Sciarrone v. Village of Island Lake

Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit alleging that their former employer had violated the Whistleblower Act and engaged in retaliatory discharge after the plaintiffs, who were former police offers, allegedly found evidence of criminal wrongdoing and reported their findings to state and federal authorities. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants and plaintiffs appealed. The appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part, finding that defendants’ motion for summary judgment failed to satisfy their initial burden of production but that the village enjoyed sovereign immunity from the retaliatory discharge claim. (HUTCHINSON and BIRKETT, concurring)