Kane County board OKs funds for lawsuit

The Kane County Board on Tuesday voted to set aside $700,000 for legal fees associated with its lawsuit against the companies involved in installing the Judicial Center's faulty roof.

The four-year-old case is expected to head to trial in March. The money will come out of the county's general and legal services funds.

The case has already cost the county nearly $470,000 in litigation expenses.

In 2003, the county sued six companies involved in building the lead-based roof after discovering that water dripping off the roof contaminated nearby land in St. Charles Township.

The suit, now working its way through the 16th Judicial Circuit, seeks millions of dollars to recoup the cost of replacing the roof and cleaning up the adjacent retention pond. One company has since been dismissed from the lawsuit.

A settlement with four of the companies could be approved by a judge this month, Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said.

McConnaughay said county officials hope to reach a settlement with the remaining company, Hussey Copper Ltd., next year.

The county has spent more than $5 million to replace the roof and remediate the property.

The new roof is made of galvanized steel and painted with a gray finish to mirror the roof on the neighboring Juvenile Justice Center, built in 1997. The Judicial Center was built in 1993.