Defamation Lawsuit Filed Against Grundy County Coroner

A top Chicago law firm has filed a defamation and invasion of privacy action against the Grundy County Coroner on behalf of a family who was subject to an unjustified smear campaign after suffering the death of their infant daughter.

Robert Clifford, nationally prominent trial attorney, filed the action today (Nov. 25) on behalf of Craig and Keri Carpenter whose six-day-old daughter Faith Ann died at Morris Hospital.

An autopsy was conducted on the infant by an independent contractor retained by Grundy County Coroner William J. Kelly. Following that autopsy, Kelly reportedly recommended that the LaSalle County State's Attorney's Office investigate the death of the far west suburban Seneca baby. The investigation eventually was dropped.

Carpenter's lawsuit alleges that Kelly and others affiliated with his office negligently and recklessly performed an autopsy and based upon their inaccurate and negligent conclusions, those officials began publicly discussing the death of the baby which resulted in false rumors being spread that the parents were somehow responsible for the death of their baby.

"These loving, caring parents were devastated by the death of their baby, and then they had to unjustifiably withstand the emotional pain and suffering of public officials implying that they were criminally responsible for the death of their daughter," said Prindable, managing partner of the firm. "Although this family's name had been cleared by subsequent reliable testing, these public officials have never even apologized to this couple."

Also named in the lawsuit are Joseph Sapala, M.D., the forensic pathologist who actually performed the autopsy, John W. Callahan, the assistant Grundy County Coroner at the time of the incident, and E. Steven Smith, D.D.S., a dentist from Chicago who examined the child after her death.

The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Grundy County. It also alleges negligent infliction of emotional distress.