Promoter Not Hot With Cop Pay

An Illinois federal judge dismissed a McHenry County concert promoter’s lawsuit claiming he was bullied into hiring off-duty sheriff’s deputies to police his events by Sheriff Keith Nygren.

The suit, filed by promoters Michael and Joeleen Stanard, failed to meet legal standards and “contained several questionable claims,” U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Kapala said in his ruling. The Stanards may refile 25 of the suit’s 28 counts if they bolster their claims with factual support, according to the Daily Herald of Chicago.

The Stanards, who use Galt Airport in Greenwood, Ill., as a concert venue, filed the $2 million suit claiming that Nygren demanded Michael Stanard hire off-duty deputies at $40 an hour – twice the going rate for private security guards – to provide concert security. Stanard, who is also Greenwood’s village president, claimed that Nygren threatened to close the access road to the venue if he didn’t agree.

Nygren told the paper the ruling was expected.

“It was a case that had no merit, was totally frivolous and [Michael Stanard] and his attorney knew it,” he said. “The way he maligned the men and women of this department, it was just bizarre.”

Stanard told the paper he intends to refile portions of the lawsuit before the September 30 deadline.

“I’m very pleased with what’s happened and am [eager] to get this before a jury,” he told the Daily Herald.