentenced to seven years in prison.  For the following reasons, we affirm.

8.  Criminal Law: Reversed and Remanded: Issue preserved by appeal if raised in pre-trial motion in limine and post trial motion; plain error doctrine analyzed; gang affiliation evidence when crime not gang related improper. Gallagher, J.

No.  1-07-2406  People v. Maldanado   Filed 1-27-10 (LJD)

Defendant Mike Angel Maldonado was charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Ricardo Hernandez. Defendant’s first trial ended in a hung jury. Defendant was then tried by another jury and  convicted. The jury also found that defendant personally discharged a firearm that proximately caused the death of Hernandez. Defendant was sentenced to 60 years in prison, 35 years for the murder charge  and a mandatory 25 years added on for killing the victim with a firearm. Defendant raises three issues on appeal. First, defendant argues that he was denied a fair trial by the admission of irrelevant and  inflammatory other-crimes evidence. Next, defendant contends that he was deprived of a fair trial because the State was permitted to bolster the credibility of its only nonrecanting eyewitness with evidence of  previous consistent statements. Finally, defendant argues that he was deprived of a fair trial because the repetitive introduction of prior statements made by a witness who recanted at trial, through multiple  witnesses, violated the common law prohibition against prior consistent statements. For the reasons that follow, we reverse and remand for a new trial.

9.  Criminal,J.l Law: Affirmed: Waiver of error by taking different position at trial than at appeal; Use of hearsay testimony evidence of victim per 115-10 analyzed.   McBride, J.

No.  1-08-0777  People v. Major-Flisk  Filed 1-29-10 (LJD)

Following a jury trial, defendant, Michael Major-Flisk, was found guilty of one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault against the five-year-old victim M.O. The trial court sentenced defendant to a term of  ix years’ imprisonment. On appeal, defendant contends that the trial court erred by allowing testimony of out-of-court statements made by the victim pursuant to the hearsay exception for sexual abuse  victims under the age of 13 (725 ILCS 5/115-10 (West 2006)). For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

10.  Freedom of Information Act: Affirmed: Fee of 10 cents per assessment reasonable; County Code does not apply since the records are not free online.  McDade, J.

No. 3-09-0175  Sage Information Services v. Henderson   Filed 1-29-10 (LJD)

Plaintiffs filed a complaint for injunctive relief in the circuit court of Grundy County pursuant to section 11 of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (Act) (5 ILCS 140/11(a) (West 2006)). Defendant filed a   motion to dismiss pursuant to section 2-619(a)(9) of the Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/2-619(a)(9) (West 2006)) on the grounds plaintiffs’ complaint is barred by section 9-20 of the Property Tax  Code (Code) (35 ILCS 200/9-20 (West 2006)). The circuit court of Grundy County ruled that section 9-20 of the Code controls, found that plaintiffs’ complaint is therefore barred by a controlling statute  "avoiding the legal effect of or defeating the claim" (735 ILCS 5/2-619(a)(9) (West 2006)), and granted defendant’s motion to dismiss. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

11.  Traffic Court:Reversed and Remanded:  There is no statutory or constitutional basis for the circuit court's lack-of-probable-cause dismissal of the misdemeanor traffic citation against Davis. Holdridge, J.

No. 3-09-0132  People v. Davis  Filed 1-29-10 (LJD)

Brooke Davis was cited for driving while driver's license is suspended (625 ILCS 5/6--303 (West 2008)). The citation was dismissed during her first court appearance, and the State filed this appeal from the dismissal order.

12.  Negligence/Products Liability: Affirmed: Elements of negligent design cause of action analyzed and discussed; In addition to defect in product at time product left manufacturer, plaintiff must prove standard of care and deviation from standard; crucial question in a negligent-design case is whether the manufacturer exercised reasonable care in the design of the  product. To show that the manufacturer acted unreasonably based on the foreseeability of harm, the plaintiff must show the manufacturer knew or should have known of the risk posed by the product design at the time of manufacture. a manufacturer has a continuing duty to warn of a hazard of which it had a duty to warn at the time the product was manufactured, including using  reasonable care to inform foreseeable users of product developments designed to eliminate the hazard.   Stewart, J.

No. 5-05-0723  Jablonski v. Ford Motor Company  Filed 2-1-10 (LJD)

The plaintiffs, Dora Mae Jablonski (Dora) and John L. Jablonski, Jr., as the special administrator and personal representative of the estate of Dora's deceased husband, John L. Jablonski, Sr. (John), brought  this action against Ford Motor Company (Ford), alleging strict product liability and negligence in the design of their 1993 Lincoln Town Car automobile as a result of a collision in which John was killed and  Dora was seriously injured. Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that the fuel tank system in the Lincoln Town Car was defective, unreasonably dangerous, and negligently designed by Ford. The plaintiffs also filed a negligence claim against Natalie S. Ingram, the driver of the vehicle that collided with the Jablonskis' vehicle, but that claim was settled before the trial. Plaintiff Dora Jablonski moved prior to the trial for  eave to file a willful-and-wanton-conduct count and to seek punitive damages, and after a hearing, her motion was granted by the trial court. The plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their strict product liability  claims at the close of all the evidence, and the case against Ford was submitted to the jury on the negligent-design claims and on the willful-and-wanton-conduct claims seeking punitive damages. The jury  returned a verdict against Ford, assessing the plaintiffs' total damages in excess of $43 million, including $15 million in punitive damages, on which the circuit court of Madison County entered a judgment. The  circuit court denied Ford's motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict or for a new trial. Ford timely appeals from the judgment.  For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.

13. Post Conviction: Affirmed: Post Conviction act requirements discussed and analyzed; elements of ineffective counsel analyzed.  No prejudice caused by witnesses military uniforms. Chapman, J.

No.  5-08-0273  People v. Lane  Filed 2-1-10 (LJD)

The defendant, Emmett Lane, Jr., was convicted of murder and attempted murder following a shooting in the parking lot of a nightclub. Both victims were United States Army staff sergeants on leave from  Fort Campbell, Kentucky, at the time of the shooting. Three State witnesses, including the surviving victim, testified at the defendant's trial wearing their military uniforms. The defendant filed a petition for relief  under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (725 ILCS 5/122-1 et seq. (West 2006)), arguing that (1) the trial court erred in denying his motion in limine to prohibit the State's witnesses from testifying in  uniform and (2) he received ineffective assistance of appellate counsel because counsel failed to raise this issue on direct appeal. He appeals an order denying his petition after a hearing. We affirm.

3 Supreme Court Cases Posted 02-04-10

1.  Medical Negligence: Constitutional Law: Affirmed in Part and Remanded:  Caps on Pain and Suffering in Medical Negligence Cases are unconstitutional on their face based on separation of powers grounds. Fitzgerald, CJ. Karmeier and Garman concurred in part and dissented in part.

No. 105741 & 105745 Cons., Lebron, a Minor v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital  Filed 02-04-09 (LJD)

  In 2005, a statutory provision, part of Public Act 94–677, took effect in Illinois that places limits on awards for noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering, in medical malpractice cases. The total limit is $1 million for hospitals and their personnel and $500,000 for doctors.   Shortly after the effective date of this enactment, a baby who was born by Caesarean section was found to have numerous permanent injuries. Suit was filed against Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, the doctor, and an assisting nurse. This litigation is the lead case in a number of lawsuits which raise the same issue and which the circuit court of Cook County consolidated.   As part of their complaint, the plaintiffs sought a declaratory judgment that the damage limitation was invalid on constitutional grounds and later moved for partial judgment on the pleadings on this question. The circuit court granted the relief requested by the plaintiffs, and, because of inseverability wording in the enactment in which the provision is contained, declared the entire enactment invalid. This direct appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court followed.  In this decision, the supreme court reversed as unnecessary the circuit court’s judgment holding the statute unconstitutional as applied, but affirmed the finding that, under the Illinois Constitution, the statute is facially invalid on separation of powers grounds. The supreme court said that the damage limitation violates the constitutional principle of separation of powers by interfering with the authority of the judicial branch to reduce verdicts. What the statute allows for amounts to a “legislative remittitur.” The supreme court agreed with the circuit court that, because the challenged provision is not severable, the entire statute is invalid. However, the legislature is free to reenact the other provisions.   The cause was remanded to the circuit court for further proceedings.

2.  Post Conviction Petitions: Appellate Court and Trial Court Reversed and Cause Remanded: Petition created a question of fact whether defendant's counsel was ineffective for failing to request hearing for fitness to stand trial   Kilbride, J., Garman, joined by Karmeier and Thomas JJ, dissented

No. 106243 & 106273 Cons.  People v. Brown   Filed 02-04-09 (LJD)

 Police responding to a 2002 report of a Chicago disturbance found Raymond Brown outside his apartment, holding a butcher knife. Told to drop it, he did not do so but, instead, advanced, waiving the knife and making threats. He was shot by police in the leg and lower back before being arrested. A conviction was entered in a Cook County bench trial for attempted first degree murder of a peace officer, and a 25-year sentence was imposed. The appellate court affirmed.  Brown then filed a pro se postconviction petition, claiming that his trial attorney was ineffective in failing to request a hearing on his fitness for trial. The circuit court summarily dismissed the petition as frivolous and patently without merit, and the appellate court affirmed.  In this decision, the Illinois Supreme Court held that Brown’s petition should not have been dismissed but could advance to the second stage of postconviction proceedings because he had stated the gist of a constitutional claim in alleging that he had told his trial attorney that he had been taking medication for bipolar disorder and depression and that he had previously attempted suicide. Brown also alleged that he had been under medication at the time of his trial and that his attorney lied in claiming to be unaware of this. Attached to the petition were affidavits from defendant’s mother and aunt indicating that counsel had been informed about defendant’s bipolar medications and suicide attempts. At the original sentencing hearing, Brown had stated that he was attempting “suicide by police” because he had seen a news report about a man killed by police for threatening them with a machete.  The supreme court found that the total record, which should be liberally construed, creates a factual dispute as to whether there was a bona fide doubt of petitioner’s fitness for trial and that the claim of ineffectiveness in failing to seek a fitness hearing is arguably supported.  The cause was remanded for second-stage postconviction proceedings, at which Brown may have counsel appointed, an amended petition may be submitted, and a determination made as to whether an evidentiary hearing should be held.

3.  Domestic Relations: Appellate Court Affirmed which Affirmed Trial Court in part and Reversed Trial Court in part: The issue of whether accumulated vacation and sick days are marital or nonmarital property is an issue of first impression in this court. Thomas, J., Garman, J., dissented, joined by Kilbride and Burke, JJ.

No.107755  In re Marriage of Abrell  Filed 02-04-09 (LJD)

At issue in this case is whether unused vacation days and sick days are marital property subject to distribution in an action for dissolution of marriage. The circuit court of Sangamon County held that those days were marital property. The appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part. 386 Ill. App. 3d 718. We now affirm the appellate court’s decision.

6 Appellate Court Cases Posted 02-01-10

1.  Administrative Hearings/Indemnity: Affirmed: 2 Year Statute of Limitations for Contributions only applies to actions for personal injury and property damage;  Actions of indemnity under unwritten agreement are covered by 5 year statute; nonaction of governmental officials will not support a laches defense.  Patti, J.

No.1-08-0404 Madigan v. Yballe  Filed 12-14-09 (LJD) 

Defendant and third-party plaintiff, Sonia Yballe, appeals an order of the trial court dismissing the third-party complaint that she filed against third-party defendant Pediatric Center of Chicago, Ltd. (PCC), as well as an order granting summary judgment in favor of plaintiff, Lisa Madigan, Attorney General of Illinois. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
2.   Criminal Law: Affirmed: Rule 431 requiring the Trial Court admonish the jury during voir dire certain law analyzed;    Bowman, J.
No. 2-08-0208 People v. Calabrese  Filed 1-26-10 (LJD) Opinion filed 1/15/10 withdrawn

Defendant, Michael J. Calabrese, was convicted of first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9--1(a)(3) (West 2004)) on January 18, 2008, after a jury trial. He was sentenced to 45 years' imprisonment plus an additional 25 years pursuant to the mandatory add-on for using a firearm (730 ILCS 5/5--8--1(a)(1)(d)(iii) (West 2004)). On appeal, defendant argues that: (1) the trial court failed to comply with Supreme Court Rule 431(b) (Official Reports Advance Sheet No. 8 (April 11, 2007), R. 431(b), eff. May 1, 2007); (2) there was insufficient evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; (3) the trial court erred in knowingly allowing the jury to hear witness Patrick Calabrese invoke his fifth amendment privilege; and (4) his 70-year sentence was excessive given his mitigating factors. We affirm.

3.  Premises Liability: Reversed and Remanded: A driveway is not a sidewalk under the "Snow & Ice Removal Act".   The term "sidewalk" encompasses all 'foot pavements' leading to and from the residence, whether public or private.  Zenoff, J.

No. 2-09-0271  Gallagher v. Union Square Condominium Homeowner's Association  Filed 1-27-10 (LJD)

On February 17, 2009, the circuit court of Lake County dismissed the complaint filed by plaintiff, Kevin F. Gallagher, against defendants, Union Square Condominium Homeowner's Association (Union), Vanguard Community Management, Inc. (Vanguard), and Landscapes Concept Management, Inc. (Landscapes), on Landscapes' motion under section 2--619(a)(9) of the Code of Civil Procedure (Code) (735 ILCS 5/2--619(a)(9) (West 2008)). Plaintiff appeals, arguing that the trial court erred in determining that the Snow and Ice Removal Act (Act) (745 ILCS 75/1 et seq. (West 2008)) barred plaintiff's claims against defendants. For the reasons that follow, we reverse and remand the matter to the trial court for further proceedings.

4.  Workers Compensation: Affirmed in part and reversed in part; cause remanded: Issuance of Summons by the Clerk's Office Rules discussed;  Question of Fact exists as to whether the petitioner was engaged in carriage( a covered activity)  or agriculture(a non covered activity) Holdridge, J.

No. 3-08-0989WC Hagemann v. Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission  Filed 1-22-10 (LJD)

Dennis Hagemann filed an application for adjustment of claim against William Sherman III, doing business as Sherman Grain Farms, seeking workers' compensation benefits for injuries he sustained on May 12, 2003, while driving a semi-tractor trailer to haul grain. Sherman moved to dismiss the application, arguing that his business fell under the agricultural enterprise exemption of the Workers' Compensation Act (Act) (820 ILCS 305/3(19) (West 2008)). The arbitrator granted the motion to dismiss, and Hagemann appealed to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (Commission), which affirmed the arbitrator's dismissal.After further proceedings below, the circuit court confirmed the Commission's decision that Sherman's business fell under the agricultural enterprise exemption, warranting dismissal of Hagemann's claim for workers' compensation benefits. Hagemann then filed the instant appeal challenging the Commission's decision, and Sherman cross-appealed the denial of his motion to dismiss the circuit court appeal. Affirmed in part and reversed in part; cause remanded

5.  Criminal Law: reversed and Remanded: Padlock in a sock is a form of bludgeon or blackjack since it has a heavy metal head and flexible handle.  Pope, J.

No. 4-08-0797  People v. Perry  Filed 1-27-10 (LJD)

The court held no reasonable jury could find the padlock in a sock was a "bludgeon" as charged in the information and prohibited by statute (720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(1) (West 2006)). The court permitted the State to amend the aggravated-battery charge to delete the word "bludgeon" following "a deadly weapon." The jury heard the evidence and convicted defendant of aggravated battery.The State appeals, arguing the trial court erred in  dismissing the unlawful-use-of-weapons count because the padlock in a sock is a "bludgeon" within the meaning of the statute. In  addition, the State argues if the padlock in a sock is not a bludgeon, rather than dismissal, the State should have been allowed to amend the information. No challenge is made to defendant's aggravated-battery conviction. We reverse the trial court’s judgment dismissing the unlawful-use-of-weapons count and remand the case with directions.

6.  Domestic relations/Attorneys Fees: Affirmed: The General Assembly clearly intended section 508(a) of the Dissolution Act to apply to spouses and not intervenors; therefore, attorneys fees can not be awarded to intervenors absent abuse of process or under Rule 137.  Pope, J.

No. 4-09-0306 In re: the Marriage of Pal v. Gudgel  Filed 1-27-10 (LJD)

In March 2009, the trial court issued its judgment for dissolution of marriage, incorporating its denial of intervenor Michael Gudgel's request for attorney fees and costs. Gudgel appeals, arguing the court erred in denying his request for attorney fees and costs under section 508 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (Dissolution Act) (750 ILCS 5/508 (West 2008)). We affirm.