Criminal
Murder
People of the State of Illinois v. L.S.
The Defendant was charged as the third co-Defendant in an alleged murder conspiracy. The co-Defendants pled guilty and were sentenced to 35 years and 47 years in prison. We filed motions to suppress the statement of the Defendant, to which the State acquiesced, and the case was thereinafter dismissed. The Defendant did not have to spend even one minute in prison.
Armed Robbery
People of the State of Illinois v. D.A.
When the Defendant came to Pugh and Payne, he had already been in the custody of the county jail for more than a year with two cases of Armed Robbery. The sentencing required mandatory consecutive sentences for the two cases, and the offer from the State was 12 years in the IDOC. After extensive pretrial negotiations with the State, and a pretrial conference with the Judge the Defendant received a time served offer and was discharged from these cases.
Narcotics Cases
People of the State of Illinois v. W.B.
The Defendant stood charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, potentially punishable by 15 years in the IDOC. Based upon exonerating evidence shown in a video, the case was dismissed in its entirety and the Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. J.F.
The Defendant stood charged with unlawful possession of drugs, and had priors for similar offenses. The State wanted jail time. Through a pretrial conference with the judge, the Defendant was able to avoid even a minute in jail by attending treatment.
People of the State of Illinois v. P.L.
The Defendant was charged with unlawful possession of drugs. We filed a motion to suppress on the basis that the search of the Defendant's room was illegal. The State acquiesced to the motion and dismissed the case outright. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
DUI
People of the State of Illinois v. M.G.
The Defendant stood charged with driving under the influence of drugs. Despite the fact that there was no lab work done of the Defendant's blood or urine, the State would not dismiss the case. The matter was set for bench trial. Prior to the first witness, the State dismissed the case. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. M.H.
The Defendant stood charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and child endangerment based upon her children being in the car while the alleged DUI occurred. The State offered a conviction on the child endangerment cases, and a significant fine and treatment on the DUI. The conviction threatened her ability to retain her license as well as her record. The matter went to bench trial wherein the Defendant was found not guilty, and discharged on both the DUI and the child endangerment cases. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. C.M.
The Defendant was charged with driving under the influence. We filed a motion to suppress on the basis that the police did not have the right to stop the Defendant's vehicle. Based on the motion, the State dismissed the DUI completely, and the Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. M.O.
The Defendant stood charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a breathalyzer reading over .14. The matter was set for trial on the basis that the State could not prove that the Defendant was driving at the time of the incident. Just prior to trial, the State dismissed the matter completely. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. R.V.
The Defendant was charged with felony driving under the influence on the basis that he did not have a valid license at the time of the stop. After a finding of no probable cause at the preliminary hearing, the officer lacked credibility. The Defendant was found not guilty after a trial, and did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Domestic Battery
People of the State of Illinois v. T.B.
The Defendant was charged with several counts of domestic battery arising out of an incident with his estranged former wife. The Defendant's Motion to Dismiss was granted after a lengthy contested hearing, and the matter was dismissed. The Defendant was discharged completely, and did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. S.B.
The Defendant had no priors. Through pretrial negotiations based on the lack of record of the Defendant, the matter was dismissed. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. G.N.
The Defendant stood charged with domestic battery. The matter was set for trial whereupon it was dismissed. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Aggravated Battery
People of the State of Illinois v. J.C.
The Defendant stood charged with aggravated battery. The State dismissed the matter after extensive pretrial negotiations based on the affirmative defense of self-defense. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. C.M.
The Defendant was charged with aggravated battery in a pure he said / she said case. The credibility of the complaining witness was very suspect. The matter was set for trial whereupon it was dismissed. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Theft of Property Cases
People of the State of Illinois v. A.F.
The Defendant stood charged with retail theft. The matter was set for trial whereupon the State dismissed the matter. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. A.K. and M.K.
Two co-defendants are charged with burglary from a motor vehicle. After extensive pretrial negotiations, the State agreed that the third co-Defendant was the more culpable party, and the felony was dismissed. The Defendant was able to avoid probation and did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. J.S.
The Defendant was charged with the theft of certain electronic equipment. Through pretrial discussions with the State, they agreed that they could not prove the matter beyond a reasonable doubt and the matter was dismissed in its entirety. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Fraudulent Identification Cases
People of the State of Illinois v. J.G.
The Defendant stood charged with the felony charge of unlawful possession of a fraudulent identification card. After extensive pretrial negotiations, the State agreed to dismiss the felony charge and the Defendant was also able to stay off of probation. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Juvenile Cases
People of the State of Illinois v. M.P.
The Defendant stood charged with a juvenile weapons offense. After extensive pretrial negotiations, the State agreed to dismiss the case completely given the Defendant's lack of history and significant mitigating circumstances. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Traffic Offenses
People of the State of Illinois v. M.S.
The Defendant was charged with the felony offense of failure to report an accident along with minor traffic offenses. The State first reduced and then dismissed the felony offense, and the Defendant pled to a minor petty offense. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
People of the State of Illinois v. B.T.
The Defendant was charged with child endangerment on the basis the she was driving under the influence of alcohol while her children were in the vehicle. The DUI was never charged and the State eventually dismissed the child endangerment cases in their entirety. The Defendant did not have to spend even a minute in jail.
Real Estate
Closings.
We have closed hundreds of purchases and sales successfully. Throughout, we have negotiated and closed these deals while eliminating or drastically minimizing post-closing problems and costs to the client by (i) skillfully modifying contract provisions to provide the absolute best benefit to the client; (ii) researching real estate taxes on specific properties in order to provide the best benefit at the least cost to the client; and (iii) negotiating and settling property condition issues revealed after inspections. For example, in one case we were able to obtain a substantial credit for our purchasing client based upon dirty radon inspection results by pointing out to the Sellers that they would need to disclose these results to subsequent purchasers. For more information on real estate transactions, see our real estate e-newsletter .
Condominium Conversions.
We have helped our numerous Developer clients navigate the murky waters of condominium conversions and successfully convert their apartment buildings into condominiums. We expertly prepare and file the appropriate documents to subdivide the properties both for ownership and tax purposes and to create the condominium association. We also create and place of record the Property Report as required by the State of Illinois and City of Chicago. This comprehensive report includes property-specific details on the premises involved and its improvements, zoning classifications, proposed restrictions on use and occupancy, real estate taxes, a property-specific Developer's contract and warranty, budget, schedule of unit percentages and assessments, engineer's report, and a report on building violations. Throughout the conversion process, we have successfully closed the units with the initial purchasers based upon our Developer's contract while minimizing cost to the clients and maximizing their return on their investment. Our condominium conversions have always included representation from start to finish, from the time our Developers purchase the properties they want to convert, to the turnover of the condominium association, to the last unit closing to an initial purchaser. For more information on condominium conversions, see our real estate e-newsletter .
Civil Matters
M.F. v. S.L. (Eviction)
This eviction case arose under the Chicago Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. The tenant was represented by an attorney who filed a counter-claim for damages under the Ordinance as well as for attorney fees. After numerous pre-trial steps and an involved pre-trial conference with the judge, we were able to obtain an order for possession for our landlord client and defeat the tenant's attorney's claim for attorney's fees. No damages were paid by our client to the tenant.
City of Chicago v. K.P. (Building Violations)
In this case, we were able to show the City that there were in fact no building violations at the property. We obtained an order of full compliance, and the client paid no fines.
City of Chicago v. W.E. (Building Violations)
The City was seeking appointment of a receiver for a property owned by our client in order to cure certain building violations that allegedly existed at the property. In our settlement negotiations with the City, we were able to convince the City that it would not be successful in its petition for a receiver, and the case was dismissed by agreement.
K.J. v. E.U. (Disclosure case)
Our client was facing a large claim for attorney's fees under the Real Property Disclosure Act. Our client paid no fees to the other party's attorney after we filed a comprehensive brief with the court in defense of the attorney fee petition.
R.E. v. N.C. (Breach of Contract)
In this case, our clients contracted for a home addition, but backed out of the contract after changing their minds. After settlement negotiations with the contractor, we were able to get a substantial portion of their payments back even though the facts strongly indicated that our clients breached the contract. We avoided lengthy and costly litigation for the client and minimized their costs.
