Grafton Trustees vs. Supervisor, now $400,000+

The following press release was received from Grafton Township.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release on June 6, 2012

Please contact Linda Moore, Grafton Township Supervisor, 1-847-669-3328 or Attorney John Nelson at 1-815-964-8800 with any questions.

GRAFTON TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES

ADDICTED TO LEGAL FEES

Supervisor Linda Moore said today that the Grafton Township Trustees, Rob LaPorta, Betty Zirk, Barbara Murphy, and Gerald McMahon appear to be addicted to spending taxpayer monies for legal fees. 

Supervisor Moore clarified there is only one lawsuit pending between her and the trustees.  That lawsuit started when Moore was unlawfully evicted from her township office while the township board tried to usurp her duties by the unlawful appointment of a town administrator, Pam Fender.  Those problems were aggravated by the failure of Attorney Keri Lynn Krafthefer to leave when Supervisor Moore fired her.

Judge Michael Caldwell ruled in Moore’s favor on all of those issues.  The total cost of the litigation to date is $400,426.00. Of that amount, $347,194.28 was paid to the trustees’ attorneys and $53,231.72 was paid to Supervisor Moore’s attorney.  “Why are they appealing every order Judge Caldwell entered against them?” Supervisor Moore asked.  The attorneys’ fees on appeal will be astronomical. 

Moore clarified that her current petition and motion are filed in the existing lawsuit and are directed at further attempts by the trustees to do her job.  “Keep in mind,” Moore said, “…the trustees have filed these same kinds of motions against me in the case already.  The fees in these straight forward requests will be much more reasonable than the trustee’s appeal,” Moore added.

“I am raising issues that the cancelling of a township credit card has no basis other than harassment,” Moore opined.  “You only need to watch one of our meetings online to get a flavor of the abuse I receive at the hands of the trustees.  Why else do they refuse to pay for the Huntley Police to be there?” Moore asked.

“They say I am too tough and unbending, “Moore said.  My answer is that I stopped the waste of taxpayer’s monies of $5 million plus, for an unnecessary new town hall.  If I was not this tough Trustee Gerry McMahon’s screaming and the board’s monkey shines would have driven me from office long ago.  I am not going anywhere.”