City welcomes ruling against E2 owners

Chicago city lawyers say they’re pleased with an Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling regarding two owners of a nightclub where 21 people were crushed to death in a 2003 stairwell stampede.

The high court Thursday reversed an appellate court’s decision that tossed the guilty verdicts and sentences for the E2 owners.

Dwain Kyles and Calvin Hollins were convicted in 2009 of indirect criminal contempt for disobeying a building court order to close the club’s upper level.

But the appellate court reversed those convictions in 2011. The city then appealed to the high court.

A city law department statement says the high court has now agreed that the owners did violate the order to close the upper level.

The Thursday statement adds, “But for those violations, this tragedy would not have occurred.”