Drug treatment facility lawsuit accuses Kane County of discrimination

The developers of a would-be drug addiction treatment facility near Campton Hills threatened to sue Kane County officials if they denied plans for the campus. County board members rejected the Maxxam project in May. And now the developers have made good on the legal threat with a federal lawsuit.

If successful, the lawsuit may result in the facility, known as Remedies Chicago, moving forward without the county's input as well as a $68 million legal liability for the county.

The lawsuit accuses county officials of violating the federal Fair Housing Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit also details at least three meetings with county board Chairman Chris Lauzen and the county's lawyers outside the public vetting process.

At those meetings, the lawsuit claims, county officials fretted about being in violation of federal laws and sought to cut deals that would win approval for the project. There was also a confidential meeting involving Lauzen, Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon and the proposed CEO of the facility. The lawsuit does not detail the purpose of that meeting.

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