The Illinois Supreme Court says the Gillespie school district can’t sue an architectural firm for building a school over an underground coal mine that later collapsed, causing the school to be torn down.
In a unanimous decision, justices ruled the district’s “fraudulent representation” claims against Wight & Company came after a statute of limitations passed.
The elementary school in Benld (ben-ELD’) was built in 2002. It closed in 2009 after being damaged and declared unsafe because of mine subsidence, which occurs when land moves or sinks because of a collapsed underground mine. Justices say the district’s 2010 suit was filed too late. That upholds decisions by lower courts.