Palatine sued by Elmwood Park woman after attack by dogs that were kicked out of town

Attorneys for an Elmwood Park woman have filed suit against the village of Palatine, blaming the village for an attack by two dogs that were kicked out of the Northwest suburb - but not euthanized - following a similar mauling about three months earlier.

Attorneys Michael Schostok and Brian Salvi filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of 48-year-old Aneta Heinz, who was walking her 4-year-old retriever mix Aug. 20 when two dogs escaped a backyard and ran across the street toward them. Heinz and her dog were knocked to the ground and injured, her lawyers say. The dog's owner, Meleina Teodoro, has been cited.

The Chicago attorneys already represent Palatine residents Amanda Ingram and Chase Braun, who also were injured by Teodoro's Akita mix and an American pit bull mix on May 24. Ingram's dog died and Braun's dog was injured in the attack on Washington Street in Palatine.

A Palatine representative reached by phone Friday said the village would not comment further on the matter at this time. In a news release issued Tuesday, Palatine officials said they sought the most stringent outcome that was supported by the law and local ordinances at the time of the dog bites, including criminal charges, which are pending.

In the lawsuit documents filed Friday, Heinz's lawyers claim Palatine officials had the opportunity to euthanize the dogs but didn't, and then failed to check where the dogs went and what safety precautions were being taken after they left town. The lawsuit calls for the village to pay monetary damages for the physical and emotional injuries Heinz suffered.