Interim victories in fight to save Murray Center as court case looms

In the latest twists to the courtroom drama surrounding the fight to save Murray Developmental Center, a state circuit court judge has rejected the Quinn Administration's efforts to undercut a court-appointed guardian, Stewart Freeman.

The Quinn Administration has been pushing to force Murray's hundreds of residents with disabilities out of their home and into the custody of private operators in order to close Murray.

Freeman was appointed guardian ad litem to act in the best interests of Murray residents who have no family guardian and so are wards of the state. The court feared the Quinn Administration was simply dumping these individuals, a concern that was underscored when Freeman found dangerously substandard conditions in some of the privately-operated facilities.

In this decision, the judge declined to approve a Quinn Administration request to allow the movement of state wards from Murray without Freeman's approval. The judge cited pending hearings in the federal case filed by the Murray Parents Association.

The federal suit is scheduled to be heard beginning Jan. 6. Settlement discussions between the Quinn Administration and the Murray families did not yield an agreement to end the litigation.

In other news, AFSCME continues to seek a favorable resolution to a grievance aimed at ensuring Murray staff continues to have meaningful input whenever the placement of any Murray resident is considered. Murray employees are experienced professionals who know the residents and their needs better than anyone else. But the Quinn Administration has tried to put these decisions in the hands of a private consultant, CRA, that families say is manipulating the process to dump Murray residents at the state's direction.

Read previous coverage of the Murray struggle here and here.