Cudahy Official Loses Bid to Recoup Fines

Cudahy Councilman John O. Robertson has lost another round in his legal fight to recoup fines levied against him when he was director of a regional job training agency.

A former state Supreme Court justice acting as arbitrator in Robertson’s case against the Hub Cities Consortium has denied Robertson’s claim that the agency should have indemnified him instead of fining him $39,000 for allegedly improperly authorizing a contract for that amount.

If Robertson wanted to be indemnified, former Justice Malcolm Lucas ruled, he should have made that request before the consortium took its claim to trial in 1993.

In October, a Superior Court judge denied Robertson’s claim that Cudahy owed him the amount of the fine. Without determining whether he was acting in his official position as councilman while on the consortium’s board of directors, the judge said the statute of limitations on Robertson’s claim against the city expired three years before.

Robertson’s attorney, Agustin Medina, said the councilman is still considering appealing both decisions to recover approximately $150,000 in related fines and legal fees. “Despite all of these rulings, we feel that Mr. Robertson still would like to vindicate himself,” Medina said.