QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The University of Illinois hired a law firm to represent them and in my opinion, to fend off 2000 lawsuits that they would be facing otherwise," Ramsell said. The report concludes UIC's Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory methods should have "been modified" to distinguish between two related forms of THC. However, it goes on to say, "Nevertheless, the reliability of those test results may be confirmed on a case-by-case basis..." something Ramsell does not believe is true. To suggest you have completed the investigation, I think is laughable Don Ramsell, criminal defense attorney "Now that the labs have been closed for over a year, that means every sample is incapable of being retested, despite what some lawyer might write in a position paper," he claims."
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SECOND QUOTE OF THE DAY: "ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said the results of the law firm's analysis don't absolve UIC's lab of wrongdoing, with a key figure at the former lab declining interviews by the investigative team. "This was unusual, I think, though, because the report really took pains to say that although errors were made and although things were not done that should have been done. It doesn't necessarily mean that all tests were wrong from the get go," Soffer said. He pointed out that a key figure at the former lab declined interviews by the investigative team. "First, will there be a criminal penalty here? Will someone be found to have deliberately misled somebody else? Unclear from this report, it didn't find that someone had misled, but it also doesn't rule out that possibility, and I could see further inquiry there," Soffer said. "The other question is, could somebody, the lab, be held liable in negligence for what happened here?"
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STORY: "University of Illinois Chicago releases report on faulty blood tests used in marijuana DUI cases," by reporters Mark Rivera, Christine Tressel, Barb Markoff and Tom Jones, published by abc7, on July 3, 2025. (Mark Rivera and the ABC7 Chicago I-Team); (Mark Rivera came back to work in his hometown when he joined the ABC 7 Eyewitness News team as weekend morning news anchor and reporter in December 2017. Upon his arrival to the station, former News Vice President Jennifer Graves described Mark as a "skilled anchor and a versatile reporter adept at covering everything from big breaking news stories, to politics and feature stories.")
SUB-HEADING: "The University of Illinois Chicago has released a report on faulty Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory blood tests used in marijuana DUI cases.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The University of Illinois Chicago has released an internal investigation report into faulty lab testing that has potentially jeopardized more than 1,000 cannabis DUI cases in the Chicago metro area.
Many DUI cases were charged based on results from UIC's Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory, which ceased human testing in February 2024.
Since the ABC7 I-Team's reporting, more than a dozen criminal cases have been dropped.
UIC hired Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP to look into and create an independent report into concerns and claims made about testing inaccuracies when measuring THC.
At issue are results that were unable to distinguish Delta-9 THC from other commonly encountered THC isomers such as Delta-8.
The lab had notified police departments and prosecutor's offices in Illinois that there may have been problems with some results.
Criminal defense attorney Don Ramsell, who represents clients charged with cannabis DUI, told the I-Team the report is just a corporate whitewash.
"The University of Illinois hired a law firm to represent them and in my opinion, to fend off 2000 lawsuits that they would be facing otherwise," Ramsell said.
The report concludes UIC's Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory methods should have "been modified" to distinguish between two related forms of THC. However, it goes on to say, "Nevertheless, the reliability of those test results may be confirmed on a case-by-case basis..." something Ramsell does not believe is true.
To suggest you have completed the investigation, I think is laughable
Don Ramsell, criminal defense attorney
"Now that the labs have been closed for over a year, that means every sample is incapable of being retested, despite what some lawyer might write in a position paper," he claims.
ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said the results of the law firm's analysis don't absolve UIC's lab of wrongdoing, with a key figure at the former lab declining interviews by the investigative team.
"This was unusual, I think, though, because the report really took pains to say that although errors were made and although things were not done that should have been done. It doesn't necessarily mean that all tests were wrong from the get go," Soffer said.
He pointed out that a key figure at the former lab declined interviews by the investigative team.
"First, will there be a criminal penalty here? Will someone be found to have deliberately misled somebody else? Unclear from this report, it didn't find that someone had misled, but it also doesn't rule out that possibility, and I could see further inquiry there," Soffer said. "The other question is, could somebody, the lab, be held liable in negligence for what happened here?"
Ramsell added that there are still many unanswered questions.
"To suggest you have completed the investigation, I think is laughable," he said.
UIC declined to talk to the I-Team about the report, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said it will continue to review any cases that may have been affected by faulty testing.
The DuPage County State's Attorney's Office declined to comment on the report, but it has already dismissed 19 cases involving the UIC lab testing.
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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