Trial date nears in Mt. Prospect racketeering case

A long-standing legal battle between the village of Mount Prospect and a local business owner is set to go to trial next month in a federal courtroom.

The trial is scheduled to begin July 7 before U.S. District Court Judge John Lee, six years after the legal dispute began.

Tod Curtis, owner of Ye Olde Town Inn on Busse Avenue in downtown Mount Prospect, filed a civil racketeering lawsuit in 2008 that accused village officials and a local development company of conspiring to seize his land and move forward with a redevelopment plan without him. Curtis also alleged that the village conducted inspections of his property in retaliation for comments he'd made to local media. Village officials deny all of the allegations.

Several hearings and conference dates related to the case have been scheduled between now and July 7, including a status hearing set for Thursday, said Everette Hill, attorney for the village of Mount Prospect.

In addition, Lee is considering multiple pretrial motions filed by both sides. Depending on what happens at the hearing dates and with the motions, the trial date could change, Hill said.

Curtis filed the suit in the wake of efforts to redevelop the area of the downtown where his business is located - a section bounded by Route 83, Northwest Highway and Busse Avenue often referred to as "the small triangle."