O'Hare battle continues in appeals court

Lawyers for Chicago and Bensenville this morning disputed the fate of about 600 properties in the village that could be razed to make way for O'Hare International Airport expansion depending on how appeals court justices rule.

The city is seeking to build six parallel runways and a western terminal at O'Hare and has bought a section of homes and businesses on Bensenville's northeast side to extend the airport's footprint.

This summer, DuPage County Judge Kenneth Popejoy lifted an injunction preventing demolitions following a court case on the environmental impact of teardowns.

Bensenville took the issue to the 2nd District Appellate Court arguing the health risks were significant.

"There's no evidence to support that the control program proposed by Chicago will protect the health of Bensenville residents," village attorney Joseph Karaganis said.

Chicago attorney Benna Solomon countered, "the city's experts clearly found nothing on the site that's unusual, nothing that cannot be managed without adequate controls."

The three justices hearing the appeal did not make any decisions today.