Judge Margaret Brennan of Chicago; one of the Good Gals

The state of Illinois provided Margaret Ann Brennan with a law license in 1987 after she graduated from the Chicago-Kent College School of Law.

In one matter,Judge Brennan presided over a case wherein Marshall Spiegel and his “willful enabler” lawyer John Xydakis had filed various claims against a condo association and almost all its residents as well as their individual attorneys.

Spiegel pursued asinine claims about empty water bottles in front of his doorway, voicemails left on his answering machine, law furniture purchased for common areas, neighbors hiding in bushes, and condo bylaws preventing shirtless massages next to the pool. Spiegel repeatedly filed the same motions over and over and, in the process, recycled the same allegations in new filing. He also issued voluminous subpoenas and discovery request. He made the same claims in state and federal court, and with the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Having had her fill of the outrageous conduct of Spiegel and Xydakis, Judge Brennan imposed a sanction of just over $1 million against Spiegel and Xydakis and in her order assessing the sanction, stated in part.

• “The mess that has typified Spiegel’s pleadings, motions and briefs across the multiple lawsuits has been used to create confusion, evade decision, deceive the court and ultimately harass the litigants.”
• “The actions of Spiegel and Xydakis are simply obscene.”

Kudos to Judge Brennan for having the courage and fortitude to send a message to Spiegel and Xydakis Wannabees that this type of despicable conduct will not be tolerated and will in fact result in the assessment of heavy fines.

As we speak (ca. May 2019), Judge Brennan continues to sit as a Cook County Circuit Court judge in Chicago, Illinois.