Marathon Pundit: Justice: Lawsuit against Illinois Review blog thrown out as "frivolous"

Friday, September 23, 2011

Justice: Lawsuit against Illinois Review blog thrown out as "frivolous"

Illinois sure needs a "loser pays" law to combat frivolous lawsuits. Yeah, it's a federal case, but the message will get around. Come to think of it, the federal government needs a "loser pays" law.

My good friends at the Illinois Review have won a sweet victory in federal court.

From a TC Public Relations press release:

Illinois Review Dismissed from Frivolous Lawsuit: Judge Dismisses Complaints Alleging Increased Taxes Based on Blog Posts

(Chicago, IL) A lawsuit against the blog news source Illinois Review was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly for a blog post that the Illinois Review wrote over two years ago. Illinois Review is represented by the Thomas More Society in Chicago.

The Illinois Review's blog post included documents showing that former Illinois State Rep. Paul Froehlich sought campaign contributions from individuals who won property tax relief with his assistance. After that story ran, the Cook County Board of Review reversed the tax breaks, and Satkar sued Illinois Review for defamation.

In the decision, Judge Kennelly said that Satkar "failed to show that the [Illinois Citizen Participation Act] is unconstitutional or inapplicable to Satkar's claims against the Illinois Review …. Satkar brought these claims in response to these defendants' acts in furtherance of their right of free speech …."

We are pleased that the Court recognized that Illinois Review, by bringing to light a story of great public interest, did nothing wrong and that this lawsuit was meritless and frivolous," said Peter Breen, Executive Director & Legal Counsel of the Thomas More Society, who is representing the Illinois Review.

Judge Kennelly's decision is available here.

For more information contact Tom Ciesielka 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net

About the Thomas More Society:

Formed in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a national public interest law firm based in Chicago. The Society defends religious liberty, marriage, and the sanctity of human life in courtrooms across the country. For more information, please visit www.thomasmoresociety.org.

Satkar Hospitality operates the Wingate by Wyndham Schaumburg and the Hampton Inn & Suites Hoffman Estates in northwest suburban Chicago.

Satkar's lawyer, R. Tamara de Silva, hurled a low blow at Illinois Review, stating the blog has "attracted a large goosestepping audience" in her plaintiffs' complaint.

Intimidation and namecalling are a poor match for justice and doing the right thing.

Fox 32 Chicago was a codefendant.

And Satkar may have to write some checks. From the decision: