Steve Schmadeke

Attorney Joel Brodsky speaks at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Jan. 30, 2016.

Drew Peterson’s ex-attorney appealing $50,000 fine, anger management order

May 24, 2019 at 1:18 a.m.

Convicted killer Drew Peterson's former attorney will appeal after a federal judge slapped him with a $50,000 fine and ordered him to undergo anger management training for his scorched-earth tactics...

With settlement of jilted spouse’s lawsuit, an archaic law nears a quiet end

December 14, 2018 at 5:22 p.m.

One of Illinois' most archaic laws took a step closer to legal oblivion in a Cook County courtroom this week when a $4 million lawsuit brought by the wife of...

The casket containing the body of rapper Shaquon "Young Pappy" Thomas arrives at St. Andrews Temple Baptist Church in Chicago on June 9, 2015. He was killed after posting a video making fun of rival gangs, police said.

Illinois courts clash: Does limiting juvenile offenders’ social media use step on free speech?

May 23, 2019 at 5:38 a.m.

When it came time to sentence the teen convicted in a South Side armed robbery, a Cook County juvenile court judge imposed what has become a common restriction in the...

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and challenger Bob Fioretti, a former Chicago alderman, before the Tribune Editorial Board on Jan. 24, 2018, in Chicago.

Cook County Board President Preckwinkle easily wins primary despite pop tax uproar

May 15, 2019 at 9:48 p.m.

Easily beating back a challenger who sought to capitalize on the soda tax debacle, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle claimed victory Tuesday night over former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti...

The Cook County Jail at 26th Street and Sacramento Avenue in Chicago.

In a twist, Cook County wins $9 million verdict tied to jail strip-search settlement

May 23, 2019 at 5:38 a.m.

Cook County has won a $9 million jury verdict against an insurance company whose alleged screw-ups cost the county millions in a massive federal lawsuit over jail strip searches. The...

Jury awards $1.2 million to man shot in back by Chicago police during traffic stop

May 23, 2019 at 5:30 a.m.

A West Side man shot during a 2011 traffic stop as a teen by a Chicago police officer has been awarded $1.2 million by a Cook County jury. Attorneys for...

Two children who went missing after mom was slain in Markham are found safe, police said

May 31, 2019 at 9:07 p.m.

Nearly two days of heartbreak and anxiety ended with a measure of relief Thursday afternoon, when two toddlers who went missing in the south suburbs after their mother was fatally...

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, left, speaks with 12th Ward Ald. George Cardenas before a news conference at the Department of Corrections on Nov. 30, 2016, in Chicago. Taxpayers are on the hook for millions in the wake of Dart's disciplinary board firings.

$70 million and counting? Cook County taxpayers face massive tab for sheriff board firings

May 23, 2019 at 5:35 a.m.

Former Cook County correctional officer Daniel Robinson was in uniform when he allegedly groped and kissed an underage girl in 2013, according to court and final disciplinary records. Jamie O’Malley,...

John "Jay" Loos, of Schaumburg, was hit in the left eye by a baseball at Wrigley Field on Aug. 29, 2017. He sued Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs, but a Cook County judge dropped the Cubs from the lawsuit on March 7, 2018.

Cubs dropped as defendant by suing fan blinded by foul ball at Wrigley; case against MLB continues

May 23, 2019 at 5:36 a.m.

The Chicago Cubs have been dismissed from a lawsuit filed against the team by a fan blinded by a foul ball at Wrigley Field, but the ruling by a Cook...

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart speaks at a news conference at the Cook County Department of Corrections on Nov. 15, 2016.

Laid-off jail bosses sue sheriff, say he kept acupuncturist for inmates — but Dart denies it

May 23, 2019 at 5:34 a.m.

Seventeen former Cook County Jail commanders laid off amid budget cuts late last year are suing onetime boss Sheriff Tom Dart and other county leaders, alleging the firings were retaliation...

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