Burr Ridge Official Eavesdropped, Client Says In Lawsuit

BURR RIDGE, IL – In his day job, Burr Ridge Trustee Tony Schiappa was alleged to have eavesdropped in violation of Illinois law, according to a lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in Cook County Court last October and dismissed on an agreement of the parties a month later, court records show.

The plaintiffs were the owners of JNL Climate Control, an East Dundee-based HVAC contractor. The defendants were Schiappa and Sun Acquisitions, where he works as the business development officer.

Asked about the lawsuit, Schiappa said in an email to Patch on Friday, "My only comment is that we have resolved our differences."

In November 2020, JNL entered an exclusive listing agreement with Sun Acquisitions for business broker services, the lawsuit said. Sun specializes in selling businesses.

According to the lawsuit, Sun was negligent and breached its duty of care by encouraging or condoning the unlawful eavesdropping by employees, including Schiappa, who was responsible for facilitating JNL's sale and who had "known propensities for inappropriate and/or unlawful behavior."

In Illinois, it is illegal for someone to record a conversation without all participants' permission. Illinois is one of the few states with such a law.