by Randal Birkey | Oct 22, 2014 | Kevin A. Chrzanowski, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
In the recent case of Bruns v. Centralia, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the City of Centralia did not owe a duty to a pedestrian injured from a fall on a city sidewalk. At the heart of the decision was the application of the “distraction exception” to tort...
by Randal Birkey | Oct 22, 2014 | Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized, William C. Westfall
A number of interested parties, including several state lawmakers, appeared before the Illinois Judiciary Committee to address issues regarding police officers wearing body cameras: from cost to legality to public disclosure of the videos. The concept has been...
by Randal Birkey | Oct 8, 2014 | Carlos S. Arévalo, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
On October 3, 2014, a municipality represented by ZRFM’s Carlos Arévalo and faced with a Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (PSEBA) lawsuit, finally received word of whether or not it would be responsible to pay the plaintiff, the widow of a firefighter...
by Randal Birkey | Oct 8, 2014 | Jennifer J. Gibson, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
Currently, Illinois municipalities, townships, counties, special districts and their employees are immune from the failure to provide general police and fire protection, even in cases involving negligence. This is known as the Public Duty Rule. The Public Duty Rule...
by Randal Birkey | Sep 24, 2014 | Brad Stewart, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
The recent decision of Felix v. City of Bloomfield from the 10th Circuit Federal Court ruled that a Ten Commandments monument placed on municipal property violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The decision carefully examined specific facts and...
by Randal Birkey | Sep 24, 2014 | Local Government Law Bulletin, Ruth Alderman Schlossberg, Uncategorized
Over the course of the summer, a number of municipalities and the Illinois Municipal League spent a great deal of time and resources seeking an amendatory veto of Senate Bill 3507 which would have imposed significant restrictions on municipal authority to charge a...
