Petition in Support to lawyer Lanre O. Amu demand to reinstate his suspended Law License; and compensate him for damages.
Dear IL Supreme Court and Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (“ARDC”)
Please find my Amicus Curiae Petition in Support to lawyer Lanre O. Amu (“Amu”) demand to reinstate his unlawfully suspended Law License and compensate him for all damages.
Procedural Background: On December 7, 2011 ARDC filed a disciplinary action against lawyer Amu pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 753(b) and alleged that Amu has engaged in the conduct which tends to defeat the administration of justice or to bring the courts or the legal profession into disrepute. ARDC accused Amu in purportedly false statements about the integrity of judges Thomas R. Chiola, Lynn M. Egan, Irwin J. Solganick and Francis Dolan. According to ARDC, statements made by Amu were “of material fact or law to a tribunal which the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is false in violation of Rule 3.3(a)(1) of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct; and Amu “was engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation in violation of Rule 8.4(a)(4) of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct (1990).” As the result, lawyer Amu was disbarred for 3 years.
All ARDC accusations against lawyer Amu were made in gross disregard to lawyer Amu’s civil rights; Equal Protection and Due Process. In fact, the only party who made false statements of material fact to a tribunal was politically-connected lawyer Jerome Larkin who knew or reasonably should know that his claims against Amu were fabricated and groundless. It is a well-known that Illinois Court system (aka “Family and Friends Club”) is severely plagued by corruption and professional incompetence. Judicial positions are regularly assigned to the most connected lawyers, in the manner which suggests a bribery scheme for the seats. Judicial cronies routinely fix cases in favor of their parties of interests- politically connected better funded lawyers and corporations-in violation of all applicable laws and rules of ethics. Details are published on my website www.corruptionpedia.org where I shared my personal experience with certain judges in Illinois Courts, including Judge Irwin J. Solganick who obtained his seat in corrupt manner; and acted bias against me as Prose.
1. Judge Thomas R. Chiola. Lawyer Amu brought a legal malpractice case against defendants Antonio Romanucchi Romanucci and Stephen J. Blandin from Romanucchi & Blandin law Firm, which was dismissed by Judge Thomas R. Chiola. According to Amu, “This is about how Judge Thomas R. Chiola fixed a case for the defendants Antonio Romanucci and Stephen J. Blandin and their law firm at the Daley Center on February 17, 2009. The case fixing started in Judge Chiola's chambers under the guise of a ‘settlement conference' he convened on his own motion"; and that Judge Chiola's conduct "is simply one example of the corruption by some judges at the Daley Center circuit court". It’s true.
Judge Thomas R. Chiola was a politically connected judge who regularly used his Government contacts to influence legislations for his personal goals.[1] [2]Lawyer Amu is a self-made professional with no involvement in Chicago political machine. Defendants Antonio Romanucci, Stephen J. Blandin and Romanucci & Blandin LLC are generous donors to almost every political and judicial election. Antonio Romanucci made 134 (one hundred thirty four) sizable “donations” to numerous judges and politicians; Romanucci & Blandin LLC made 253 (two hundred fifty three) “donations” to most powerful politicians and judges – or parties on whom Judge Chiola relied while lobbying for his personal interests. I am absolutely confident in whose favor Judge Chiola will rule in this situation – of course better funded well-connected lawyers Romanucci & Blandin. So, all statements made by lawyer Amu are true; supported by published facts, and protected by his First Amendment rights.
2. Judge Lynn M. Egan. Lawyer Amu brought a legal action on behalf of Steve Dei ("Dei") who fell and sustained injuries at the Tumara Food Mart ("Tumara"), a Chicago gasoline station and market. Tumara failed to appear and Judge Egan entered a default judgement in favor of Dei. In August 19 2008, Tumara hired lawyers from Pretzel & Stouffer who filed their Appearance in case 07-L-5875. On June 19, 2009, Judge Egan entered an order vacating the January 2008 judgment.
According to Amu, "Knowing that the case was pending before Judge Lynn M. Egan, American Family Insurance Company hired Judge Lynn M. Egan's brother Matthew J. Egan's law firm "Pretzel & Stouffer, to prosecute the petition to vacate default judgment before Judge Lynn M. Egan. During the months of legal wrangling before Judge Lynn Egan, plaintiff and his lawyer [.]were intentionally kept in the dark about this link and collusion between Judge Lynn M. Egan and the defense."; “The flawed reasoning and decision of Judge Lynn Egan in favor of American Family Insurance Company's interest was immediately appealed to the Illinois Appellate Court in expectation that the Appellate Court will see through the nonsense and correct the situation. Instead of the Illinois Appellate Court doing the right thing, the Appellate Court simply rubber stamped and affirmed the flawed ruling of Judge Egan in favor of American Family Insurance's interest. Even when the Appellate Court was made aware of the relationship between Judge Lynn M. Egan and the defense law firm, the Appellate Court did nothing.." and "The corruption uncovered here happens to be one of a few that can be proved. The tip of the ice berg so to speak.”. All Amu statements are true.
Judge Lynn M. Egan not only failed to recuse herself from the case due to her fatal conflict of interests with Defendants’ lawyers; but she also “forgot” to inform Amu that she is a daughter of well-politically connected Judge Edward Egan[3] who was elected as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1964 and was appointed to the Appellate Court by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1972. Without any doubts IL Appeal Court will rule in favor of well-connected insurance lawyers supported by Judge Egan’s daughter Lynn and against solo-practitioner Amu. Worth to mention, Judge Lynn M. Egan, her brother, Matthew Egan and Pretzel & Stouffer are regularly criticized for corruption, especially when P&S represented Palos Community Hospital in almost half of the 170 cases involving the hospital filed over that period in the law division of the circuit court. From 2011 to 2013, Matthew Egan, a partner in the firm, represented Palos in at least 15 cases before his sister's judicial colleagues, most of them involving medical malpractice or personal injury. Judge Lynn’s brother Matthew long-time commitment as a member of the ARDC’s Inquiry Board from 1989 to 1991, as a member of the Hearing Board from 1991 – 2012, and as a special counsel to the ARDC from 2013 – 2014 also helped to disbar Amu.
3. Judge Irwin J. Solganick. In November 2004, Amu agreed to represent Majekodunmi to seek damages from Near South Health Center in Chicago ("NSHC") and Cook County for its alleged failure to timely diagnose Majekodunmi's cancer. During June 5, 2009, hearing before the Hon. Irwin J. Solganick, attorneys for the defendants moved to strike Amu’s May 26, 2009 requests for admission, which was approved by Solganick. According to Amu, 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 . . . 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. . recently sentenced to prison for sophisticated fraud, kickbacks." "All Judge Solganick saw before him was a black lawyer 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”"Plaintiff is however entitled to a fair and an impartial trial. Corruption within the system prevented that from happening." All Amu statements are true.
Judge Irwin J. Solganick way to the bench is publicly known as “Sulski-Solganick Stunt” where Judge Sulski passed his judicial seat to Solganick at the last moment and rigged the election. Solganick’s Petitions were signed by then-Vdrlyak’s law Associate, Ron Blagojevich who is currently serving in jail for corruption. Judge Solganick’s court practices were widely criticized in case filed by a well-connected banker Scott George against his wife, Maria George. Mrs. George’s lawyer stated that Judge Solganick failed to disclose his personal connections with banker George’s lawyers; personally redacted evidence presented by Maria George. She claimed that her husband bragged that he can bribe a judge. I have personal experience in Judge Solganick Court when on October 20, 2014 he denied my Motion to Sever my case from corruptly consolidated by Judge Hogan (who received $4,450.00 from my Defendant’s lawyers) with defamations claim filed by my Defendants. Judge Solganick, who had personal connections with my Defendants, which he never disclosed to me and denied my Motion without even reading it. It was a corrupt use of judicial power by a corrupt judge.
Judge Francis J. Dolan. In 2002, Amu agreed to represent Muda J. Jaji to seek civil damages from Exedus Lounge. Judge Dolan made a ruling adverse to Jaji in case number 02 M1 302382,Amu filed a petition for substitution of Judge Dolan for cause. In the Petition Amu said”Dolan is a very sophisticated scam artist judge. The defendant insurance company . . . had Judge Dolan in their corner doing their bidding. Judge Dolan placed himself above the law in his courtroom and he became the law himself. Judge Dolan is an unfair and biased judge. Judge Dolan has no regard for honesty in briefing before him. He invites dishonesty in briefing so as to use the dishonesty as his vehicle to reach biased rulings. He has no regard for procedural due process he will take actions to reach his end even when those actions are not authorized by any law he must abide with as a judge. [Judge Dolan] had no sense of fairness and he was in fact biased towards plaintiff and plaintiff's counsel and in favor of defendant's insurance attorneys. Judge Dolan had an unwritten relationship with the defendant insurance attorney. “ All Amu statements are true.
The exactly the same allegations against Judge Francis were made by ProSe Yongping Zhou in case 03-M1-159148. “In 2005, the case came into the hands of Judge Francis Dolan who was very unfair and hostile toward me openly in court on many occasions. (Judge Francis Dolan always arranged my case as the last one, so that there was no other people inside courtroom 1503 when my case was being heard)”.“I had no idea why Judge Francis Dolan was so unfair to me until I got the evidence in September 2006 about 3 weeks before the trial. This evidence showed he (Judge Francis Dolan) had improper ex-parte communications with opposing council's Attorney Stephen Tyma.[4] “Other misconduct of Judge Francis Dolan in my case include things like illegally confiscating 1.5 feet height documents, returned back to me by a civil rights group, allowing Atty. Scott Pollock to be absent from hearings despite subpoenas and not allowing my two witnesses to testify in the trial even though I listed them in my Intake Form For Trial from the beginning. I filed my Motion To Disqualify Judge Francis Dolan in September 2006 just before the trial. Judge Francis Dolan refused to hear it in open court and threatened to throw me into jail if I insisted it be heard in front of bailiff and court staff. Judge Evans wrote me twice to ask a lower chief Judge Wright Jr. to take over the proceedings, but Judge Wright Jr. never took any action.”
I am not surprised. I had exactly the same experience with Judge Dolan’s crony and a classmate, Judge Robert E. Senechalle, Jr. who obstructed justice, criminally concealed material evidence from my case records; failed to disclose his family connection with my opponents lawyers; and repeatedly threatened me with jail time if I oppose his unlawful verdict. I have all reasons to believe that Judge Francis J. Dolan, a well-connected lawyer who In October, 1999 was appointed by the IL Supreme Court to the Office of Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, helped his long-time crony Robert E. Senechalle, Jr to obtain a judicial seat. Worth to mention, Dolan was re-elected in 2006 but suddenly retired from the bench in 2009; or exactly when his crony’s, Robert E. Senechalle, Jr. 4-years judicial assignment expired.
Without any doubt all Amu’s statements about Judges Chiola, Egan, Solganick and Dolan corruption and dishonest judicial practices were true; and ARDC accusations against lawyer Amu were false and defamatory.
Moreover, ARDC Administrator Jerome Larkin, who falsely accused lawyer Amu, is himself a part of corrupt political machine; has close ties with IL Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s father Michael Madigan who regularly helps his cronies to obtain judicial seats.
Lawyer Amu’s statements revealed only a small tip of a huge iceberg of rampant judicial corruption – on all levels of Illinois Court system – which requires a Special Review and Honest Investigation by an independent, out-of-State of Illinois authorities, particularly by FBI and Department of Justice.
I respectfully request IL Supreme Court and ARDC to reinstate Lanre O. Amu legal license; compensate him for loss of income; and pay him damages in the amount of $35 million which is reasonable and fair to disgorge others from similar conduct; and protect Freedom of Speech and other civil rights to lawyers who are not afraid to expose judicial corruption.
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[1] “ by using his state government contacts, Chiola [.] gave[.] assistance in the still-ongoing campaign for adding “sexual orientation” to the Illinois Human Rights Act. He was then general counsel of the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, and he helped persuade Governor Jim Edgar to attend an Equality Illinois [.]cocktail reception on the eve of the bill’s vote in the state House of Representatives. The next day, the bill passed the House for the first time. http://chicagolgbthalloffame.
[2] “Over the years, Chiola has worked with his contacts in state government” http://outhistory.org/
1. [3] Edward Egan was elected as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1964 and was appointed to the Appellate Court by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1972. Mr. Egan joined the Cook County state's attorney's office in 1951 as an assistant state's attorney, leaving briefly in 1958 before returning as first assistant state's attorney under Daniel Ward in 1960. In 1983, Mr. Egan was appointed to ARDC
[4] http://caught.net/cases/zhou.
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