I continue to report rampant judicial corruption in IL Courts and how judges fix cases in favor of their parties of interests. Please see attached information related to Cook County Court Judge,Irwin J. Solganick (crony of Edward Vdrolyak and Gov. Rod Blagojevich), as well as my personal experience in Judge Irwin J. Solganick Court on or about October 20, 2014.
I appeared before judge Solganick to present my Motion to Sever case 14-CH-11573 from case 14-L-3632, which was filed against certain Homeowners Associations and their Management Companies. The property in question was 1360 N. Sandburg Terrace, Chicago IL 60610; its HOA, Carl Sandburg Village Condo Association #1; as well as Carl Sandburg Village Master HOA who manage about 7 properties in this area, including James Kilmer building, 1560 N. Sandburg Terrace.
My case 14-L-3632 was corruptly consolidated on October 1, 2014 with frivolous “defamation” claim filed by Chicagoland Community Management, 14-CH-11573, by Law Division Judge Thomas L. Hogan who concealed his personal connections and financial interests with my Defendant’s lawyers, Hinshaw &Culbertson, LLP who donated Hogan at least $4,550.00 for his election campaign.
When my attempt to reverse Hogan’s order did not succeed, I filed a Motion to Sever cases, which Law Division Presiding Judge James P. Flannery, Jr. passed to Judge Irwin J. Solganick to decide.
On or about October 20, 2014 Judge Irwin J. Solganick denied my Motion and undermined this case in favor of the defense. Judge Solganick struck all of my arguments without reading them. Judge Solganick was ignorant of the factual issues; he did not read my Motion, even did not opened it before he struck it in the entirety, without giving a single word of explanation of his decision. All Judge Solganick saw before him was a solo ProSe litigant going against several well-connected large law firms, including insurance defense lawyers, who are co-accidentally were generous donors to many judicial campaigns and even had several family members serving as judges in the same Court – Judges Thomas R. Mulroy, Jr.; James Snyder and Sharon Sullivan.
Moreover, based on my recent finding, Judge Irwin J. Solganick also had a glaring conflict of interests to be a judge in my case since it appears that he is/was directly related to my Defendants. According to public records, one of the addresses associated with Judge Irwin J. Solganick is/was 1560 N. Sandburg Terrace Unit 2502, Chicago IL 60610, which is James Kilmer HOA located in Carl Sandburg Village Master Condo Association, who is a Defendant in my case.
Of course, none of this information was disclosed to me, as well as Judge Hogan’s and Judge Griffin’s financial and personal connections with my Defendants’ lawyers.
I am not surprised. Judge Irwin J. Solganick has a long-time public history of corruption. I did find out that Judge Solganick used to be a law partner with Ed Vrdolyak. Ed Vrdolyak was sentenced to prison for sophisticated fraud, kickbacks and/or related activity.
On January 3, 1986 The Chicago Council of Lawyers Thursday asked state agencies that investigate allegations of misconduct on the part of lawyers and judges to look into possible collusion between Circuit Judge Robert Sulski and the lawyer who became a candidate to succeed Sulski on the bench. The council asked the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board to investigate Sulski, a judge for 17 years and a former Chicago alderman. It also asked the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission to investigate Irwin Solganick, a member of the law firm operated by Ald. Edward Vrdolyak (10th). Referring to what he called the ``the Sulski-Solganick stunt,`` Perkins said Sulski, whose latest six-year term as a Cook County Circuit Court judge expires in November, notified the Illinois secretary of state`s office Dec. 2 that he would seek retention.
But at 2 p.m. Dec. 15, [1985] the last day for filing nominating petitions to become a candidate to fill a judicical vacancy, Sulski delivered a letter to the secretary of state`s office saying he would not seek retention.
At 3:17 p.m. the same day, Solganick filed petitions in Springfield with the Illinois Election Board seeking to be listed on the March 18 primary ballot as a candidate to fill Sulski`s vacancy. The petitions contained 500 citizens` signatures, as required by law. Solganick is the only Democrat seeking to succeed Sulski. The judgeship is a Chicago-only seat in which the Democratic candidate`s election in November is considered certain. Sulski, reached at his Chicago home about noonThursday, declined to comment, except to say that he has no plans to leave the bench before his term expires. Attempts to reach Solganick for comment were unsuccessful.
According to public records, the Committee to Retain Judge Soganick was created on January 22, 1986. The treasurer for his Committee was lawyer Sheldon Sorosky who represented Rod Blagojevich in his corruption trial.
According to Solganick’s own words, his judicial election was a result of his luck. However, based on Rod Blagojevich testimony, his job as a young Associate for Vdrolyack’s law Firm was to sign Petitions for his colleague, Irvin J. Solganick to help him to be a judge. So, obviously Solganick knew about judge Sulski retirement in advance[1].
According to public records, Irwin Solganick twice “retired” from election runs – first in 1992 and second in 1998, but apparently he continued to operate as a Judge in Cook County Court.
Between 2004 – 2016 Solganick regularly made substantial contributions to Committee for Retention of Judges in Cook County Court, just before 2004, 2010 and 2016 re-elections; and was allowed to keep his judicial seat.
Notably, Solganick made his identical $900.00 “donation” on the same day as Judges Griffin, Sullivan and Pierce – August 29, 2016.
During his career as a Judge Solganick was previously criticized for corruption and bribery. For example, in 2008 case Scott George v. Maria George, Defendant’s lawyer Ducote paraphrased to the jurors what Mr. George is said to have told his wife. “I can bribe the judge. That’s what he used to tell her”.
Ms. George’s case related to her high-profile divorce from investment banker Scott George. In a Dec. 12, 2008 letter to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, she said her husband “boasted that he was ‘protected’ by his ‘friends.’ These individuals included the mayor [Richard Daley], the governor [Rod Blagojevich] (to whom he had made sizable political contributions), Joseph Cari (recently indicted in the Rezko fiasco, as well as Scott George’s former business partner), Ed Vrdolyak (indicted in May 2007 on charges of bribery and mail fraud) and Connie Xinos (‘godfather’ of Scott George and a criminal defense attorney in Chicago who ‘guaranteed’ his acquittal).”
She next explained how her husband “laughed that the litigation was ‘fixed’ and that the judge assigned to the divorce (Michele Lowrance) was none other than a Vrdolyak relative. Prior to this ruling, Ms. George—still undaunted—dropped another bombshell by mailing a scathing three page letter in November 2004 to over 3,000 members of the banking and investment community, business leaders, elected officials, media sources, legal and family advocates and acquaintances. This document served as a catalyst to completely unleash an array of retaliatory forces within the “machine.”
A libel trial ensued in September 2006, and again Ms. George detailed to Patrick Fitzgerald what took place. Her lawyer, “Mr. Ducote presented to Judge Irwin Solganick (a longtime friend of the ‘godfather’) Scott George’s own notes detailing his discussions with Bankers Trust, admitting to receiving a ‘payoff’ that was structured to evade paying taxes, and specifically noting that he was paid to ‘not file a reverse discrimination lawsuit.’”
The judge refused to admit these notes, or any other testimony pertaining to them, into the court proceedings. He also redacted large portions of her “letter.” No tax returns or other financial information substantiating Mr. George’s work history were allowed either.
I am not surprised. According to Lawyer Lanre Amy words, his experience in Judge Irwin J. Solganick’s Court in 2009 was identical to Maria George in 2008, and included but not limited to:
December 9, 2010 pleading, Respondent made the following statements with regard to Judge Solganick's June 5, 2009 order:
"Judge Irwin J. Solganick engaged in corrupt ruling that undermined this case in favor of the defense . . ."
"Judge Solganick struck all of plaintiff's requests to admit without reading them. . . . I now allege that it was a corrupt ruling."
"Judge Solganick . . . was ignorant of the medical issue in the medical malpractice case; he did not read the requests to admit before he struck them in the entirety."
"I did find out that Judge Solganick used to be a law partner with Ed Vrdolyak. . . Ed Vrdolyak was recently sentenced to prison for sophisticated fraud, kickbacks and/or related activity. Generally, birds of the same feather flock together."
"All Judge Solganick saw before him was a black lawyer (one of only two black lawyers in courtroom 2005 at the time) going against several insurance defense lawyers, in a sea of white lawyers in courtroom 2005."
"This is a corrupt use of judicial power under the guise of judicial discretion. It was like nothing I said really mattered to Judge Solganick. I was simply being disarmed and railroaded to a trial."
"Plaintiff is however entitled to a fair and an impartial trial. Corruption within the system prevented that from happening."
In other words, in Maria George Case in 2008; Lanre Amu case in 2009 and my case in 2014 Judge Irwin J. Solganick acted equally corrupt.
No need to say, his way to the bench was beyond questionable; and he was able to keep his seat solely due to his beneficial connections and sizable contributions of Committee on Judicial Retention, which appears to collect substantial amounts of money to keep corrupt judges at the bench.
I respectfully demand an independent investigation into this matter, as well as investigation of Judge Irwin J. Solganick Court practices and his possible collusion with my Defendants.
Regards,
Elena Fedorova
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[1] https://www.highbeam.com/doc/
A record number of people are running to fill judicial vacancies in the March 18 primary, but Solganick is running in a slot without opposition. Having no opponent, but plenty of brass, he's holding a fund-raising event anyway. Invitations have gone out for the Feb. 24 bash, $50 a head, at Harry's Cafe. That's close to Solganick's "bar association," Sweetwater, the Rush Street saloon he credits for his "luck" in running for Circuit Court judge in the first place.Solganick works for the law firm of Ald. Edward R. Vrdolyak, the county Democratic Party chairman. But Solganick insists his boss had nothing to do with his incredible good fortune
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