Today, the highly-publicized case of Marian Central Catholic Highschool wrestler, Jimmy Mastny, and his coach, Jordan Blanton, came to a conclusion. Brody Brandner, Ltd. represented Jimmy and Coach Blanton in bringing their lawsuit against the IHSA. The McHenry County Circuit Court entered a judgment which declared a decision by the Illinois High School Association, one that suspended Jimmy from wrestling and Coach Blanton from coaching, was arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, and otherwise unlawful, and therefore entered a permanent injunction against the IHSA which prohibits them from enforcing this decision. Central to this case was the question of whether IHSA rules prohibiting a student-athlete like Jimmy from living with someone "associated" or "connected" with the school included a prohibition against living with family members of the coaching staff. After reviewing the IHSA's governing rules, the Court ruled that the IHSA By-Laws did not include the family members of coaches as those governed by the rules, and that the association's disciplinary decision was therefore not consistent with its own rules. Furthermore, certain orders entered by the judge protect Jimmy and Coach Blanton from the IHSA attempting to take additional disciplinary action after the case had concluded.
This was a resounding and overwhelming success for our clients! We are incredibly proud of the dedication, resilience, and courage shown by Jimmy and Coach Blanton throughout this long journey, and are incredibly grateful of the love and support that were shown by Jimmy and Coach Blanton's friends and family. As a result of the successful results obtained by our firm, Coach Blanton lead Jimmy to an individual state title and the remainder of his team to the school's first ever 1A state title. We are also proud of Managing Partner, Timothy D. Brandner, for guiding Jimmy and Coach Blanton to a successful result. Jimmy and Coach Blanton faced intense public attention as a result of the media attention garnered by this case, including when the case was filed, when the case proceeded to trial, when the trial concluded with closing arguments, when the court's ruling was delayed, when the final ruling came down, and at various stages in between.
Here at Brody Brandner, Ltd., we have experience handling complex and unique legal issues - both inside and outside of the courtroom. We are honored to have been a part of Jimmy's and Jordan's journeys and their fight against the Illinois High School Association. Call (815) 374-7783 to learn how we can help you with your own complex civil issue.
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