January 6th, 2006

A lawsuit has been filed against a shopping mall, and the suit alleges the improper handling and disposal of asbestos. The mall was wrecked during the filming of a blockbuster movie, The Blues Brothers. The lawsuit has been filed by Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan. Included in the named defendants is the City of Harvey, which owns the site of the defunct shopping center.

There are a number of other defendants named as part of the lawsuit that has been filed. This includes firms that were involved in attempted renovations of the center as well as executives and officials from the firms that were involved.

It was 1979 when the center was actually closed, and since that time has been deteriorating. Despite a number of proposals put forward to renovate it, it has continued to decline. The latest efforts to redevelop the site have resulted in the filing of this lawsuit.

A city official stated that contractors are getting rid of asbestos from the mall so that the building can then be demolished. The lawsuit makes a number of allegations, including violations of various acts including: the Illinois Environmental Protection Act, Illinois Commercial and Public Building Asbestos Abatement Act, the Illinois Department of Public Health asbestos abatement regulations and the National Emission Standards for Asbestos.