Cook County Republican Chairwoman in Legal Trouble

The Chicago Daily Observer reports Liz Gorman GOP Chairwoman of Cook County:

Now Gorman is all but out of the picture in the wake of a devastating federal appellate court ruling Thursday. She and her husband, failed auto dealership
operator Gerald Gorman, were slapped down hard by Federal Judge Frank H. Easterbrook in a particularly harsh and humiliating ruling.

Calling the Gormans’ claim of racial discrimination on
the part of Daimler-Chrysler “dubious,” the court acerated the couple for their “chicanery” in the specious lawsuit. The ruling let stand a lower sanction that dismissed the Gorman’s original lawsuit due to their misconduct. They must now pay Daimler-Chrysler over $4 million. That’s in addition to nearly $2 million in state court judgments against Gerald Gorman.

The Gormans have to be equally chilled by the chances of a criminal indictment cast by Easterbrook’s use of the term “perjury” in relation to his blunt assessment that Gerald Gorman lied to a federal judge in a court filing.

“Plaintiffs have behaved like a pack of weasels and can’t expect any part of their tale be believed,”

Easterbrook nearly spat in conclusion.

While Liz Gorman wasn’t specifically the focus of
Easterbrook’s judicial ire, she is formally a defendant in the case. She’s told the media she and her husband are “considering their options,” none of which, I’d think, look very good.

Nor is Liz Gorman the victim of her husband’s failings. Consider that Gormans’ political organization, the Gorman Good Government Group, has been seen by many as the beneficiary of $375,000 in loans from either Gerald Gorman or his businesses, Dodge of Midlothian and Sales, within the first six months of 2002. That hefty capital infusion came as Gorman was gearing up for her first run at the 17th district Cook County commissioner seat. It also came as Gerald Gorman was trying desperately to keep his business afloat.

According to State Board of Elections records, the Gorman Good Government Group, of which Liz Gorman was chairman until last June, still owes around $275,000 to Gerald Gorman’s defunct business.

Also keep in mind that Liz Gorman parlayed her supposed business expertise with that hefty infusion
of cash from her husband’s business to also grab the GOP chairmanship, and even mention as a possible Republican US Senate
candidate in 2004.

The sad reality is that there are far too few genuine Republicans politically active in Cook County. The resulting void has allowed pretenders to step in and advance their own specious self-serving agendas.

With her own future looking dim, the word is that Gorman’s now looking for a surrogate to run for her seat to allow her maintain some chance of control or influence.

The GOP really doesn't exist in Cook County.