Dear ILPOA,

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The following Legal Update was provided by Chris Pinaire, ILPOA Legal Chair. If you have any questions for Chris you can email him at bod.cpinaire@ilpoa.org.

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As previously communicated and discussed during our member meeting last weekend, I wanted to give an update regarding the lawsuit that has been in the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District since August 2020.  Case Number SD 36800, Brunts, O’Fallon, Wideman, and Williams vs. ILPOA has been scheduled for oral arguments at 1 pm CST on October 19, 2021.  This will take place at the Court of Appeals Courtroom at the Butler County Courthouse in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.  The courthouse address is 100 N Main St, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901. 

I have confirmed with the courthouse that it will be a public hearing, and therefore the public may attend.  However, please keep in mind that there are COVID protocols in place including mask requirements and social distancing.  The court informed me there is seating for only 20 people or so in the courtroom, so space may be limited depending on attendance and when you arrive.  Courthouse doors should be open by 12:30 pm CST.

This lawsuit and the appeal have been quite a long journey, starting in late January of 2019 just after I took a position on the board of directors.  But we are finally at the conclusion of this journey.  We hope to have an answer to the community within 30-60 days after the oral arguments next week.  Once we are informed of the appellate court’s decision, I will inform the community.

As always, case details can be found on Missouri Casenet,  https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do.  Search case ID SD36800.

Chris Pinaire

Legal Chair