Inland Real Estate Corp. v. Village of Palatine

Defendant Ferndale Heights Utility Company (Ferndale) was a privately owned and operated utility company until the village of Palatine (Palatine) purchased it in 1981. Thereafter, plaintiffs, former customers of Ferndale, brought this class action to challenge the rates for water, sewer, tap-on and meter services set by Palatine after the purchase. The trial court found, inter alia, that the water rate of $6.23 per 1,000 gallons set by Palatine was unreasonable and discriminated against plaintiffs and set a water rate of $3.45 per 1,000 gallons.

In this appeal, plaintiffs contend that (1) the…