Federal Lawsuit Against Tinley Park Moves On After Judge's Ruling

TINLEY PARK, IL -- The lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice against the village of Tinley Park will move forward after a court ruling this week. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis sided with the federal department on a question about whether other lawyers in the Department of Justice can file lawsuits if the office specifically authorized by federal law to oversee such enforcement actions is vacant, according to a report from The Cook County Record. The judge also said the village must respond to the federal action by Aug. 18.

The federal government sued Tinley Park in late 2016 over the developer Buckeye Community SixtyNine LLP (also known as the Buckeye Community Hope Foundation) plans to construct a 47-unit low-income housing development in the village. The Department of Justice said Tinley Park "engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination and denied rights to a group of persons on the basis of race and color in violation of the Fair Housing Act” in its lawsuit.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that the village buckled to racism in the community because the development would likely be populated by a large number of African American tenants.

The village has settled with Buckeye on a separate lawsuit in which the developer was paid more than $2 million.

More via The Cook County Record