Horizon Farms still closed; former owners ask U.S. Supreme Court to intervene
The former owners of Horizon Farms in Barrington Hills say they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their lawsuit against the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, after the Illinois Supreme Court declined without comment to hear the case this week.
Richard Kirk Cannon and Meryl Squires Cannon claimed the forest district illegally acquired the 400-acre estate they once owned in a 2009 foreclosure.
The lawsuit - one of multiple suits filed in relation to Horizon Farms - argues the forest preserve district didn't have legal standing to complete the $14.5 million sale because the Cannons were in the midst of trying to get the property out of foreclosure.
As the Illinois Supreme Court will not hear the case, the state appellate court's May ruling in favor of the forest preserve district is the prevailing opinion - unless the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to take the case.
A lower court in 2014 also ruled in the forest preserve district's favor.
When the Cannons owned the estate, it was a horse racing operation, with 20 horse paddocks, several barns and a training racetrack. The property had a main house, a guesthouse, a bunk house, a staff apartment building and duplex.
The forest preserve district opened Horizon Farms to the public early in the summer, with about four miles of multi-use trails. The southern area of the property was made off-limits because it had the buildings on it, forest district officials have said.
Horizon Farms was closed to the public last Friday by a Cook County judge reacting to a different lawsuit, one that claims the forest preserve district breached a lease that the former owners had with a management company.
The lease grants the management company, Royalty Farms LLC, "exclusive right to use the leased property (Horizon Farms) for pasturing, training, breeding, noncompetitive showing, riding and stabling of horses." The judge ruled that Horizon Farms be closed down until further court action.
Jim Messineo, an attorney for Royalty Farms, said once the forest preserve district acquired the estate through foreclosure, it locked up Royalty Farms' equipment, tore down thousands of dollars' worth of fencing and opened the farm to the public. Horses still on the property were disturbed by park guests who ignored the posted signs telling them the southern section of the property was off-limits.
According to Messineo, Royalty Farms consists of Meryl Squires Cannon, a few investors from Florida and several employees who take care of the horses at Horizon Farms.
Representatives for the Cook County Forest Preserve District could not be reached for comment Friday. Earlier in the week, spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said the forest preserve district was disappointed with the judge's decision to close Horizon Farms pending more investigation, but said they will work through the court process to come to a resolution.
No court date in the Cook County case has been scheduled.