Opinion

Henrich v. Libertyville High School

  • 186 Ill. 2d 381
  • 238 Ill. Dec. 576
  • 712 N.E.2d 298
Court
Illinois Supreme Court
Filed
Jun 1, 1999
Status
Published
Author
Rathje
On the bench
Freeman, Heiple, Harrison, Nickels, McMorrow, Rathje
Cited by
239 cases

holding that defendants were immune from liability for “ordinary negligence” but not for “willful and wanton misconduct”

How later courts described this case

  • holding that defendants were immune from liability for “ordinary negligence” but not for “willful and wanton misconduct”
  • noting that courts “cannot restrict or enlarge the meaning of an unambiguous statute” or “rewrite statutes to make them consistent with the court’s idea of orderliness and public policy”
  • holding the defendant school district had a “vested right” to the immunity provided by the statute before the amendment
  • finding a school district’s right to the total immunity as a defense vested when the cause of action accrued

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

JUSTICE RATHJE, also dissenting:

I agree with the legal analysis set forth in Justice Harrison’s dissent to the majority’s original opinion. Unlike Justice Harrison, however, I would not ascribe an “utter disregard for children” to my colleagues in the majority simply because they reach a conclusion different from my own.

I also agree with Justice Harrison’s supplemental dissent that the Illinois Constitution in no way precludes the application of the amended section 3 — 108 to this case. I likewise dissent.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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