Union County judge schedules Oct. 5 meeting for Duckworth suit

A month after their deadline to submit a settlement agreement, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth and two downstate women whose suit against her goes back to 2007 are scheduled to be back in court Oct. 5.

Union County Judge Mark Boie has scheduled a conference to try and settle the workplace retaliation case the two filed against Duckworth when she was head of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Christine Butler and Denise Goins, workers at the Anna Veterans home, claimed Duckworth violated state ethics laws by disciplining them after they spoke out against their bosses. Duckworth denies treating the employees unfairly.

Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk of Highland Park has seized upon the case in his nationally watched race for re-election against Duckworth, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates.

A settlement was announced in June, but Goins and Butler later said they were insulted by the Duckworth campaign referring to the suit as “a frivolous workplace case. ” They said their attorney told them they weren't committed to the settlement until the papers were signed. Goins and Butler now say they want more than the reported $26,000 in the original agreement and want to remove a statement that there was no wrongdoing by Duckworth.

The Illinois attorney general's office, which represents Duckworth, considers the June settlement to be final.