by Joseph Omoremi
CHICAGO, IL – Personal in- jury attorney Olarewaju Olakunle Temitayo Amu re- cently returned to Nigeria, his place of birth, after exploring all options without success to upturn his law license suspen- sion.
“I arrived Abuja 11.30pm Fri- day 6.19.15. I will keep you posted. My regards,” Amu said in a text message to the Chicago Inquirer stressing “I will call or write soon.”
Amu’s law license was sus- pended in August 6, 2013 for three years after the Illinois Supreme Court heeded the recommendation of the Arbi- tration Registration and Disci- plinary Commission (ARDC). Amu mounted vigorous legal and media campaigns to re- verse the suspension without success.
“‘I’ve explored all my options and I’m thinking of returning to Nigeria to participate in na- tion’s building, “ Amu told the Chicago Inquirer in March after leading a group of pro- testers against judges at an event organized to honor legal practitioners and exemplary judges in the state.
Pamphlets and banners calling for the reinstatement of his suspended license were on display and distributed to par- ticipants at the event including Illinois Supreme Court judges that voted for the suspension.
Amu said he had linked up with former colleagues and immigration attorneyBa- batunde Irukera who worked in the same legal outfit with Nigeria’s Vice President Pro- fessor Yemi Osinbajo and other contacts for a job oppor- tunity in Nigeria.
Amu holds two professional licenses in engineering and law and an MBA from Uni- versity of Illinois in Chicago. Amu came to the United States to study engineering
where he came out on top of his class and was recruited by Commonwealth Edison and brought to Chicago.
He worked in the engineering field for over 10 years before opting out for law after he was passed over for promotion and limited in key areas he could work in the energy generating company.
He worked briefly in the nu- clear section of the energy company and participated in the construction of Dan Ryan highway.
Amu legal troubles started when he won a default judg- ment of $273,230.02 against Tamara Food Mart, Inc.
He represented Steve Dei, an African immigrant in the suit but judge Lynn M. Egan later overturned the judgment for ‘‘improper service to a register agent or any officer or agent’’ of the company.
Steve Dei, it would be recalled broke both his fibula and tibia bones on February 17, 2007 while attempting to pay for gas at Tamara Food Mart lo- cated at 2941 East 83rd Street in Chicago.
Amu hired a private investiga- tor to unravel the missing link and the investigator discov- ered that Mathew Egan, a brother to judge Egan who va- cated the default judgment was an equity owner in the law firm of Pretzel & Stouffer that represented the defendant.
He appealed the judgment but the reversal of the default judgment was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and Illi- nois Supreme Court.
ARDC equally dismissed the ethical misconduct as unwar- ranted because the petitioner had based his conclusion “solely on circumstance and suspicion,” which ARDC sen- ior counsel Robert J. Verrando described as ‘insufficient to sustain a charge of ethical misconduct.”
In a passionate and com- pelling appeal to the U.S.
Supreme Court, Amu painted a picture of corruption, bias and judgment fixing. He likened Illinois court to “a di- vine sting operation on a sinis- ter plot aimed at bankrupting a legal opponent and securing victory by any means neces- sary”.
The appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was addressed to Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in charge of the North- ern District.
In a succinct and compelling narrative manner, the peti- tioner urged the apex court to stop the use of governmental system to create an unjust and an unequal society just as in the days of slavery.
He argued that Judge Egan should have excused herself from the case the moment she realized her brother Mathew Egan was an equity owner in the law firm of Pretzel & Stouffer that eventually got the case vacated.
In a one page judgment signed by William K. Suter, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take the case as requested by Amu. The vacated judgment subse-
quently returned to Daley Center under Judge Egan and Amu was put under siege henceforth until his license was suspended.
In November, the Cook County Sherriff confiscated Amu’s Sherriff ID card granted every lawyer in good standing for easy access to court houses across the state without going through the long lines and even detained him.
He wondered why the ID card was retrieved despite stressing that he was not above the law.
“If I have done something wrong then articulate it, give me a fair hearing and if I am truly guilty of anything, then take the necessary adverse ac- tion.”
Amu however said he would not be intimidated for “being a lone voice in the wilderness against corruption in the insur- ance dominated area of the court at Daley Center.”
He appealed to Cook County Sherriff, Thomas Dart, to re- turn the Sherriff card he has had since 1996 without caus- ing any uproar or breaching security.
Amu explained that Cook County judge, Eileen Brewer must have allegedly orches- trated the drama that led to the confiscation of the ID card and had no part in it.
It would be recalled that secu- rity heightened at Daley Cen- ter last November 9, 2012 when only judges were al- lowed into the building with- out going through metal detector. A day earlier, Judge Brewer had asked Amu to leave her court.
He encouraged Dart to con- duct an honest, transparent and open investigation into the matter necessitating the secu- rity breach.
Dart did not return phone calls to his office at the time. CHICAGO, IL – The United