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Yet another loss for a Tom DeVore client

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Illinois

The penalty for a Twin-Cities restaurant and bar will run in the thousands of dollars for defying Gov. JB Pritzker’s COVID-19 restrictions by providing indoor service.

The Normal Town Council, acting as the the town’s liquor commission, voted 5-2 to affirm hearing officer Todd Greenburg’s recommendation for a $1,750 fine against Joe’s Station House and Pizza Pub at The Shoppes of College Hills on Veterans Parkway.

The financial penalties are more than that because Joe’s also has to pay $2,420 for the hearing officer and court reporter. Plus, the business will have to pay the town its regular liquor license fee. The town council recently waived that fee for establishments complying with regulations. […]

Joe’s attorney Thomas DeVore indicated he will appeal the local commission’s findings to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, and possibly file a lawsuit against the town.

Yeah, good luck with that.

* Another one…

DeVore also represents Joe’s owners, the Wargo brothers, in a similar matter involving their other establishment, Joe’s Pub on G.E. Road in Bloomington. In that case, the city’s liquor commission fined the owners $600.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:29 am

Comments

Tommie boy is running up an impressive won/lost record.. If he keeps this up he could become the lead attorney for Trump and his recount efforts..

Comment by NotRich Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:32 am
==and possibly file a lawsuit against the town.==

and lose.

Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:33 am
#FearTheBird

Comment by Commisar Gritty Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:35 am
I am assuming Tom gets paid a flat fee up front.

Comment by Montrose Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:36 am
DeVore is a losing, wasteful inefficient machine.

And DeVore’s most vocal supporter’s decry government waste.

Comment by don the legend Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:36 am
Over four grand in fines plus legal fees and, apparently, doubling down on more lost-cause lawsuits?

This was a viable option to not abiding by E.O.’s?

Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:36 am
DeVore’s other clients in BloNo have also lost their cases before the liquor commissions. Not only are they out of the fines and costs but lawyer fees as well.

Comment by Nearly Normal Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:37 am
The grifting will continue as long as the checks keep clearing… I do feel for the fleeced, the marks.

DeVore has proven he can lose, gracefully, and still find marks willing to burn money on him… as opposed to lighting up $100 bills in the fireplace.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:37 am
Building a solid resume to become lead counsel for Donald Trump

Comment by H L Mencken Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:37 am
=== DeVore is a losing, wasteful inefficient machine. ===

That all depends on what the goal is. If the goal is to cash checks from his marks, he’s doing great.

Similar to how Elvis’ manager sold I hate Elvis buttons, to take money from the people who didn’t like him.

The goal is making money, nothing more.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:41 am
I’m guessing he gets paid, win or lose. So, it’s all good.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:41 am
Kinda strange that people would pay so much money to be publicly humiliated, but I’m not gonna judge.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:43 am
“Kinda strange that people would pay so much money to be publicly humiliated” Three words: “The Gong Show”

Comment by Skeptic Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:48 am
“Building a solid resume to become lead counsel for Donald Trump”
Not if he wants to get paid.

Comment by a drop in Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 9:57 am
too bad there isn;t a way to place all legal fees back on Devore and his clients that are being paid by the taxpayers

Comment by truthteller Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:00 am
That’s a shame their owners are like this. I enjoyed going to Joe’s Pub at the end of Constitution Trail back in the day.

Comment by Hot Taeks Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:02 am
If we assume that the bar and restaurant licenses were not suspended or revoked, the owners probably made a decent return on the Devore legal activity. Devore may have lost in court (again) but his clients are probably ahead financially as
it appears the Bar has been open for business for months bringing revenue.
If Team Pritzker were serious about this the State Commission could have started hearings 6 months ago to revoke the bar’s license.
By the way, any word on the $1,000 Devore owes that charity.

Comment by Back to the Future Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:03 am
I don’t understand why people take his legal advice and tout him as “their guy” fighting the government. He loses an awful lot, and it seems he’s just scamming all of these people on legal fees…

Comment by Ryan Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:06 am
My favorite is when the marks, and others, go out of the way to *thank* DeVore.

It makes me laugh out loud almost every time.

I can’t imagine DeVore thought it would be this easy to separate people from their money by literally losing, gracefully.

At this point, what difference do any new cases make outside the cases DeVore had already lost?

He knows they are drop dead losers, but DeVore takes the cash, loses, and moves on to the next markS… it’s not like there’s a lack of people not wanting him, it appears.

These marks are now done “paying for his house”, they are now “paying for his swimming pool, new cars, vacations… “

I feel bad, then I laugh.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:11 am
“Mr. DeVore, there’s an Abraham Lincoln on the phone; he said it’s time to turn in your law license before it’s forcibly taken from you…”

Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:17 am
He lost AGAIN?!? hooboy…

Comment by Is it 2022 yet Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:18 am
It’s fun watching people learn about government

Comment by Leigh John-Ella Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:18 am
===any word on the $1,000 Devore owes that charity===

He’s refusing to pay, of course. And he lied about not knowing the governor had kids.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:26 am
–Devore may have lost in court (again) but his clients are probably ahead financially as it appears the Bar has been open for business for months bringing revenue.–

Ding ding ding ding… we have a winner.

Comment by JB13 Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 10:29 am
==Three words: “The Gong Show”==

Gee, thanks for the earworm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj4jN-T5g8M

Comment by yinn Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 11:16 am
“Gee, thanks for the earworm.” Gene Gene the Dancing Machine just makes my day.

Comment by Skeptic Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 11:36 am
“…open for business for months bringing revenue.”

Will they/Have they file(d) all their sales taxes on those months??? Might be interesting to audit some of these DeVorite businesses just to see what turns up;)

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 12:31 pm
I just shake my head every time I read of another Tom DeVore loss. You go to his social media accounts and you’d think he’s one of the big winners. If you dig deep you know by all the negativity against “the man” you can tell he can’t win so he just insults his competitors. He should go to work for Trump. They are much alike.

Comment by Club J Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 12:56 pm
If DeVore ever gets out of the law game, with his knowledge of marks and suckers he might have a second life career as a professional wrestling manager. Of course, since he is so accustomed to losing, he’ll have to manage the grapplers who get squashed by the stars every week.

Comment by DirtLawyer Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 1:02 pm
DeVore is the legal version of Dan Proft. Stupid people just keep paying him to lose.

Comment by Feldy Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 1:05 pm
Strongly suspect that many of those choosing to defy are doing a cash business too. Don’t look for taxes to be paid. Law and order constitutionalists defying law and orders in a frenzy. DeVore is part of the marketing team to get the word out that they’re open.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 1:38 pm
DeVore has announced that there will be an appeal. Anybody suprised?

Tom DeVore, representing pub owners Joe and Tony Wargo, said they intend to appeal the decision to the state Liquor Control Commission. DeVore has argued that the pub did not violate the town’s liquor code and that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders are not state law.

tinyurl.com/jj5bfycu

Comment by Nearly Normal Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 5:00 pm
Back to the Future has a good point. Paying less than $3,000 is coming out ahead when you’re able to stay open. It’s the equivalent of large companies paying relatively minor fines to make wrongdoing accusations go away. This applies to anything beyond this specific situation (think if a restaurant remained open after failing a health inspection). Maybe the law should be changed to allow the fine to match the revenues from being open in defiance of the law.

Comment by MyTwoCents Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 5:22 pm
An appeal used to get you an automatic stay in the liquor license appeal world so this may go on for some time.
Often you find folks figuring out a way to “play” the system for awhile, but often this approach ends very badly for people. The bottom line is that Covid 19 kills people.

Comment by Back to the Future Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 5:27 pm
Nothing and I mean nothing makes me happier than this doof losing over and over.

Comment by The Dude Tuesday, Feb 2, 21 @ 7:37 pm