• Got a tip?
  • Contact Us
  • Laws-Forms-Info
Menu
  • Got a tip?
  • Contact Us
  • Laws-Forms-Info
  • In The News
  • Gov Plates
  • Live Video
Menu
  • In The News
  • Gov Plates
  • Live Video

Support
Our Mission

Support Our Mission

login

January 16, 2021

College of DuPage, DuPage County, feature

Watchdogs sue College of DuPage in 12-Count public records lawsuit -

BY JOHN KRAFT & KIRK ALLEN

ON April 3, 2015

College of DuPage (ECWd) -

When a public body continuously and strategically circumvents the law, sometimes the only to way assert the statutory right of access to public records is to file a lawsuit. That is what happened today in DuPage Circuit Court. Case number 2015-CH-637.

Of the several Plaintiffs in this action are the Edgar County Watchdogs, American Transparency, Kirk Allen and John Kraft. This comes after months of dropped deadlines, incomplete information, improper denials, attempts to have public financial records sealed by the Court, complaints to the Attorney General, findings from the Attorney General stating COD violated the law, and this college still tries to hide and manipulate public records to keep the public from seeing them.

This was a 12- Count Complaint under the Freedom of Information Act and was filed after becoming exhausted with COD's system of secrets.

Of the records requested were:

- the financial information used to support the slideshow presented by college staff during the February meeting
- emails to and from Dr. Breuder's email account
- copies of legal invoices
- various receipts
- police reports

All of the above are public records and are required to be produced under FOIA.

Is this the new tactic of COD and their PR firm? "Balanced" information delivery?

From the compliant:
“In recent months, COD has been barraged by negative publicity regarding its management practices and its use of taxpayer funds.  Much of that publicity has been generated by not-for-profit “whistleblower” organizations, such as the Edgar County Watchdogs and OpenTheBooks.com, American Transparency.

In an apparent effort to halt further public scrutiny, COD has begun violating FOIA requests to prevent those entities from obtaining documents.  In many instances, COD has simply refused to respond to valid FOIA requests.  In other instances, COD has improperly withheld many of the requested public documents.  Perhaps most troubling of all, COD has a practice of misleadingly backdating its responses to FOIA requests to make them appear timely, when they are not.   In short, COD has been flouting the law.”

Our legal counsel is Rathje Woodward Attorneys at Law in Wheaton, IL.  The same law firm that successfully won the re-vote of the Breuder severance package and larger room case on the Open Meetings Act violations from January, which resulted in more than 500 citizens attending the meeting. Our lawyers are Timothy Elliott, ESQ;  Charles Philbrick, ESQ; and Jordan Franklin, ESQ.

Daily Herald reported on this (here)(subscription may be required).

[gview file="https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-CH-637-COD-Complaint.pdf" save="1"]

Help Us Keep Shining The Light On Local Governments

Share This
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Like This
[fblike]
Related

DuPage County Clerk signed anti-transparency contract with Dominion Voting Systems – Dominion encouraged County to resist disclosure of information

January 15, 2021

What Happens When No One Runs For Elective Office?

January 14, 2021

Watchdogs sue Chicago Police Department for body cam footage, incident reports –

January 14, 2021
No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Related

DuPage County Clerk signed anti-transparency contract with Dominion Voting Systems – Dominion encouraged County to resist disclosure of information

January 15, 2021

What Happens When No One Runs For Elective Office?

January 14, 2021

Watchdogs sue Chicago Police Department for body cam footage, incident reports –

January 14, 2021
No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

  • Got a tip?
  • Laws-Forms-Info
  • In The News
  • Gov Plates
  • Live Video
  • Facebook