Vernon Hills woman has to eliminate cat odors

A Vernon Hills woman was given 45 days to abate what were described as noxious odors emanating from her home, a Lake County judge ruled Monday.

Village officials then will have two weeks to “inspect, check or make sure,” Lisa Sliwa is in compliance with village ordinances regarding the odors of urine and feces, Judge Luis A. Berrones ruled after a daylong bench hearing.

Berrones noted the testimony of several witnesses, including police officers, neighbors and village workers, describing an offensive odor was consistent and outweighed Sliwa's contention that she couldn't detect any odor.

“I think it's a question of having lived with it for so long you are not capable of identifying it,” Berrones said. “You very well may have become sensitized.”

At issue are continuing complaints to the village of cat urine or ammonia-like odors emanating from Sliwa's home in the Stone Fence Farm subdivision.

“I can't use my deck, can't open my windows. It's very foul,” testified Elaina Karigan, a next-door neighbor.

“There are some days it's hard to go to the mail box,” said Cassandra Horvath, who lives across the street from Sliwa.

In his closing argument, Patrick Brankin, an attorney representing the village, said neighbors didn't have an ax to grind.

“They just want their neighborhood to be a nice neighborhood where they can go outside their house and not be subjected to an onslaught ... this odor in the neighborhood needs to be resolved.”

Village officials were seeking a court order to inspect the home. The judge's ruling applies to the interior and exterior.

Defense attorney John W. Quinn sought a motion to dismiss the case, saying the village did not follow its own rules by sending Sliwa a “proper” notice to abate the odor.

“They didn't proceed to abate the nuisance themselves,” he said. “Instead, they filed this suit.”

Brankin said three letters were sent by the village to get Sliwa to come into compliance, but she did not act.

Berrones did dismiss one of the counts, saying there was insufficient evidence for the village to assess fines against Sliwa.

The neighbors and village were concerned based on past circumstances of animal hoarding. Animal control workers in late 2004 removed an estimated 130 cats and other animals from Sliwa's home.

While there was a lull for a time after the home was cleaned up, the odors have resurfaced, neighbors testified.

“The smell was just as bad as what we're smelling now,” Karigan said.

Sliwa has lived in the home for 20 years. Testifying in her own defense, she chronicled family and financial troubles under questioning from Quinn.

She told of a Vernon Hills police officer coming to her home in 2004.

“I told him I was in over my head. I needed help. I agreed I would voluntarily surrender the animals,” Sliwa testified.

She continued that she has “made a point to really read the (village) code ever since then.”

Sliwa said she has two dogs and a cat, which does not exceed the village limit of three animals.

“My only objective today was for them (village officials) to get in,” Sliwas's house, Karigan said after the proceeding.