Contesting a Disorderly House Fine

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hojkin

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I live in DeKalb, Illinois and had a party last week for my roommate's birthday. One of my friend's brought a few questionable people over that I didn't know and they eventually started a fight with one of my other friends. They pushed him to the ground and kicked him a couple times while he was down. He wasn't seriously hurt and didn't have to go the hospital or anything. We tried to kick the assailants out, but they kept trying to come back into my apartment. They eventually left after shoving one of my friends into the wall and causing a giant hole in the drywall. However, as they left, one of them said he had a gun and that he was going to come back and "shoot the place up." Thus, one of my friends called the cops. By the time the cops arrived, the assailants were gone for good. However, we received a $300 disorderly house citation. Specifically, the fine reads that we "maintained a disorderly house by permitting a person(s) to make loud or raucous noises clearly audible from 50 feet or more of such dwelling unit and permitting disturbances or improper diversions that unreasonably interfered with the quiet enjoyment of life."

I was wondering if you think it would be wise to contest this fine or just pay it. I do not see how we can get fined when we were the ones that called the cops. No one else was even in my apartment complex at the time, so I did not interfere with anyone's quiet enjoyment of life. If someone beats up one of my friends and threatens to come back with a gun, I should be able to call the cops and not have to worry about getting an unreasonable fine. Also, if I were to contest this charge and lose the case, would I be charged extra money for court fees? I can get a lawyer free of charge through my school.
 
Giving you a summons wasn't nice. I think it's possible you can avoid being found guilty and I do think that taking up your school on a lawyer for free is an excellent idea. A lawyer is trained specifically to defend you and will know how to do so with expert training. He'll know how to present the evidence as well as question the officer as to how and why he or she thought a violation occurred. Once you have people on your property, they are your responsibility. If you gave them alcohol and they were intoxicated, liability may be imputed upon you. This doesn't mean you'll be found guilty of violating the ordinance. It's worth the fight and hopefully the lawyer will have done a better job than you paid. :)
 
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