The owner of a Norridge home owes nearly $500,000 in fines for property maintenance violations he has been issued since 2006, according to Cook County court documents.
The village of Norridge sued the homeowner, Kenneth J. Shivers, on claims that he has failed to maintain property at 4420 N. Ozanam Ave. that he inherited from his deceased parents, according to the lawsuit.
In the case, filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County’s chancery division in October 2015, the village is asking a judge to issue a foreclosure of judgment lien against Shivers, who lives on the 5800 block of North Leland Avenue in Chicago.
Shivers and an attorney from Johnson and Colmar, the village’s law firm, were in court for a settlement hearing Aug. 31, where Cook County Judge Kathleen M. Pantle continued the proceedings to Oct. 6, according to court documents. Mark Chester, an attorney for the village, said the house was heavily damaged in a fire, and it hasn’t been occupied in years.
“The house has been in his family, but he doesn’t live there. And we won’t let anyone live there because of the condition of the property,” Chester said. “There was a fire there several years ago, and it hasn’t been cleaned up since.”
Shivers, who did not return a message seeking comment, has been issued numerous property maintenance violations between 2006 and 2015, according to court documents that show the fines have accrued to $495,125. The village submitted the judgment orders that have been issued to Shivers during the past decade to support its case for a foreclosure of judgment lien, according to the court documents.
“The pending action is to foreclose on the property by taking it away from Shivers and having it go to the village,” Chester said. “I can’t speak to the village’s intent for the property.”
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
