December 26, 2007 – The Chicago Tribune “Problem Solver” column has helped an elderly cancer patient avoid a fine by a condo association whose lawyer is MTCA attorney Ellis Levin.

In his December 26 “What’s Your Problem?” column, Jon Yates writes about an 85-year-old woman with ovarian cancer and severe arthritis who could not get to her building’s package room in time to receive a shipment of chemotherapy pills, of which she had run out. She sent a friend to the apartment of a custodian, who retrieved the package.

A few days later, the woman, Blossom Fefer, received a certified letter from Ellis Levin, attorney for Thorndale Beach North Condominium Association. Because she had broken association rules by disturbing the custodian, Levin said she would be fined $75 plus $150 in legal fees.

The woman requested a hearing to appeal the fine but wanted a friend to represent her because she was too weak from the cancer and chemotherapy. Levin wrote back, saying only she or a licensed attorney could attend the hearing. He also asked for proof she was telling the truth about the shipment.

According to Yates, Levin wanted “the name of the person with whom she placed the prescription and the name and address of the pharmacy. He wanted the date and time the order was placed, the name of the drug she ordered and the name of the doctor who wrote the prescription. He also demanded ‘the phone number of the person you spoke to,’ although it is unclear from context what exactly he meant by that.”

Yates visited Fefer, then contacted Levin, who accused Fefer of “flouting the rules.” But he said she would not be fined until after the condo board had reviewed the matter. After Yates sent Levin documentation that backed up Fefer’s claim, the president of Thorndale Beach North Condominium Association – who lives next door to Fefer and says there is “bad blood” between them – decided not to fine her.