La Grange, Metra Sued in 2012 Fatal Train/Car Crash

The wrongful-death lawsuit alleges that the Gilbert Avenue crossing gates trapped the 57-year-old Chicago woman's car on the tracks, leading to the crash.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday seeking more than $150,000 accuses Metra and the Village of La Grange of liability in the Feb. 2012 train-versus-car crash that killed a 57-year-old Chicago woman, the The Doings La Grange reports. According to the paper, the administrator to the estate of Maria G. Hinojosa is claiming negligence in the operation of the crossing gates and signals at Gilbert Avenue, where Hinojosa's car was struck by an eastbound Metra train. The suit claims that Hinojosa's car was trapped between the warning gates, the paper said. Such a claim contradicts a finding by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office that the crash was an intentional suicide. The train's conductor, who the paper said is also blamed in the lawsuit, has …

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Popular on Patch: Woman Sues Over Sex with Former La Grange Priest

The former member of St. Francis Xavier Parish alleges that her counselor at the church, an assisting priest, "coerced" her into a sexual relationship in 2003.

Woman Sues Over Sex with Former La Grange Priest

The former member of St. Francis Xavier Parish alleges that her counselor at the church, an assisting priest, "coerced" her into a sexual relationship in 2003.

In a seven-count, $300,000 suit filed against the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesuits, a former member of St. Francis Xavier Parish in La Grange is charging that she was "coerced" into sex acts by a priest at the church in 2003, The Doings La Grange reports. According to the paper, the "Jane Doe" plaintiff alleges that the priest, also a clinical psychologist and her counselor for depression, capitalized on her "emotional dependence" in order to manipulate her into a sexual relationship A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese told the paper she was unable to comment at the time, citing unfamiliarity with the suit; the Province could not be reached. Read the full story at the Doings La Grange website. Get …

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La Grange Teen's Fight for Equality

Backed by the Attorney General's Office and a disability rights advocacy group, Fenwick High School swimmer alleges in federal lawsuit the IHSA excludes her from competition.

Peppered by questions from TV and radio reporters, 16-year-old Mary Kate Callahan, of La Grange, calmly explained her rigorous training routines and the struggle to simply compete alongside her peers in state competitions. "I train just as hard as everyone else," the Fenwick High School junior said. "You know we put in just as much effort as everyone else." Callahan, wheelchair-bound because of a paralysis of her lower limbs, is named as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against the Illinois High School Association, the nonprofit regulating the interscholastic competitions across the state. The lawsuit, filed jointly by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Office and Equip for Equality, a Chicago-based advocacy group, alleges the IHSA …

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Litigation Over Gordon Park Not Stopping Sale Plans

The Park District has won the latest round in one of the court cases.

Another day brings another legal obstacle for the Park District of La Grange. Following the dismissal of Orlando Coryell’s challenge to the park district’s attempts to sell a 2.82 acre parcel of Gordon Park, Coryell told The Doings Newspaper he planned to take his case to the state Supreme Court. Patch was unable to contact Coryell concerning a possible appeal. So far though, that appeal has not been made. Rob Bush, the park district’s attorney, said he has not received anything indicating Coryell intends to take his case to the state’s highest court. Bush said any appeal will also depend on whether or not Coryell can find an attorney willing to take the case on a pro bono basis. “So far he’s survived by finding lawyers with nothing better…

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