May 18, 2023

 

We have now completed every step of this litigation.  All settlement checks have been disbursed, and the claim period for second round checks has expired.  The final amount of monies remaining in the settlement fund was $14,615.77.  Yesterday, Mr. Reott and I attended a meeting at the Westchester Food Pantry, where we presented the non-profit with the remaining monies to support the same communities affected in this litigation. 

 

On behalf of myself, attorney Raymond Reott, and all of our combined staff through the years this case has been pending, we thank you for allowing us to represent you in your claims and look forward to serving you in the future.

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-Glen J. Dunn, Jr.

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February 15, 2022

 

Thank you for your patience as we reach the end of this litigation.  Our offices have been working with Medicare and Medicaid, per the requirements of the settlement agreement in order to obtain waivers that they will not assert any liens against the settlement funds or against you, the Plaintiffs.  We initiated communications in September 2021 and have finally received confirmation that both entities will NOT be asserting any liens. 

 

As a result, the claims administrator, Analytics Consulting, LLC, will begin mailing the settlement checks on February 25th, 2022.

 

Please note that if you applied for an adjustment hearing request, your settlement proceeds are being held for the Court’s consideration and will be disbursed once the Court has ruled on your requests.  Settlements for Estate claims are also not being mailed at this time, as we continue to work through each Estate’s specific situation.  For the Estates that have fully completed the Small Estate Affidavit, checks will be mailed within the two weeks after February 25th, 2022.

 

If you have not received your settlement check by March 11, do not contact our office - please contact the claims administrator, Analytics Consulting, LLC for an update on your settlement claim processing.  The contact information for Analytics is on your Settlement Notice letter and is also available on HillsideLandfillSettlement.com.

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Last Updated: December 17, 2021

 

On December 15th, 2021, the Court entered final judgment on the $28.5 million settlement in this case.  Out of 2600+ Plaintiffs, there were no objections and the Court granted final approval on the settlement and on 37% of the total recovery in attorney fees plus expenses.  This marks the end of a 12-year journey in this case, involving tens of thousands of man-hours, thousands of questionnaires reviewed, hundreds and hundreds of sets of discovery and depositions, and rigorous multi-year negotiations in the middle of a global pandemic.  There is now a 31-day period during which the Defendants will fund the settlement, meaning that settlement checks will be sent out near the end of January. 

 

This settlement is not for every resident of Hillside, Bellwood, and Westchester. The settlement payments are only available to the clients who retained our firms eleven years ago, filed a lawsuit and timely answered discovery against the Landfill in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

 

If you are a member of the Plaintiff class in this case, you should have already received a Settlement Notice, and your settlement check will be mailed to the same address as your Settlement Notice, unless you have already called our office in order to update your address.  Please note that the attorney fees will have already been taken out of your portion of the settlement, and therefore you will not have to pay us separately for the work we have done over the past 12 years in order to secure this settlement on your behalf.

 

If you sent a request for an adjustment hearing by the November 29th deadline, please be aware that the Court has the discretion to resolve your request within the next six months, but you should not expect payment until at least mid-to-late August, 2022.  If you filed for an adjustment, a member of our team will reach out to you when more information is available about the schedule set by the Court.

 

This settlement was the largest Landfill odor nuisance settlement in US history.  On behalf of all of the attorneys and staff who have worked on this case over the past 12 years, it was our privilege to have represented each and every one of you and we thank you for allowing us to fight for your rights and deliver justice for your communities.

 

                                                                                 Sincerely,

                                                                                 Glen J. Dunn, Jr.

 

GLEN J. DUNN & ASSOCIATES, LTD.
Tel: 312-880-1010

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REOTT LAW OFFICES, LLC

Tel: 312-332-7544