WHAT’S GOING ON WITH REDBIRD FOOTBALL?
PROFESSOR BRINGS WORLDLY KNOWLEDGE TO CLASSROOM FEATURES 7
SPORTS 8
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2016
Vol. 129 / No. 13
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSIT Y’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1888
State Farm faces legal charges STEPHANIE RODRIGUEZ News Reporter | @StephanieRoddd
A southern Illinois federal judge approved a class-action status for a lawsuit that accuses State Farm of sending money into the election campaign for an Illinois Supreme Court justice in hopes of influencing his vote on a ruling. Chicago-based law firm Clifford Law Offices is representing the 4.7 million State Farm policyholders in this class action lawsuit titled Hale v. State Farm. According to the law firm’s website, the court’s status decision brings the case one step closer to a jury trial. It continues by stating the trial would determine the damages suffered by those State Farm policyholders who made a claim for vehicle repairs pursuant to their policies from 1987 to 1998. Hale v. State Farm alleges that the insurance company violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute by pouring campaign contributions to a Supreme Court justice’s race to influence the reversal of a $1.05 billion decision. The United States Department of Justice describes RICO charges as being unlawful for anyone employed by or associated with any enterprise engaged in, or the activities of which affect, interstate or foreign
Photo courtesy of www.StateFarm.com
State Farm has been accused of sending money into the election campaign for a state Supreme Court justice in hopes of influencing future rulings. commerce, to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering. If the suit against the Bloomington-based company ends in favor of the plaintiffs, it could result in a more than $7.6 billion payout to policyholders, according to the law firm. State Farm spokesman Justin
Tomczak said the company is not in agreement with the court’s decision and it will try to have it reviewed. “We are disappointed in the court’s decision on the class certification question and respectfully disagree with it. We intend to ask the appellate court to review this ruling in the very near future,” Tomczak said. “Plaintiffs have unsuccessfully
asserted and reasserted these allegations for many years and should not be permitted to do so any longer.” The judge that received the campaign funds from State Farm is Republican Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier, who ran for his position in 2004. The case refers to the money Karmeier received as “dark money,”
which is described as campaign contributions that are run through political action committees so that the actual source of its distribution is not muddied. After Karmeier’s election to the Illinois Supreme Court, he cast the deciding vote in the reversal of the Avery v. State Farm. The suit regarded State Farm’s practice of repairing claimants’ cars with nonoriginal equipment or aftermarket parts in repair estimates issued to its policyholders. Policyholders were allegedly led to believe that the parts they were receiving were factory authorized, as their policies provided. Founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices and co-lead counsel of the class-action matter Robert Clifford said that the next step for them will be to prepare for trial. “The Illinois Constitution clearly provides that four votes are required to reverse the decision of an appellate court,” Clifford said. “In the absence of four votes, the Illinois Constitution provides that the decision of the appellate court stands, which in this matter would have resulted in affirming the $1.05 billion verdict.” Both parties are expected to appear before U.S. District Judge David R. Herndon on Oct. 15 in St. Louis for status on the case.
Reggie Redbird: The bird behind ISU AMANDA TOCHALAUSKI News Reporter
“Can I do this? Can I live up to my family’s expectations?” He sat crouched in the box, waiting for his signal. Once he heard the signal, he popped out of the box. The crowd was ecstatic, and he felt victorious. Reggie Redbird, Illinois State University’s current mascot, made his debut Sept. 5, 1981 during a football game between ISU and Western Illinois University. Reggie was on a flatbed float with a box on it that was filled with balloons and the Redbird. The box was surrounded by ISU cheerleaders, and when they gave the signal, Reggie was to pop out and help them cheer on the players. Reggie reported in an interview with University Archivist April Anderson in April 2015 that he was a little bit nervous on the float. However, despite his worry, Reggie’s debut
made the ISU community finally accept its new mascot. The crowd loved Reggie, and his new $2,000 costume, much better than his father’s costume, which was a paper maché head and a shag carpet suit. Reggie’s newfound popularity allowed him to accomplish tasks his family had never done before. Reggie attended numerous events, like a ribbon cutting ceremony where Reggie stood right beside Ronald McDonald when welcoming the first McDonald’s to Normal. Reggie has also been able to build somewhat of a social media empire. Reggie has accounts on numerous social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Reggie’s motivator was his father, he admitted to Anderson. see REGGIE page 2
Photo courtesy of the Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives at Illinois State University
Reggie Redbird made his debut Sept. 5, 1981 during a football game between ISU and Western Illinois University.
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