PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chief Judge Evans appoints new supervising judge for Housing Court

Released On 07/15/2009

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has appointed Associate Judge William G. Pileggi as Supervising Judge of the Housing Section of the First Municipal District, effective July 16, 2009. Judge Pileggi succeeds Judge Sebastian T. Patti who has been appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Judge Pileggi, 58, will oversee the five judges who are assigned to the First Municipal District’s Housing Section, which covers the city of Chicago and unincorporated Cook County. The section hears matters pertaining to building code violations and compliance brought by the City of Chicago and Cook County which impact the health and safety of occupants and the community.

Chief Judge Evans said, “Judge Pileggi brings more than two decades of experience with real estate issues to his new assignment, having spent the majority of his time on the bench in Housing Court as well as having practiced extensively in that section of the court before becoming a judge. I have full confidence in his abilities to lead this critical section that affects the quality of life for so many residents.”

Chief Judge Evans continued, “With his thorough knowledge of the Housing Section’s day-to-day operations and keen insight into the myriad of cases filed there, Judge Pileggi will hit the ground running as its supervisor.”

An 11-year veteran of the bench, Judge Pileggi was first appointed an associate judge in May 1998. He was initially assigned to the Traffic Section of the First Municipal District hearing routine traffic matters as well as DUI and suspended license matters. That same year, he began his current assignment in the Housing Section of the First Municipal District. Over the past ten years, he has presided over every court call in the section which includes those for lead and heat violations, conservation, zoning and ordinance enforcement, demolition and unincorporated Cook County enforcement. He also presides over the condominium conversion fraud call created six months ago, at his suggestion.

Judge Pileggi said, “I am grateful and honored that Chief Judge Evans has given me this opportunity to serve as Supervising Judge and will do all that I can to fulfill the expectations he has set for me.”

From 2002 to 2005, Judge Pileggi was one of seven judges who were additionally assigned by Chief Judge Evans to the court’s Chancery Division as part of a pilot program to help address the explosion of mortgage foreclosure filings.

In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Pileggi also serves on the Circuit Court’s Housing Court Advisory Committee established in 1998 to restructure and revitalize Housing Court operations. As chair of the Subcommittee on Receiverships, Judge Pileggi helped to create a pilot program in 1998 which allows receivers to obtain funding to make repairs to dilapidated buildings. The program is an additional tool that lets judges preserve the housing stock when it is economically feasible to make repairs to bring buildings into compliance.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Pileggi was a partner with Pileggi, Guzman, Ginex and Fecarotta, a general practice firm, from 1981 to 1992. In 1985, he founded the Greater Illinois Title Company, an insurance provider for real estate transactions, and served as its general counsel from 1985 to 1998. Prior to entering private practice, he was an assistant state’s attorney in the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney from 1976 to 1981, serving in the Criminal Appeals Division, the First Municipal Criminal Division, and lastly, the Felony Trial Division.

A native of Chicago, Judge Pileggi received his J.D., with honors, from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1976 and his B.A. from Lewis College, Lockport, Illinois, in 1972. He is married to Roseanne M. Pileggi, and they have four children. Judge Pileggi is a member of The Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Justinian Society of Lawyers.

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