State's attorney candidate sues to remove radio ad

An attorney for Cook County state's attorney candidate Howard Brookins will appear in court today, trying to have what he says is a slanderous radio ad removed from the airways.

Brookins charges that the ad, paid for by the Cook County Democratic Women's Committee -- an organization based in Will County -- falsely accuses him of not paying child support.

The ad urges voters to instead back another Cook County state's attorney candidate, Larry Suffredin.

Suffredin said he's heard the ad but did not design its content. However, he admitted he has appeared at campaign stops with Cook County Democratic Women's Committee Chairwoman Rikki Jones and said he did not hear anything misleading in the ad.

Brookins earlier in the campaign responded to charges from another Cook County state's attorney candidate, Anita Alvarez, regarding the child support issue. Alvarez said court records showed Brookins was slow to pay child support and reluctant to pay for medical expenses.

Brookins said the accusations were simply the result of an acrimonious divorce and that he has always paid for health insurance for his child. The dispute about health care was over whether he should pay for expenses when his ex-wife took the child to an out-of-network provider.

Brookins' attorney will appear in court today at 9:30 a.m. in Cook County circuit court's chancery division to try to force the ad off the air.