ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October 29,
1992
CITY OF DES PLAINES, GAIL
)
PAPASTERIADIS, and GABRIEL
AND
)
LINDA GULO,
)
)
Complainants,
)
v.
)
PCB 92—127
(Enforcement)
SOLID WASTE AGENCY OF NORTHERN
)
COOK COUNTY,
)
)
Respondent.
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by R.C. Flemal):
On September
1,
1992, complainants
filed a complaint
alleging violation by respondent of Section 22.14
of the Illinois
Environmental Protection Act
(Ill.
Rev.
Stat.
1991,
ch.
111½,
par.
1022.14) (Act).
On September 14,
1992 respondent filed a
motion to dismiss on the basis that the complaint is duplicitous
and frivolous.
That motion was denied by Board order of October
1,
1992.
On October 15,
1992, respondent filed its answer to the
complaint.
At various points buried within the answer respondent
moves that certain portions of the complaint be stricken.
On October 16,
1992, respondent filed
a separate document
entitled “Motion to Strike and Dismiss”,
that contains
essentially the same arguments to dismiss as are included in the
answer.
The October 16 motion to strike and dismiss is
accompanied by a motion to file instanter.
On October 22,
1992,
complainants filed their reply to respondent’s motion to strike
and dismiss,
and on October 23,
1992,
complainants filed a
response to the respondent’s motion for leave to file the motion
to strike and dismiss instanter.
On October
27,
1992,
respondent
filed a motion for leave to file
a reply to complainants’
responses.
On October 28,
1992,
complainants filed a response to
respondents motion for leave to file a reply.
The Board initially addresses respondent’s October 16 motion
to file instanter.
The Board’s procedural rules for enforcement proceedings
require that “all motions by respondent to dismiss or strike the
complaint or challenging the jurisdiction of the Board shall be
filed within
14 days after receipt of the complaint”.
(35 Ill.
Adrn.
Code
103.140).
In
its motion to file instanter, respondent
claims that its motion to dismiss or strike the complaint could
not be filed until after the Board made its determination on
respondent’s previous motion to dismiss on the duplicitous—
frivolous determination.
Respondent further states that if the
Board fails to consider its motion to strike and dismiss, the
01 31-0073
—2—
respondent will be required to defend allegations of a violation
which it believes do not constitute a violation under the Act.
As part of the duplicitous or frivolous aetermination, the
Board determines whether it has jurisdiction of a matter brought
before it.
The Board recognizes that a respondent may wish to
wait to file a motion to dismiss until after the duplicitious-
frivolous determination is made.
However, where jurisdiction
does exist, the date of filing is not forward-dated to the date
of the Board’s duplicitous-frivolous determination.
Even if the
date of the Board’s determination were taken as the “date of
filing” for the purposes of calculation of time under Section
103.140, respondent’s motion is late.
In this case, respondent has already taken the opportunity
to file a motion to dismiss within
14 days after filing of the
complaint.
Respondent’s previous motion to dismiss included
allegations regarding matters other than those pertaining to the
duplicitous-frivolous determination.
Regarding those other
matters, the Board found in its October 1,
1992 order that the
complaint sufficiently stated a cause of action.
On respondent’s
second argument that it would be prejudiced by being required to
defend allegations
it believes do not constitute a violation,
the
Board does not see how defense of an enforcement action alone
would constitute prejudice.
Any respondent in any enforcement
action would be in the same position.
Therefore,
the Board fails
to see how respondent would be prejudiced by the Board’s denial
of its motion to file.
Even
if the Board were to grant the motion to file,
it would
find that the issues raised
in the motion to dismiss and strike
indicate that the facts and law are inextricably linked in this
matter such that hearing on the merits is necessary before any
determinations can be made.
Respondent is free to argue the
merits of its positions at the hearing in this matter.
For these reasons, respondent’s October 16,
1992 motion to
file instanter is hereby denied.
Also,
to the extent that there
are motions to dismiss and strike embedded within respondent’s
filing of October
15,
1992,
these motions are denied as untimely
filed.
Respondent’s October 27,
1992 motion for leave to file
its reply to complainants’ motions is denied as moot.
As
a final matter, the Board notes that neither respondent
nor complainant has served the hearing officer with their
filings.
Such service
is required under the procedural rules.
(See,
35 Ill. Adm. Code 103.104.)
The parties are directed to
properly serve the hearing officer with all documents filed.
IT
IS
SO
ORDERED.
0
37-OO7~4
—3—
I, Dorothy N. Gunn,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify that the above order was adopted on the
~
day of
____________________,
1992,
by a vote of
7-L~
Dorothy N./Ø2unn, Clerk
Illinois ~Øllution Control Board
01 3:~-QO75