Judge Duebbert’s federal lawsuit against St. Clair County is dismissed
A federal judge has dismissed St. Clair County Judge Ronald Duebbert’s lawsuit against the county and the state of Illinois on the grounds that federal court is an improper venue to try the matter.
Judge Richard Mills issued the opinion Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois. In it, he states that “this case should not be tried in the federal courts when only state law claims remain.”
Duebbert, a Republican elected in November 2016, filed the lawsuit in July, asking for $10 million for being prosecuted on charges that were eventually dropped. The lawsuit named St. Clair County, the State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, the state of Illinois, the city of Belleville, former St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly, special prosecutors Lorinda Lamken-Finnel and David Robinson, Belleville Police Department detectives, the man who accused Duebbert that led to the charges and that man’s lawyer, Alex Enyart.
Neither Duebbert nor his lawyer, Michael Lawder, could be reached for comment Thursday.
In November 2017, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Duebbert with intimidation, criminal sex abuse, battery and solicitation of a sexual act. A 26-year-old man had alleged that Duebbert, who was then the man’s lawyer, had fondled his genitals and offered to reduce his legal fees by $100 if he performed oral sex on Duebbert.
Marion County Associate Judge Michael McHaney dismissed the charges against Duebbert in July 2018.
The prosecutor in the case, Lampkin, said at the time that the accuser was intimidated by the court process, which would have included testifying against Duebbert in open court, where cameras would have recorded the trial.
Duebbert’s defense attorney at the time, Scott Rosenblum, said the charges were politically motivated.
In Duebbert’s lawsuit, he sued for malicious prosecution, depriving his due process, failing to intervene, depriving his constitutional rights, civil conspiracy and infliction of emotional distress.
Duebbert has been on administrative duties since Dec. 30, 2016 — about three weeks after he took the bench. An Illinois Courts Commission case to decide the future of Duebbert’s seat on the 20th circuit bench was pending Thursday.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 12:13 PM.
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