Supreme Court of Illinois

In a suit to recover from handgun manufacturers, distributors and dealers for the costs which those public entities have incurred as a result of illegal gun violence based on public nuisance, dismissal is affirmed where plaintiffs failed to state a cause of action for public nuisance. The court refused to allow the expansion of the common law of public nuisance to encompass what it characterized as "novel" claims and "an entirely new species of public nuisance liability."

Appellate Information

• Decided 11/18/2004
• Published 06/12/2007

Judges

• Justice GARMAN, delivered the opinion of the court:

Court

• Supreme Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• William N. Howard, Daniel J. Voelker and Fred Foreman, of Freeborn & Peters, Chicago, for appellants Shore Galleries, Inc., et al., James P. Dorr, Sarah L. Olson and Lisa S. Simmons, of Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, Chicago, for appellant Sturm, Ruger & Co., Richard J. Leamy, Jr., of Wiedner & McAuliffe, Ltd., Chicago, for appellant Riley's, Inc., Ana Marie Downs, of the Law Offices of Loretta M. Griffin, and M. Leslie Kite, Chicago, for appellant Faber Brothers, Inc., Lora E. Minichillo and Kenneth H. Denberg, of Michael Best & Friedrich, L.L.C., Chicago, for appellants Donald Beltrame et al., Thomas H. Fegan, of Johnson & Bell, Chicago, and Lawrence S. Greenwald and Catherine A. Bledsoe, of Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander, L.L.C., Baltimore, Maryland, for appellants Beretta U.S.A. Corporation et al., Melissa Anne Maye, Yorkville, for appellants B.L. Jennings, Inc. and Bryco Arms, Inc., Thomas M. Crisham, Daniel L. Stanner and Jean M. Prendergast, of Crisham & Kubes, Ltd., Chicago, and William M. Griffin III, of Friday, Eldredge & Clark, Little Rock, Arkansas, for appellant Browning Arms Co., Samuel B. Isaacson and Joseph Collins of Piper Rudnick, Chicago, and Thomas E. Fennell and Michael L. Rice, of Jones, Day, Reaves & Pogue, Dallas, Texas, for appellant Colt's Manufacturing Co., John F. Renzulli, of Renzulli, Pisciotti & Renzulli, L.L.P., New York, New York, for appellants Glock, Inc. et al., Michael T. Trucco, of Stamos & Trucco, Chicago, for appellant International Armament Co., Melissa Anne May, Yorkville, and Robert C. Tarics, Michael I. Branisa and Michael J. Zomick, of Tarics & Carrington, P.C., Houston, Texas, for appellant Phoenix Arms., Robert L. Michels, of Winston & Strawn, Chicago, and Jeffrey S. Nelson and Tina Schaefer, of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P., Kansas City, Missouri, for appellant Smith & Wesson Corporation., Timothy A. Bumann, Jennifer C. Kane and Bridgette E. Eckerson, of Budd, Larner, Rosenbaum, Greenberg & Sade, Atlanta, Georgia, for appellant Taurus International Manufacturing Co., James Valentino, Jr., Algoma, Wisconsin, for appellant Universal Firearms, Ltd., Gino L. DiVito, Michael I. Rothstein and Marnie A. Jensen, of Tabet, DiVito & Rothstein, L.L.C., Chicago, for amicus curiae National Association of Manufacturers., Hugh C. Griffin, of Lord, Bissell & Brook, Chicago, and James M. Beck, of Dechert, L.L.P., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hugh F. Young, Jr., of Reston, Virginia, of counsel), for amicus curiae Product Liability Advisory Council., Gary S. Feinerman, Solicitor General, and Brett E. Legner and Laura Wunder, Assistant Attorneys General, Chicago, for amicus curiae Lisa Madigan, Attorney General of the State of Illinois., Nathan P. Eimer, Scott C. Solberg, Adam B. Deutsch and Greg J. Weintraub, of Eimer, Stahl, Klevorn & Solberg, Chicago, for amici curiae National League of Cities et al.


• For Appellees:
  
• Mara S. Georges, Corporation Counsel, Chicago (Lawrence Rosenthal, Benna Ruth Solomon and Suzanne M. Loose, of counsel), and Roger Pascal, Thomas B. Quinn and Ronald Safer, of Schiff, Harden & Waite, Chicago, for appellee City of Chicago., Richard A. Devine, State's Attorney, Chicago (Thomas Rieck, Mark Pera and Demetrios Kottaras, Assistant State's Attorneys, of counsel), and Michael J. Hayes, Patrick McKey, John T. Roache, Lisa Martin and Joel Griswold, of Gardner, Carton & Douglas, Chicago (David Kairys, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of counsel), for appellee County of Cook.