Supporters of Palatine Stables file second lawsuit

A group of citizens who want to save the Palatine Stables filed a second lawsuit to stop the Palatine Park District from closing the facility near Northwest Highway and Dundee Road by Nov. 30.

The new suit in Cook County is seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to prevent the closure.

The first hearing took place Friday in Cook County. It is continued until Oct. 2.

The group is questioning the park district's authority to demolish the property. Additionally, the suit raises concerns about the treatment of the horses.

The first lawsuit was based on allegations of Open Meetings Act violations. Advocates have maintained the park board failed to give adequate notice of the vote to close the stables and that the agenda item listed did not clearly describe the board’s action. The board wound up taking a second vote to affirm their earlier decision, out of concern for a possible violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Since the park board’s decision May 13, park board meetings have been crammed with people pleading with commissioners to change their decision, citing the impact on children who use the programs, especially those with special needs.

“These people want their voices to be heard,” the group’s attorney, James Vasselli, said. “They don’t think that they are being heard.”

He said the group is especially concerned about three older horses, Charlie, Renny and Yeller. They cannot be sent to a sanctuary and, advocates said, the district will not pay for their retirement. They are now in danger, they said.

The park district issued a statement saying that legal counsel is working to address the lawsuit, adding that “park district staff remain focused on caring for the horses and preparing to relocate the stable’s resident animals to new homes before the end of November.”

The statement said “the welfare of the horses, the age and poor condition of the stable facility and findings from two recent engineering studies detailing the deteriorating structure” were strongly considered in the vote to close the stables.

District officials also lamented the cost to taxpayers to defend the lawsuit they argue challenges their “authority” to make these decisions.