Chicago Rules

Y'all might remember a little incident we had back in June, when a porch/fire escape collapsed during a party. 13 people were killed and dozens injured. Yeah, you remember. It was awful.

Well, the braniacs in city government have reached a settlement with the guy who built the porch and the buildng's owner. This should be a good thing.

The owner of the Lincoln Park building where a porch collapse killed 13 people in June agreed Wednesday to pay $112,700 to settle city code violations at 22 buildings he owns.

Attorneys for Philip Pappas and two of his companies agreed to pay $108,500 in the city's case against them for 713 W. Wrightwood Ave., where the porch collapsed June 29, killing 13 and injuring dozens. Pappas also agreed to pay $200 for each of 21 other buildings where the city alleged porches on buildings he owns were constructed in violation of city code or without permits.

Gee--$200 for each building where a porch could have collapsed but didn't? That's quite a savings, considering the standard fine is $500 per building, per day. You don't suppose his being a big-shot, well-known, friend-of-da- mayer developer would have anything to do with that sweet deal, do you?

But wait--it gets better.

Though he agreed to bring all his buildings involved in the cases up to code, Pappas made no admission of guilt in the settlement.

Settling without a finding against him in court protects Pappas in pending wrongful death and personal injury cases related to the collapse, legal experts said. About two dozen cases--at least nine of them wrongful death suits--have been filed in the incident.

"Violations would have a dramatic impact on the civil cases," said Timothy Patenode, head of the Chicago Bar Association's Committee on Real Property Law. A finding that Pappas' companies violated city code would have meant Pappas and his companies would have almost no chance of defending themselves against suits by families of those killed and by survivors of the accident, Patenode said.

Wow--it's an even better deal than we thought! Break the law, pay a discounted fine, and have it help you in the civil courts. He and his lawyers must be smiling this morning. Glad someone is.