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Friday, October 12, 2007

Courts - Still more on: Illinois chief justice doesn't just get mad, he sues

Updating this June 22nd ILB entry about the Chief Justice of Illinois' successful libel suit against a small Illinois newspaper, the Kane County Chronicle, the ABA Journal reports today:

The chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court has settled his libel suit against a Chicago suburban newspaper for a reported $3 million.

The agreement settles ongoing litigation following a $7 million libel verdict for Justice Robert Thomas against the Kane County Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Chronicle also agreed to apologize for the article.

Last November a trial judge had found the jury award for Thomas shocked the conscience and reduced the amount to $4 million. The newspaper had appealed the verdict and also filed suit in federal court against 11 state judges, highlighting the difficulties of suing in a court system headed by the plaintiff. All appeals will be dropped, the Kane County Chronicle reports.

The story also links to a Chicago Tribune chart, remarking: "Judges have won eight out of 11 lawsuits against the media. A chart shows Thomas’ final award was the largest."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 12, 2007 11:53 AM
Posted to Courts in general