In re W.R.

State: Illinois

Court: Illinois Southern District Court

Docket No: 3110179

Case Date: 03/12/2012

Preview:ILLINOIS OFFICIAL REPORTS
Appellate Court

In re W.R., 2012 IL App (3d) 110179

Appellate Court Caption

In re W.R., E.H., and V.R., Minors (The People of the State of Illinois, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Keisha C., Respondent-Appellee).

District & No.

Third District Docket No. 3-11-0179 March 12, 2012 In a neglect case based on allegations that respondent mother allowed a sex offender to pick up her children from day care and have unsupervised contact with them, the trial court properly granted the mother a new trial due to a per se conflict of interest arising from the discovery that one of the respondent-fathers was represented by an attorney who had mediated a prior family dispute between the father and respondent mother, since the mother had standing to seek a new trial based on the conflict of interest and a new trial was appropriate with regard to the children of all of the fathers, especially when the parties to the two cases were the same, the three-year gap between the cases was not long enough to preclude considering the cases being about the same matter, and under those circumstances, Rule 1.12(a) of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct applied. Appeal from the Circuit Court of Will County, Nos. 08-JA-200, 08-JA202, 08-JA-203; the Hon. Paula A. Gomora, Judge, presiding. Affirmed.

Filed Held
(Note: This syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader.)

Decision Under Review Judgment

Counsel on Appeal

James Glasgow, State's Attorney, of Joliet (Terry A. Mertel and Gary F. Gnidovec, both of State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor's Office, of counsel), for the People. Gregory M. Reeder, of Steven H. Mevorah & Associates, of Lombard, for appellee Keisha C. Stephanie Speakman, of Mokena, and Lea Drell, Assistant Public Defender, of Joliet, and Timothy McGrath, of Manhattan, for appellee Wallace Rowe, Sr. Victoria McKay Kennison, of Law Office of Edward R. Jaquays, of Joliet, for appellee Mark Hendrix. Neil J. Adams, of Joliet, for appellee Vincent Robinson. Edward P. Graham, of Law Offices of Edward P. Graham, of Naperville, guardian ad litem.

Panel

JUSTICE HOLDRIDGE delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices O'Brien and Wright concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

Download 3110179.pdf