Former Board of Review employee claims libel

A former Cook County Board of Review employee filed a libel and defamation suit Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court against assessor candidate Commissioner Forrest Claypool and his campaign.

Victor Santana filed the chancery suit against Claypool, Citizens for Claypool and campaign manager Tom Bowen charging that a post on the campaign's joeberrios.com website was "factually inaccurate."

The Claypool campaign has used the site to embarrass Board of Review Commissioner Joseph Berrios, the Democratic nominee for assessor, and to bolster Claypool's independent candidacy. Republican Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall and Robert Grota of the Green Party are also seeking the office.

Santana took issue with a post implicating him in an investigation into charges that state Rep. Paul Froelich, an Arlington Heights Democrat, used his influence to get assessment appeals lowered before the Board of Review.

According to the suit, contrary to the story, Santana "was not named in any grand-jury subpoena nor was he the subject of any grand-jury subpoena at any time."

The suit also points out Santana has previously filed a federal civil-rights suit against Berrios and five other defendants charging racketeering and First Amendment violations.

Bowen called the suit "a frivolous action," saying, "As we've made clear to Mr. Santana and his attorneys, we quoted and linked to the media sources detailing his involvement."

The five-count suit charges defamation and libel and seeks in excess of $50,000 in damages on each count.