Hawthorne Race Course accuses sign company of breaching lease agreement

The owner of a Cook County race track is suing an outdoor sign company, claiming it has failed to pay rent for signs on Stickney property.

Hawthorne Race Course Inc. filed a lawsuit Oct. 16 in Cook County Circuit Court against Victor Sign Co., also known as Victor Sign Corp., alleging breach of lease agreement.

According to the complaint, Hawthorne and Urban Media entered into an outdoor lease agreement in 2006 for a portion of property on South Laramie Avenue in Stickney. In 2006, the suit states, Urban Media assigned its right, title and interest in the agreement to Victor Sign Co., and in 2013, Victor Sign assigned its right, title and interest to Hawthrone.

Hawthorne claims the defendant maintains two outdoor advertising signs on the property and was required to pay a base rent, plus additional rent in the form of percentages of gross revenue generated by the signs, through the expiration of the lease in 2026.

The defendant, however, failed to pay the additional rent or provide an accounting of gross revenue for the years 2011 through 2013, the suit alleges. Hawthrone also claims Victor Signs failed to pay the base rent for the years 2012 through 2014.

Hawthorne is seeking an accounting and the amount, if any, found to exceed the base rent, as well as the $72,000 it asserts is owed in base rent, plus interest and attorney fees.

It is represented by Emily A. Ralph and Edmund P. Boland of Carey, Filter, White & Boland in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 14CH16790.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.