Judge Rules Attorney's Claims Against City Colleges Without Merit

CHICAGO (April 11, 2006) - On Monday, Cook County Circuit Court Judge John A. Ward rejected the argument of attorney Reuben L. Hedlund, who sued his former client, City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) for a bonus he said was earned during a 10-year period.

Judge Ward entered the decision against Reuben L. Hedlund of Hedlund & Hanley, LLC on April 10, 2006 (case # 04L11446), and awarded summary judgment to City Colleges, according to court records. The judge ruled all claims were without merit and ordered that Mr. Hedlund be stopped from challenging the validity of the contract with City Colleges.

City Colleges of Chicago was represented by attorneys Mike Cherry and Jacie Zolna of Myron M. Cherry & Associates, LLC.

"We are very pleased with the judge's ruling and its validation of City Colleges' position that a bonus was clearly at the discretion of our Board of Trustees. It was the Board's decision that compensation paid to Mr. Hedlund was fair and that a bonus was not appropriate," stated Yolande Bourgeois, CCC General Counsel.

In Hedlund's suit, he cited a letter he wrote to CCC's Board of Trustees on August 11, 2000 where he agreed to be paid $304 an hour and asked for consideration toward a bonus for "results achieved, efficiency of our work at the hourly rates approved, and overall reasonableness." Hedlund said his representation resulted in the recovery of over $19 million for City Colleges, according to court records.

"It was the manifest intent of the parties to give the Board unfettered discretion on the issue of whether a bonus would be paid," Ward wrote in his decision. "This court is convinced that no close issue is presented."

The judge decided that the bonus clause of the contract was not enforceable because of Hedlund's "repeated use of permissive language."

"The bonus clause makes clear that the parties did not intend to create a binding obligation on City Colleges to award a bonus," Ward wrote in his decision.

"Conscience and honest dealing require application of estoppel to Mr. Hedlund's claim that the contract is void," Ward said. This means that Hedlund can no longer challenge the agreement made with City Colleges, court records said.