Family member of CPS teacher who died files petition for info about defibrillator used

A family member of the Chicago Public Schools teacher who died last month shortly after collapsing in class wants more information about the defibrillator used in order determine whether legal action should be taken and if so, against who.

According to a petition filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, James Dasher was teaching at a school in the city's Austin neighborhood at about 2:48 p.m. on Feb. 24, when he collapsed from a heart attack.

He was pronounced dead about an hour later at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. The school's website shows he was as an eighth grade teacher.

"It is believed that the defibrillator used on Dasher at Spencer Elementary Technology Academy may have failed to function properly," the petition alleges.

The petition, which seeks court approval to engage in discovery prior to the filing of a lawsuit, was brought by Mark Dasher, as personal representative of James Dasher's estate, and names Chicago Public Schools and the Board of Education of the City of Chicago.

In order to determine if a cause of action exists against a third party and who that party may be, the petition asserts "it is crucial and essential" to find out the make and/or model of the defibrillator used on Dasher after he collapsed and before he died on Feb. 24.

It asks CPS and the city's Board of Education to provide any and all documents disclosing the model and/or identification model of the defibrillator used on Dasher, as well as the name(s) and supplier(s) of its manufacturer and any reports or documents related to the Feb. 24 incident.

Chicago attorney Robert J. Bingle of Corboy & Demetrio filed the petition on behalf of Mark Dasher.

Cook County Circuit Court No. CH03990.

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 that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and represents only one side of the story.