Special Report: Keeping Up With The Gormans

by John Ruskin

Part III in a four-part series about a Cook County political insider family. Read Part I here and Part II here.

The Gormans v. Chrysler

Perhaps no instance combines the web of Democrats, political insiders, and seeming malfeasance more than the lawsuit between the Gorman’s car dealership and DaimlerChrysler.

In the article referenced in Part 2, by Bill Dwyer, he provides a summary of this lawsuit:

“Several years ago the Gormans accused Daimler Chrysler of racism in their dealings with black customers at the Gorman’s two car dealerships. Daimler Chrysler slapped them with a counter suit, and the Gorman’s were hit with a total of $4,245,000 in legal judgments, including nearly $900,000 in Daimler Chrysler’s legal bills.

“The Gormans are currently appealing. Final arguments were made in September. They’d best pray they prevail, because the $4.25 million judgment includes accruing interest, and doesn’t include their own attorney’s fees.

“Speaking of the Gorman’s lawyers, one of them, the recently indicted ‘Fast Eddie’ Vrdolyak, was thrown off the case after a judge ruled that he’d had improper communications with a potential plaintiff in a similar case. Vrdolyak, who is Liz Gorman’s political mentor, is also the “business associate” who, while acting as lead counsel in the lawsuit against Chrysler, loaned $750,000 to one of the Gorman’s auto dealerships. Vrdolyak declined to characterize the $750,000 as a loan, but also forgot to mention that the Gorman’s agreed to pay him $10,000 a month for 84 months.

“The federal case is only the largest court settlement against the Gormans. They’ve been slapped with another $1.73 million in total from three county circuit court suits, among others, in 2004 and 2005.”

In a September 8, 2006 story, Detroit Free-Press reporter Katie Merx (not available online) writes of U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall’s harsh words for Gerald Gorman in dismissing the suit:

“Kendall wrote in her opinion that the plaintiff, former Chicago-area dealer Gerald Gorman, ‘made false statements’ in an affidavit filed with the court and misled Chrysler in a way that resulted in "computers that contained valuable evidence not being preserved for this dispute.’

“Additionally, Kendall wrote in her opinion: ‘Mr. Gorman either lied or misled (Chrysler) regarding the notes which formed the basis for the allegations of discriminatory intent.’"

And this excerpt from the court’s opinion further criticizes Gorman:

“These are not the actions of truth-seeking individuals intent on having their day in court, but rather, sleight of hand tactics of manipulators seeking to use the federal court system to their own advantage.

“Plaintiffs' actions with respect to the discovery violations constitute contumacious violations, having continued for nearly two years despite repeated requests from counsel for the Defendant, initially polite, and then increasingly firm, as the records and information essential to Defendant's defense were not forthcoming. Even lacking prejudice to the non-offending party, a Court is entitled to say ‘enough is enough’ in the face of flagrant violations by one party.”

Ouch.

Click here.pdf to view a legal document related to possible sanctions against the Gormans for “false statements” and “failure to produce and preserve evidence.”

As noted previously, this legal battle seemed to bring together all of the Gorman’s political connections: both the Gormans (as plaintiffs); Vrdolyak (their lawyer and ‘phantom’ business partner); Shawn Temple (former employer of the car dealership) … even Robert Shaw made his way into the situation. The Detroit Free Press’ Sarah Webster (cited previously) writes of Shaw’s involvement in the more public side of the Chrysler lawsuit:

“Shaw, a county commissioner for the board that handles tax appeals and a well-known adversary of the Rev. Jesse Jackson quickly rallied his political force behind Gorman.”

Add the fact that Shaw’s former political operative is also Liz Gorman’s PR operative Sean Howard, and all the political dots seem to be connected within the boundaries of this single lawsuit. 

Earlier in the story above, there was referenced the fact that the Gorman’s attorney, Ed Vrdolyak, was thrown off their case “after a judge ruled that he’d had improper communications with a potential plaintiff in a similar case.” For more details on the case in which Vrdolyak was removed – please read here.pdf and here.pdf.

Stay tuned for Part IV…

Comments

[oh my goodness]

afer reading this, how can anybody align themselves with liz?

no doubt her allies are going to try to ignore this report, but how can they? i mean, the IR report is simply a collection of legal documents and news reports?

are the gorman folks going to claim that every single news report that has ever been written about her is wrong or biased? not a believable argument.

[Michelle]

How can a group like Family Taxpayers Network, that claims to fight Republican corruption at the Kjellander level, blast out thousands of email messages in support of Liz Gorman? What's up with that?

[Fran]

Just a reminder to those who have called me complaining about the Gorman series -- Mrs. Gorman has been repeatedly asked to offer her own opinions on Illinois Review. She refuses to do so.

Secondly, Illinois Review has been especially fair to critics by allowing Family Taxpayer Networks' defense of Mrs. Gorman to be published consistently by IR Contributor Dave Diersen. We have yet to see a similar fairness on FTN's website.

Again -- Mrs. Gorman has been offered a place to respond and pieces published in her defense are repeatedly posted with Dave Diersen's Daily Clips.

[Question for FTN]

Fran:

In addition to your comment, which was very well put ... the Illinois Review special report seems to be little more than a collection of previously reported news articles and columns...with some publicly available legal documents.

Contrast that with FTN's hyperbole and libel.

Honestly, how does FTN, an organization which was built to elect ethical candidates, justify supporting Liz Gorman?

Forget Tony Peraica for a moment...because the FTN crowd consistently answers questions about Liz with questions about Tony.

The question on the table for FTN is this: how and why do you support Liz Gorman, a Republican with a well documented history of appointing Democrats to key positions, supporting Todd Stroger, and, above all else, being connected - in a VERY well documented way - to Ed Vrdolyak?

Certainly this is no less (and perhaps bigger?) a deal than Bob Kjellander's dealings?

FTN - please answer the question on the table.

[Anonemus]

I would like to know how a lawbreaker could keep a straight face about running for State's Attorney. Marko Peraica gets arrested by the Will County Sheriff's Department for residential burglary. Reformer Tony lies to the court and states that his son could not have committed this crime because he was in Croatia at the time of the burglary. Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Dorothy Brown's office, shows Marko Peraica's signature on his payroll sheet for the dates in which little Peraica was supposed to be in Croatia. Which felony is more palatable to you lemmings? Perjury? Aiding and abetting a felony? Ghost payrolling? While you're asking Mr. Reformer to come clean, ask him what his relationship is to Drew Patterson, the currupt Bolingbrook cop making the nightly news. Isn't Bolingbrook in Will County?
Keep attacking the Gormans, what Peraica has in the way of skeletons in his closet is enough to send his sorry ass to prison. Maybe he can reform the prison system from the inside with the lemmings from here sending him care packages.

[Question for FTN]

Anonemus (check your spelling) 9:58...

Again, instead of answering about Gorman, you attack Peraica.

Let's forget about Peraica for a moment. I don't care about Tony.

Answer for Gorman. Try it. Will you actually do it? Or will you avoid it ... just like the rest of the Gorman/FTN clan continue to do.

For once, don't answer a question about Gorman with a question about Peraica.

Answer a question about Gorman with an answer about Gorman. Or is it just impossible to do?

[Fat Albert]

The documents in question point to Liz' husband Gerald. I didn't see a mention of Liz anywhere. Although embarassing to Liz, it isn't her that's running it, but Gerald.

Once more stuff hits the fan about Phony Tony, he'll be in jail where he belongs. I didn't know he perjered on behalf of his son. If that were true, whoever did the research should go after Phony Tony's law licence. I would love to see it revoked.

[Phony Tony Poster]

Wow, the Phony Tony poster is back again!

How's Berwyn, buddy?

If you think the entire special report is about Gerald, you must not have read the report. Liz Gorman-Sean Howard-Ed Vrdolyak-Bill Beavers-the Shaw Brothers.

Perhaps you should read a bit further, my Berwyn friend.

[Michelle]

Fat Albert,
I think Liz is a co-defendent with her husband in Chrysler's complaint against them. I'm pretty sure she's a co-owner with her husband of the dealerships in question. I think that makes her a part of the problem.

[Anonamama]

Was Liz not the president of the dealership in question? If that's the case, does that not give her control over any litigation brought by or against the dealership?

[Just the Facts]

Hey, Question for FTN:

To answer your question about answering an attack on the Gormans with an attack on Peraica - I think it is very important to note the negatives about Tony Peraica, as the Illinois Review refuses to point out any of Tony's flaws. In fact, he is a contributor to this site. The attacks on Gorman really didn't start until after Peraica declared war on her and continuously attacks her.

I completely agree that the answers to your questions about the Gorman's be answered without reference to Peraica, however, when you have this group (IR) who has declared Tony Peraica to be their "God" and ignores all of his skeletons and the extremest liberal votes he cast on the County Board, it kind of invalidates any credibility they have in their relentless carrying out of gratuitous attacks on the Gormans (on behalf of Peraica, I'm sure)...Bottom line - This group is the mouthpiece of Tony Peraica and when they speak and attack the Gormans, its really Tony Peraica speaking.