Because the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board investigates highly effective Prepare dinner County Choose E. Kenneth Wright Jr. for claiming improper property tax exemptions in Will County, a brand new Injustice Watch examination raises moral questions on Wright’s Chicago property holdings.
The investigation revealed Wright obtained 4 properties by means of the estates of his former regulation shoppers, generally serving as a beneficiary and an executor of the estates. In two circumstances, information present, his lifeless former shoppers filed property tax appeals on property owned by Wright — yet one more than 20 years after the shopper’s dying.
Data additionally present Wright repeatedly didn’t disclose possession in a few of his Chicago properties in required ethics statements.
And now, two households of his now-deceased former shoppers have come ahead in interviews with Injustice Watch to assert Wright took benefit of his place of belief — in a single case, by allegedly participating in an excessively acquainted relationship with a regulation shopper earlier than she died, and within the different, allegedly betraying the needs of a longtime pal.
“He did this underhanded,” stated Deborah Elligan, 75, the daughter-in-law of deceased Wright shopper Lydia Adams, who signed a will enabling Wright to purchase her residence at a reduction.
Wright, 83, declined quite a few requests to be interviewed and didn’t reply to detailed emails outlining the allegations on this report.
The loyal Democrat was tapped to develop into a decide in 1994 and rose to develop into a extremely revered presiding decide overseeing dozens of colleagues in Prepare dinner County Circuit Court docket’s First Municipal District. Earlier than becoming a member of the judiciary, he was a solo practitioner dealing with largely estates.
The investigation — which included 1000’s of pages of land and courtroom information, interviews with surviving family of his deceased former regulation shoppers, and session with authorized students who recommend the decide might have breached his moral obligations — revealed how little scrutiny Wright’s background and funds confronted as he rose to prominence within the Prepare dinner County judiciary.
This 12 months — as Wright confronted a retention vote within the Nov. 5 election — Injustice Watch flagged his residency battle throughout a routine background seek for its judicial election information. The search discovered Wright had a basic homestead exemption on his Joliet ranch home since at the least 2005, and one other senior citizen tax exemption on that property since 2018.
Officers on the Illinois Secretary of State additionally confirmed Wright’s drivers’ license has listed the identical Joliet handle since 1977. The Illinois Structure requires judges to dwell within the jurisdiction the place they serve, and state regulation permits householders to profit from tax exemptions solely on their principal residence.
Legislation professors who examined the details surrounding how Wright obtained his properties stated courts usually prohibit property legal professionals from participating in enterprise transactions with their shoppers as a result of such dealings recommend undue affect, monetary exploitation or even perhaps fraud.
“Anytime an property planning legal professional receives a considerable reward from a shopper’s will, it raises potential moral and authorized points,” stated Peter Wendel, a regulation professor at Pepperdine College. “An legal professional who engages in such conduct has quite a lot of explaining to do.”
One other Wright shopper, Elmer Scott, ran a Morgan Park ironmongery shop and owned a number of South Facet properties till his dying in 2006 at age 84. In the course of the Nineteen Nineties, information present Wright represented Scott in property and probate issues. However their friendship — and Wright’s authorized recommendation — continued after Wright turned a decide, in accordance with Rose Scott, 79, who’s Scott’s widow.
Rose Scott stated she adopted Wright’s steering as a result of she trusted her former husband’s pal and legal professional and was not sure methods to assert her rights in courtroom.
She stated she was shocked to be taught Wright took title to her husband’s former residence.
“Individuals with titles and positions are anticipated to do proper by others, however as quickly as his [Elmer Scott’s] eyes had been closed, this particular person begins raking in,” she stated.
In 2003, Prepare dinner County Circuit Court docket Chief Choose Timothy Evans appointed Wright because the presiding decide of Prepare dinner County’s First Municipal District, placing him in control of greater than 40 different judges in Chicago’s housing, evictions and small claims courts.
Following Injustice Watch’s preliminary October report on Wright’s residency battle, he informed main bar associations his Will County property tax exemptions had been inappropriate and he had moved to revoke them. Will County officers confirmed Wright had corrected the file and eradicated the exemptions.
The Illinois State Bar Affiliation and the Chicago Bar Affiliation suggested a “no” vote for Wright’s retention to the bench, and each teams are actually reviewing how they consider judges’ efficiency and health for workplace.
The battle almost value Wright his job, however he narrowly received retention within the November election.
To learn the total Injustice Watch investigation, please go right here.
Injustice Watch Reporter Kelly Garcia contributed.
