After WBEZ Investigation, Secretary Of State Seeks To Lift Cap On Negligence Payouts

After WBEZ Investigation, Secretary Of State Seeks To Lift Cap On Negligence Payouts

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Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White wants to lift a cap on how much the state has to pay out to families of veterans in negligence lawsuits. That comes after a WBEZ investigation into multiple outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease at a state-run veterans’ home. Twelve families are suing the state for neglect because their loved ones died in a 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the home in downstate Quincy. But state law caps such legal payouts to $100,000 — tied for the lowest cap in the country. The state has so far denied acting negligently.