Opinion ID: 2003432
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: kane county complaint

Text: While the appeal of the Cook County action was pending, the Village of Bartlett, the City of Elgin, an organization named Citizens Against the Balefill, and William C. McHugh (hereinafter jointly referred to as the original plaintiffs) filed a separate action in the circuit court of Kane County against SWANCC. [6] Like the Cook County complaint, the Kane County complaint alleged various environmental injuries, some of which mirrored those of the Cook County complaint, and, for relief, sought that all balefull-related construction be halted until such time as SWANCC received the required section 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. On February 11, 1991, the circuit court of Kane County entered a temporary restraining order prohibiting SWANCC from cutting down any trees on, or otherwise damaging, the 543-acre tract of land known as the `balefill site,' until further order of this court. Four days later SWANCC moved to transfer venue to Cook County and to dismiss the action. Shortly thereafter, the Kane County State's Attorney (hereinafter, intervening plaintiff) was granted leave to intervene, adopted the already filed complaint, and was given leave to amend the complaint by the addition of a new count. The Kane County circuit court heard arguments on SWANCC's motion to dismiss the complaint and/or transfer venue and set May 28, 1991, as the ruling date. Five days before the ruling date, the Kane County State's Attorney appeared by substituted counsel and filed his amendment to the complaint which challenged the balefill ordinance on the grounds that Kane County approval was required under section 39.2 of the Act because part of the balefill site was located in Kane County. [7] SWANCC moved to dismiss this complaint and reiterated its motion to transfer venue to Cook County. The Kane County circuit court issued an opinion letter on June 18, 1991, wherein it dismissed all the counts of the complaint except the one-count amendment filed by the Kane County State's Attorney. The court then ruled that the amended count does state a cause of action. Accordingly, the court continued the temporary restraining order already in effect and gave the original plaintiffs 28 days to file an amended complaint. Upon receiving the court's order, SWANCC moved for the dissolution of the temporary restraining order, arguing that the remaining allegations of the complaint could not justify the issuance of an injunction against balefill activity in Cook County. SWANCC argued that any failure to secure siting approval from Kane County could at best justify an injunction against construction related activities on the Kane County portion of the site. SWANCC was unable to get a hearing on this motion until July 30, 1991, at which time the trial court denied the motion without prejudice and the original plaintiffs were allowed to file their amended complaint. SWANCC moved to dismiss the amended complaint and moved, once again, to dissolve the temporary restraining order. On August 9, 1991, the trial court denied the motion to dissolve the temporary restraining order. SWANCC then appealed the court's orders of July 30, 1991, and August 9, 1991, to the Second District of the appellate court. This court consolidated the Cook County and Kane County appeals in the First District upon SWANCC's motion. Regarding the Kane County suit, the appellate court ruled that it lacked appellate jurisdiction to consider SWANCC's venue argument because SWANCC did not appeal the venue ruling at the time it was made. The appellate court then affirmed the Kane County court's refusal to dissolve the temporary restraining order. For the reasons expressed below, this court reverses the appellate court's ruling upholding the temporary restraining order.