Date: 11-15-2006

Case Style: Robert R. Thomas v. The Kane County Chronicle

Case Number: Unknown

Judge: Donald J. O’Brien Jr.

Court: Circuit Court, Kane County, Illinois

Plaintiff's Attorney:

Joseph A. Power Jr.

Defendant's Attorney:

Steven Mandell and Steve Rosenfeld of Mandell Menkes LLC, Chicago, Illinois

Description:

Robert R. Thomas sued The Kane County Chronicle on a defamation theory claiming that a newspaper columnist for the paper falsely wrote in 2003 that Thomas, the chief justice of the Illinois State Supreme Court, had traded his vote for a political favor, and had acted with malice. He claimed that the reporter, Bill Page, had essentially accused him of official misconduct, a felony, when he wrote that he had traded his vote on a disciplinary case in exchange for political support for his favored candidate in a local judicial race.

Defendant claimed that the allegations against Judge Thomas were true but that because the report was based on information from confidential sources, it was not possible for it to produce the witnesses to prove the true of the statements made in the article.

Outcome: Plaintiff's verdict for $7 million, with $5 million for damaging his reputation, $1 million for future economic losses and $1 million for humiliation.

Plaintiff's Experts: Unknown

Defendant's Experts: Unknown

Comments: None