Judge tosses Kane tax lawsuit

A Kane County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by five property owners who say they overpaid their taxes for several years due to erroneous assessments and missed tax exemptions.

Judge Judith Brawka ruled March 9 that the plaintiffs failed to apply for the exemptions until 2009 and had not received certificates of error for the tax bills in question. As a result, the county was not obligated to issue refunds dating to 2005, as the plaintiffs had requested, she ruled.

St. Charles attorney Tim Dwyer, who represents the plaintiffs and has filed similar complaints in DeKalb, DuPage, and Kendall counties, said he is awaiting an appellate court ruling in an earlier case before deciding whether to appeal this one.

Dwyer said his clients collectively overpaid thousands of dollars in taxes, either because their assessments were wrong, or they were unaware of exemptions they were entitled to, including a homestead exemption that is available to anyone who lives on the property being taxed.

He believes it might be a statewide problem.

"One person alone isn't always that much, but what if it's a thousand over four years," he said. "The complaint is about making sure the taxpayer gets an accurate tax bill."

Disorder in court: If you like legal drama, you might need look no farther than Courtroom 305 in the Judicial Center in St. Charles for your next fix.

It seems Judge T. Jordan Gallagher has been down on his luck lately, with defendants falling over - and even smacking their lawyers - in his courtroom on separate occasions.

The Rev. Alejandro Flores was the first to make a scene this month when he collapsed March 17 while in the courtroom on charges he sexually assaulted a St. Charles boy.

Five days later, Aurora murder suspect Quentin Moore decked his attorney, Ronald Dolak, as prospective jurors were being interviewed for his trial. Regular courthouse visitors will probably agree, this sort of stuff does little to help the position that real court is nothing like "Law & Order."

Senior safety: Kane County seniors can get a free lesson in SWAT teams and emergency response next month during a seminar at Delnor Hospital in Geneva. Central Kane County TRIAD is sponsoring a Senior Safety Academy from 9 a.m. to noon April 21 in the 351 Building, 300 Randall Road. Reservations are required.

Speakers will include representatives of the Citizens Emergency Response Team and the county's SWAT team, who will talk about the roles of their organizations and discuss emergency preparedness. There also will be raffle prizes.

To sign up, call the Geneva Township office at (630) 232-3602.