A federal judge has ruled that a south suburban child welfare organization can keep its doors open to wards of the state who have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, for the time being.
United States District Court Judge Thomas M. Durkin granted an emergency temporary restraining order Wednesday against the village of Midlothian allowing Aunt Martha’s, a nonprofit that owns a home in Midlothian for homeless youth, to continue operating, the agency said in a statement.
Aunt Martha’s sued the village May 12, alleging that it wrongfully cited zoning laws that stopped them from developing the Children’s Quarantine Center, despite the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services putting out a call to child welfare organizations for such help.
The temporary restraining order, filed May 18, stops Midlothian from shutting down the Children’s Quarantine Center, the agency said.
“We are pleased with today’s ruling granting our motion for a temporary restraining order, which will allow the continued operation of the Children’s Quarantine Center – a first of its kind program that serves as a last resort for DCFS youth who have been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19 and have nowhere else to safely quarantine,” Ricardo Meza, a lawyer for Aunt Martha’s, said in a statement.
In a statement provided by Midlothian attorney Nick Valadez, the village noted that only five children would be allowed in the home at a time, and that Aunt Martha’s has refused to provide information on kids coming in and out of the building, despite being ordered by the court to do so.
