Politics & Government
La Grange Ready To Fight Quarry In Court: Lawyer
Attorney says his firm is "very confident" in the village's positions.
LA GRANGE, IL — A lawyer for La Grange says the village is seeking the "soonest available trial date" in its legal fight with a McCook quarry that it largely blames for flooding problems in its southern neighborhoods.
At Monday's Village Board meeting, attorney John Fitzgerald of Tabet, DiVito & Rothstein said he was in a status hearing earlier in the day on the case with the Hanson Aggregates quarry in Cook County Court.
"As we all know, our court system is coming back from COVID-19, and there is quite a backlog of trials," Fitzgerald told the board. "The judge, however, indicated that he understood our desire for the soonest available trial date, and he indicated that may be early next year. That obviously would be our preference."
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Fitzgerald said the next status hearing was Nov. 22, which is when he expects the judge to set a trial date.
"We feel very confident in the village's positions in this lawsuit," Fitzgerald said.
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The focus on a trial comes at the board's request, Village President Mark Kuchler said.
"We want to go to trial and let the chips fall where they may," he said.
After severe flooding in late June, another lawyer from the same firm, Dan Stanner, gave a similar timeline to the board, aiming for a trial in the first quarter of next year.
In the spring, the village changed its law firms for the quarry litigation, saying the new one specializes in trials.
In 2015, the village's voters approved going into debt for the 50th Street storm sewer project, but that hinges on a successful outcome in the litigation. Some residents are upset that the village is relying on the legal matters to solve the flooding problem, contending that officials should consider short-term solutions.
The village is trying to install a drainage pipe across the quarry's property, alleging the quarry cut the former pipe in the early 1990s in violation of an easement. The south side has been suffering major flooding issues for years.
Hanson Aggregates couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
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