Shelby Co., Ill. (ECWd) –
According to the Federal Court docket, Shelby County, along with its contracted health care provider for the jail, Advanced Correctional Healthcare Inc., has settled the lawsuit brought by former jail inmate Nicholas Banning.
A “Stipulation to Dismiss” was filed in the case on 4/25/2025.
“Plaintiff Nicholas Banning, by his attorneys, Louis Meyer and Amanda Yarusso, the Shelby County Defendants, by their attorney Ryan Bradley, and Defendant Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc., by its attorney Peter Jenetten, having reached a settlement and agreement as to all claims and parties, hereby stipulate to the dismissal of this case, with prejudice, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41.”
The court issued its judgment on 4/28/2025.
“IT IS ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Plaintiff Nicholas Banning’s action against Defendants Shelby County, Don Koonce, Advanced Correctional Healthcare Inc., Cwenton Williams, Tonya Atteberry, Devon Durbin, Megan Warner, Melissa Haynes, Brandon Gatton, Chris Zakowski, Daine Burkhead, and Brian McReynolds is dismissed with prejudice by Stipulation of the parties; Defendant Sean McQueen was dismissed 3/22/2022; and Defendants Kelly Adams and Jacqueline Clayton were dismissed 3/13/2025. Dated: 4/28/2025″ (Order at this link.)
We have requested a copy of the settlement agreement and will publish it if and when it’s provided by the County.
Anyone who has not followed this case would be well served to read the first article and the amended complaint to grasp the magnitude of malfeasance that took place in the Shelby County Jail under former Sheriff Don Koonce.
While we suspect a substantial financial payout will be part of the settlement, those responsible will never be held accountable for their actions in the matter.
Koonce, while sheriff, racked up a laundry list of malfeasance, for which there has been zero accountability.
- Electioneering using County resources. article here
- Receiving compensation beyond that set by law. article here
- Destruction of records tied to a forensic audit of payroll. article here
- Providing false information to the forensic auditor regarding electronic payroll records. article here
- Selling seized weapons to himself, deputies, and sheriff employees in direct violation of long-established law. article here
- Mysterious gun shuffle inventory after exposure of illegal gun sales. article here
- Gun sale math doesn’t add up. article here
- Payroll malfeasance involving over 11,808 hours of paid time that was never worked by employees. article here.
All of the above took place during former State’s Attorney Gina Vonderheide’s term in office, the county’s legal adviser. Her self-imposed pay raise beyond that set by law resulted in an interest-free loan. A repayment plan was the fix rather than accountability for violating the law. article here
These are just a few snippets of information as to why we say laws don’t matter in Shelby County. When public officials’ legal advisers don’t know, ignore, or break the law, there will be no accountability. article here
We note that Vonderheide is back at the Shelby County courthouse as an Assistant State’s Attorney.
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